Mauricio Pochettino said he’s a difficult person to surprise at this point in his life. Though, recently, the scenes of a different form of football opened the eyes of the 53-year-old.
The head coach of the United States Men’s National Team attended the game between opening weekend’s No. 3 Ohio State and No. 1 Texas to kick off the new season of college football. Witnessing Ohio Stadium fill more than 100,000 fans showed Pochettino in living, breathing color how passionate American sports fans can be.
“We really felt the passion of the people here in this country,” he said. “If we translate only a little bit of that to our sport, our players will appreciate that, and they will help us to achieve what we want.”
As the first head USMNT head coach to appear on BIG NOON KICKOFF on FOX, he embraced the opportunity to represent soccer in front of American football fans – leading the Buckeye faithful in an O-H-I-O cheer and bridging together the two sports. In that role, Pochettino served as an ambassador for the sport that is bound to reach that kind of level when the United States co-hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Just like the 1994 World Cup before it, which was also hosted on American soil, the event will bring soccer to the forefront of American sports.
The lead-up for that pivotal moment continues for Pochettino and the USMNT this weekend, starting at a venue that can rival college football gamedays. Pochettino’s squad faces the first of two tests Saturday for a sold-out match at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey against another country bound for the World Cup: Korea Republic.
“People will say, ‘Oh, it’s a friendly.’ But with the amount of time between now and the World Cup, there’s no such thing as friendly games,” said defender Tim Ream. “You have to be on it every single training session, every single game. The pressure is there on everybody to try to make the World Cup squad, and this is an opportunity for everybody who’s here to perform.”
With that in mind, Pochettino was clear during his press conference Friday morning about his markers for success this international window.
“To keep what we started to build in the Gold Cup,” he said.
His team’s most recent match prior to this September window was against Mexico in the Gold Cup Final on July 6. That Gold Cup run defied expectations for a squad that was relatively inexperienced and a head coach in his first year at the helm.
Twelve players return from that Gold Cup roster to join Pochettino at training camp in September. With 12 others, they will look to build off the momentum of a gritty Gold Cup run that ended in a hard-fought final against a strong rival.
Goalkeeper Matt Freese, defender Chris Richards, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and forward Damion Downs are among some of the players that return in September.
“The summer was really such an amazing chemistry that we had,” Freese said. “It was really unique. I’ve never really been part of something that we bonded so well together on and off the field. This camp has been a continuation of that. New guys coming in, experienced guys coming back after the summer. Everyone’s together. Everyone’s a collective, and it’s so great to be a part of and so great to see.”
On Friday, Pochettino shed light on some of the players who are returning after longer absences, or making their first senior camp appearance, and how they have integrated into the squad:
Another piece is Christian Pulisic, the most capped player on the roster. Pulisic is poised to see his first action with the National Team since the 2025 Concacaf Nations League in the spring. Several players said that having Pulisic with the squad has been seamless.
“He’s been the same kind of leader and amazing player,” midfielder Jack McGlynn said. “Great guy off the field and always trying to make conversation.”
Integrating these players, among others, with the 12 Gold Cup returners has been a significant theme of this training camp. Given how much players stressed the standard set during the Gold Cup run, the vibes coming out of this camp suggest the group is making an intentional effort to come together.
“It’s [good] to see how they are very united,” Pochettino said. “It’s one team. That’s a good thing that’s been very natural from Sunday when they arrived and we were all together… it’s been very good time together. Training, talking, meetings. I’m very pleased so far.”