2026-05-04 11:31:55
Mauricio Pochettino believes Team US lack confidence.
The former Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain manager has been head coach of the American national side since 2024 and he thinks his players have a lot of “mental barriers” they need to overcome in order to do well.
Asked what’s needed for the US to challenge the best in the world, he told FourFourTwo magazine: “To compete better. We have players doing well at their clubs, but as a group we still need to shake off those mental barriers.
“The world makes you feel that football isn’t that important in the US and that creates a lack of confidence.
“We’ve been working on the emotional side – being more assertive and believing we’re capable of achieving big things.”
With the World Cup due to be held in the US, Pochettino hopes his squad can help the sport grow in America.
Asked if the World Cup can help football grow in the US, he said: “It can, but it has to be the national team that inspires Americans to empower football here, not the other way around.
“We have a World Cup with the chance to make that possible.”
In 2023, Argentine football legend Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami and Pochettino believes his presence in the MLS has given the sport a huge lift.
He said: “He’s been fundamental to football’s development here.
“He’s a benchmark for the players who face him in MLS, as they discover what it means to truly compete.
“They challenge themselves to figure out how to stop him, and that helps them grow.”
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