'We're American. We Don't Take S---.' US Says Pochettino Instilled Strong Mentality for World Cup
- On Tuesday, the United States team trained in Irvine, California, ahead of their FIFA World Cup match against Australia, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino having instilled a resilient mentality and physicality in the squad.
- That mentality was forged last October during a scrappy 2-1 friendly victory against Australia in Colorado, where Pochettino delivered a halftime rant after midfielder Christian Pulisic suffered an injury from aggressive play.
- Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter credited Pochettino for the team's assertiveness, evident during last Friday's 4-1 victory over Paraguay in Inglewood, California, where the squad responded with increased physicality.
- Pulisic's health remains a concern for the Americans after he worked out alone for the second straight session Tuesday due to a calf injury, leaving the attacker "day to day" for Friday's match.
- Despite injury concerns, winger Tim Weah noted the team has become significantly more aggressive since last year, and the Americans believe they can go toe-to-toe with Australia in their upcoming World Cup clash.
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US faces Australia with chance to advance
The USMNT’s opening FIFA World Cup win against Paraguay had a lot of ties to the 1930s. The three-goal margin of victory on June 12 occurred for the first time since 1930. Folarin Balogun, who scored two goals, became the first US player since 1930 to score at least twice in a World Cup game. On Friday, the USMNT will look for another tie-in with 1930. With a win against Australia, the USMNT, for the first time since the tournament’s debut in 19…
Mauricio Pochettino told USMNT players 'we're American, we don't take s***' ahead of World Cup
The U.S. Men's National Team had arguably the most impressive performance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in its opening game against Paraguay last week.Winning the match was one thing, but how it played out was another. After years of frustrating, slow soccer, the USMNT played a brand of free-flowing, attacking football based on impressively accurate passing and relentless movement up the pitch.Much of the credit goes to the players; Chris Richards …
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