Poch backing US to come good at World Cup after Nations woe
Mauricio Pochettino called for patience on Sunday after the United States slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Canada, insisting there was still time to turn things around ahead of next year's World Cup.
After an abject CONCACAF Nations League semi-final loss to Panama on Thursday, Pochettino had called on his team to show greater urgency and take more risks in Sunday's third place game against Canada.
But those pleas appeared to have fallen on deaf ears judging by another lackluster display from Pochettino's side, who failed to take a single shot -- on or off target -- in the opening half-hour at SoFi Stadium.
It marked another dispiriting performance from the 2026 World Cup co-hosts, who will return to the same venue on June 12 next year for their opening game of the tournament.
Pochettino, who was appointed last year after the ill-fated second reign of Gregg Berhalter, is confident that by then his side will be in much better shape.
"There's a lot of examples in different years of teams that were building to play in a World Cup that were not good until they arrived at the World Cup," Pochettino said.
"So I want to send a message to the fans 'Don't be pessimistic, don't get bad feelings'. It can happen. But the main objective is the World Cup," the Argentine added.
- No pessimism -
"It's always painful when you lose, but we need to accept it. But I don't want people to feel pessimistic. We are all disappointed that we didn't win but I'm not going to allow us to feel pessimistic because I think we have good players.
"We are going to find a way to perform and for sure we are going to compete and we are going to get different results from those that we got from Thursday and today."
Pochettino acknowledged though that failure to improve over the next year of building towards the World Cup would be a cause for concern.
"If we are in this situation, in one year's time, for sure, I will tell you, 'Houston, we have a problem. S.O.S.," Pochettino said.
"But you will see in one year if we are talking about that, we will have a big problem. Because it will mean that we were not capable of discovering and designing a better strategy to provide the team with the capacity to play in a different way.
"I think we have time. I prefer that what happened today, happened today and not in one year's time."
United States skipper Christian Pulisic said that "some things need to change" following Sunday's loss.
"Obviously disappointed. We've gotta come back from this, we're not at our best at the moment," Pulisic said.
"All we can do now is go back and be the best example we can be at our clubs... and when we come back of course, some things need to change and we need to improve.
"We're gonna look back and see what that is. I don't have all the answers at the moment."
rcw/bb
Topics
-
Poch: U.S. has 'time' to fix issues before World Cup
After suffering two defeats in the Concacaf Nations League, United States manager Mauricio Pochettino insisted that his side still has enough time to turn things around before the 2026 World Cup.ESPN - 1d -
Pochettino, Pulisic preach patience, positivity after USMNT's Nations League debacle
Mauricio Pochettino, Christian Pulisic and the rest of the USMNT's stars and leaders have 445 days to turn things around before the 2026 World Cup kicks off.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
US men look no closer to World Cup goals after Panama's 1-0 upset win in CONCACAF Nations League
Mauricio Pochettino took over the U.S. men's national team last year with the goal of getting it ready to thrive at its home World Cup in 2026. Six months into Pochettino's project, the Americans ...Yahoo Sports - 4d -
Pochettino believes US has time to fix its problems after crashing out of CONCACAF Nations League
Mauricio Pochettino offered an Americanism after the United States' second straight dismal loss in the CONCACAF Nations League. “If we would be today in this situation in one year time, for sure, ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Pochettino welcomes pressure from Trump and says USA can be the best soccer team in the world
Mauricio Pochettino predicts the United States can dominate soccer and Donald Trump will put pressure on him to deliver at next year's World Cup. The U.S. men's national team coach believes it is ...Yahoo Sports - 6d -
USMNT 2026 World Cup roster Big Board 2.0: The Nations League fallout
Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT roster is "open" after two brutal losses raised urgent questions ahead of the 2026 World Cup.Yahoo Sports - 19h -
Mauricio Pochettino: ‘In five or 10 years the US can be No 1 in the world’
Argentinian reveals the challenges of managing the US men’s national side, that he was never in consideration for the England job and how he would love a return to Spurs. Pressure? It comes with ...The Guardian - Mar. 18 -
Mauricio Pochettino says USMNT can win World Cup in next decade: What would it take for USA to reach top?
'In five or 10 years, for sure we can be No. 1 in the world,' Pochettino said. 'It could be.'CBS Sports - 5d -
Champions Argentina qualify for 2026 World Cup
Argentina will get the chance to defend its World Cup title in 2026 after becoming the first South American team to qualify for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year.ESPN - 31m
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Sterling's Madison Austin named All-State second team by Illinois Media
Mar. 25—The Illinois Media All-State girls basketball teams were released Tuesday, with a trio of Sauk Valley area players earning spots. In Class 3A, Sterling senior Madison Austin was voted to ...Yahoo Sports - 19m -
2025 NFL free agency: Best players available list headlined by Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen
There are still several big names left on the market. Will they end up with your team?Yahoo Sports - 25m -
Lauren Macuga is skiing fast and having a blast doing it
Lauren Macuga from Park City, Utah, finished the World Cup season fourth in downhill rankings. She's a medal contender for the 2026 Olympics.Yahoo Sports - 2h -
Swiatek gets extra security after harassment
World number two Iga Swiatek is receiving additional security at the Miami Open after she was harassed by a spectator during her practice.Media reports said that Swiatek was verbally harassed by a ...Yahoo Sports - 4h -
Raiders sign former Panthers veteran starting TE
Tuesday the Raiders added some depth to the tight end room with the addition of longtime Panthers TE Ian Thomas.Yahoo Sports - 7h
More in Sports
-
Jimmy's back in Miami: Follow live as the Warriors visit the Heat
The Golden State Warriors take on the Miami Heat with Jimmy Butler returning to face the team that traded him in January.ESPN - 11m -
Follow live: Rivals Brazil, Argentina meet in World Cup qualifier
nullESPN - 12m -
Ronaldo: Penalty miss? Knew Portugal would win
Cristiano Ronaldo had no doubt that Portugal would progress to the UEFA Nations League semifinals even after missing a penalty on Sunday.ESPN - 16m -
Blatter, Platini cleared in FIFA corruption case
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and France great Michel Platini were both cleared of corruption charges by a Swiss court on Tuesday.ESPN - 16m -
Güler, Szoboszlai continue feud: 'This guy a joke'
Real Madrid star Arda Güler called Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai "a joke" on Monday after the pair clashed in the UEFA Nations League game between Turkey and Hungary.ESPN - 16m