(Reuters) – New United States coach Mauricio Pochettino said he has enough time to prepare for the 2026 World Cup on home soil, and implementing his philosophy to turn the team into genuine contenders is a challenge he is ready to embrace.
The Argentine manager, who left American-owned Premier League side Chelsea in May after one season, has been tasked with leading the team onto the global stage, with less than two years remaining until the finals, co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
The 52-year-old, who formerly managed Paris St Germain and Tottenham Hotspur, said he has arrived at the helm at the right time, and American soccer fans need to believe that his side can emerge as champions despite the challenges they will face in adhering to his methods.
“Everyone thinks that there is no time to prepare and to arrive in our best condition to the World Cup. What I wanted to tell you is that I am on the opposite side. I believe that there is time enough,” Pochettino told reporters on Friday.
“I don’t want to create an excuse for the player to say, ‘We don’t have time to buy the new idea, the new philosophy’. No, football is like this, it’s to touch the right button and start to perform.
“The players are so intelligent and so talented and they can, I think, play in a different way. And for sure, we have time… We need to believe that we can win, that we can win not only a game, we can win the World Cup.”
The U.S. have been without a permanent coach since a humiliating early exit from the Copa America on home soil in July led to the sacking of Gregg Berhalter after his second stint as head coach.
“I don’t like to talk about weakness. We are always positive, we have many talented players. Of course the confidence was a little bit low, after the Copa America,” he said.
Pochettino said he will be implementing an attacking style of soccer. He echoed AC Milan midfielder Christian Pulisic statements and said he will work with the players to create the mindset needed to compete at the highest level and bring in unity to the squad.
“Most importantly we’ll work the psychology that we need to create with the right patterns in performances. We need to recover the confidence and start to perform together, (as a collective),” he added.
“It’s important to also create that relationship that the players need to feel that you care. When the players feel that you care, I think you can get the best for them.”
He added he was committed to the standards set by four-time world cup winners U.S. women’s team and said he will try mirroring their coach Emma Hayes, who guided them to Olympic gold last month.
Pochettino’s first game in charge will be a friendly against Panama on Oct. 12 in Austin, Texas.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
