In a press conference held in Los Angeles on June 11, US head coach Pochettino stated that for the US team, anything less than winning the FIFA World Cup this summer would not be considered a success, a sentiment that has become his obsession.
Earlier this week, the New York Knicks won Game 4, coming within a single victory of their first championship since 1973, prompting celebrations in the streets of Manhattan. On Wednesday night, after the Knicks staged a stunning comeback to defeat the San Antonio Spurs, several US team players under Pochettino also joined in the joyous atmosphere at their training base in California.
Four years ago, in Pochettino's home country of Argentina, the nationwide celebration was even more spectacular when Messi led the national team to win the FIFA World Cup.
For a long time, football's popularity in the United States has lagged behind other mainstream domestic sports. Now, with the US men's soccer team about to kick off their FIFA World Cup campaign against Paraguay in Los Angeles, head coach Pochettino was asked whether his players could ignite a similar level of football frenzy in the US.
"I believe this craze is contagious, and it is crucial that we play with full passion and strive for victory... We need to make fans proud of every performance the team delivers on the field." Pochettino said.
"As long as this emotional connection with the fans is established, everything else will fall into place, leading people to celebrate with the team, but the prerequisite for all of this is winning; winning is the key."
"If we want to win, we cannot do without the support of our fans. I know that after the FIFA World Cup warm-up matches in Charlotte and Chicago, the fans are behind the team."
US midfielder Tyler Adams was one of the players who celebrated wildly at the base after the Knicks' victory on Wednesday. He admitted that he completely lost himself in the enthusiastic atmosphere and had a moment of 'blackout'.
Before Thursday's training session, Adams expressed hope that the Knicks' impressive performance this season would inspire the US men's soccer team competing in the FIFA World Cup this summer.
"It's really inspiring," Adams said. "As an Eastern dark horse, they are doing something amazing right now. I'm motivated by it, but I'm a Knicks fan, not everyone supports the Knicks!"
On Thursday, Pochettino reiterated that only a FIFA World Cup victory for the US team would make this summer a complete success. He also informed the entire team that there would be no more additional motivational speeches; by now, if any player was not ready, it was too late. This FIFA World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and it is widely expected that this tournament will completely reshape the football landscape in North America.
During an interview in Los Angeles on Thursday, Pochettino set a relatively high goal for the team, putting some 'pressure' on them: "For me, success (the only standard) is winning the FIFA World Cup. If the team doesn't reach the final or doesn't win the championship, there's no talk of any success; this is my obsession."
Since securing third place in the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, the US team has only reached the quarterfinals once. But Pochettino is unwilling to find any objective excuses for the team.
"Even if someone tells me: 'Ah, our objective conditions are not good' or 'our opponents are strong top teams,' fine, fine," Pochettino said.
"We took over this team specifically to compete in this unique top-tier tournament, and more importantly, we have the ability to be competitive and we firmly believe we can win the championship."
Pochettino revealed that the starting eleven for the match against Paraguay has been confirmed. He confirmed that defender Chris Richards will return from injury, but did not announce the starting goalkeeper, leaving it uncertain whether Matt Turner or Matt Freese will start.
"I'm not sure if the players themselves know the starting lineup, because if I tell you whether they know, you'll definitely call and ask th
On June 13 UTC time, the US team will face Paraguay in their first FIFA World Cup group stage match. If they can successfully defeat Paraguay, the US team will be in a strong position to advance to the knockout stage in their subsequent matches against Australia and Turkey.
