Hosts USA started their FIFA World Cup campaign with a 4-1 win against Paraguay in their opening Group D encounter at Los Angeles earlier this month. The Mauricio Pochettino coached side’s 4-1 win in their opening match meant that USA scored the most number of goals in a World Cup match since their 4-2 win over Belgium in the 1930 FIFA World Cup. It also meant that it was the largest margin of win for the USA men’s team in a FIFA World Cup match since the 1930 edition. 54-year-old Pochettino, who played in 20 matches for Argentina, and oversaw Tottenham Hotspurs march to the Champions league final in 2019, had joined USA as head coach in 2024 and since then the team has scored a total of 15 wins in 27 matches with ten losses and two draws. As USA faces Australia in their second match in the World Cup on Friday, the team will be looking to score their second win of the tournament in as many matches. With the USA hosting the World Cup, Pochettino has spoken about how security is very strict in the country for the World Cup.
“I have a very good bodyguard, Jerry. He’s not very big, but I wouldn’t want to face him. Behind him I’ve got two really big guys. The other day I slipped away a bit with my wife to walk along the beach. I told Jesus from my staff to distract him because I was leaving, and then when we went down there were people everywhere. I told Jesus to send Jerry to come rescue me—because if something happens to me…The truth is that security here is quite strict. There can always be some crazy person out there trying to get attention in some way,” Pochettino told El Partidazo de COPE.
Under the Argentine, The USA men’s team have drawn only two games with the rest of the 25 games seeing results. USA have been placed in Group D along with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey and are expected to advance to the round of 32. The team had been based at the Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California prior to the World Cup. Pochettino also talked about US president Donald Trump having a call with him during the training camp and how he expects Trump to be cheering from the stands if USA reached the later stages of the tournament. “It lasted a couple of minutes. He was very kind to all the players. He’s a busy person, but if we reach the later stages, I’m sure he’ll be with us,” the coach said.
USA’s best finish in World Cup history had been the country’s semi-final finish in the 1930 World Cup. In the 1950 World Cup, USA had scored a 1-0 win over England in the group stage. The country then returned to the World Cup after a gap of 40 years when they qualified for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Since then, USA have failed to qualify for the World Cup only once with the team not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Their best finish since 1930 in the World Cup has been the team’s quarter-final finish in the 2002 World Cup, where the team lost against Germany 1-0. Pochettino also spoke about how the current USA team is in a good mental place. “We’re in a good mental place. There’s great group energy, a good dynamic, and very strong cohesion. Without tension or nerves, not thinking about consequences, just enjoying the atmosphere. It’s only one match—we have to keep proving this level. I told the players after the game: be careful if our fans wake up. If people start to get into soccer and feel the passion like we do, watch out—this could become a major power in the future. It was the most-watched United States national team match of all time,” he added.