Shortly after the Gold Cup final, U.S. Soccer posted an episode of their Behind the Crest series. That episode showed Mauricio Pochettino's postgame locker room speech to his team in the aftermath of a 2-1 loss to Mexico. With tears in his eyes and with a voice full of emotion, Pochettino was clearly disappointed, but he offered hope for the future.
"This is not going to kill us," he said. "It's going to make us stronger and I want you to never give up. We still have time to be better."
There is still time, yes, and the U.S. men's national team surely needs to get better. Pochettino's side have less than a year until the World Cup. That time is running out rapidly.
When Pochettino arrived last fall, replacing Gregg Berhalter, it was clear that time was always going to be a challenge. He had less than two years to assess the player pool, figure out a plan and, most importantly, win games. It was by definition challenging, but Pochettino is a top coach. That's why he was brought in to lead this charge towards the World Cup in the first place.
As the clock ticks to June of 2026, where does that charge stand? What has Pochettino done well, what needs to be better and when will those changes be implemented?
Post-Gold Cup, GOAL is looking at the state of the USMNT, analyzing the factors that will ultimately define next summer's team. Next up: Coaching.
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