USMNT star discloses Mauricio Pochettino’s message to the players ahead of the World Cup
· Yahoo Sports
The U.S. Men’s National Team’s preparations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, which will largely be held on home soil, are well underway.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side’s first of two pre-tournament friendlies has now been and gone, with the USMNT surviving a Senegal comeback to beat the fellow World Cup participants 3-2 on Sunday.
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Arguably, the biggest storyline to emerge from the game wasn’t the result, nor that the USMNT’s defending could prove concerning, having given up a 2-0 lead, but that midfielder Christian Pulisic’s 2026 goal drought finally came to an end at just the right time.
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Perhaps the AC Milan star’s turn of luck had something to do with a speech made by Pochettino prior to the Senegal game, in which the Argentine delivered a poignant message to his 26 players.
“No regrets was the first thing he said,” midfielder Brenden Aaronson recalled Pochettino telling his team, via the ‘Men in Blazers’ podcast.
“[He said], ‘This is the tournament we're going to walk in, and I want you guys on the couch after the tournament watching something to feel like you went to the World Cup and you gave it your all. So then you're sitting there, and you're not having any regrets.’
“I think that's the biggest thing, because you know the nerves, the pressures, everything like that can get to you in moments.
“But I think hearing just little things with the guy. I mean, he's been through so much, you know, he's been to a World Cup, he's been left off of two rosters like he's told us. So he's been through it all.
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“And to hear him say something like that, it just, you know, it means something. You think about it, and you kind of take it back, and we all just have to play with no fear.”
The USMNT will need every ounce of bravery it can find when they take on four-time champions Germany in their final pre-tournament friendly on Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
Heading into the game, the USMNT’s track record against European opponents weighs heavily against them, having lost their last eight games dating back to 2022 when they were knocked out of the Qatar World Cup by the Netherlands.
As for Julian Nagelsmann’s side, they travel to Illinois fresh off a 4-0 friendly win against Finland on Sunday.
Regardless of how the trip to Chicago goes for the USMNT, their primary focus will then turn to the games that truly matter, starting with their Group D opener against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. They then return to action against Australia on June 19 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, before heading back to California to face Türkiye in their final group game on the 25th.