Pochettino leads Team USA with blend of Argentine passion and U.S. culture
U.S. World Cup coach Mauricio Pochettino is a proud Argentinean who was born in the small farming town of Murphy and launched his professional soccer career at Newell’s Old Boys, in Lionel Messi’s hometown of Rosario.
He bleeds sky blue and white and surely was emotional monitoring Argentina’s dramatic extra time victory over Cape Verde on Friday night. Like most Argentineans, he drinks mate.
But Pochettino has embraced American culture since he took the job as U.S. coach in September 2024. He loves country music, from Ella Langley to Luke Combs to Teddy Swims. He belts out John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” with his players and U.S. fans after games.
On Friday night, with his players rooting him on from the infield, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Seattle Mariners game at T-Mobile Park. And though he had never played baseball, it was a decent pitch that crossed the plate.
The U.S. team faces Belgium on Monday night in the Round of 16, and Pochettino went all in on Fourth of July weekend, wishing reporters “Happy 4th of July” and “Happy Birthday” at a training session on Saturday.
After Team USA overcame a red card in a gritty 2-0 win over Bosnia Wednesday night, Pochettino was asked if is starting to feel American.
“I feel 200 percent Argentinean, but I feel I am part of something bigger, something we are building here, I enjoy being part of that amazing project,” he said. “And of course, when that song [Country Roads] starts to sound in the stadium, it’s impossible not to sing because it’s an amazing song. It’s very emotional to win that game after a year and a half that we are preparing to be here. I love to be part of the party, but I am 200 percent Argentino. Sorry, I’m not going to lie.”
Pochettino has been pushing patriotism and love for the national team badge since his arrival. As someone who grew up in soccer-mad Argentina, he felt that passion was sometimes lacking from U.S. players and fans.
In January 2025, the U.S. team held a training camp in Fort Lauderdale. Former Inter Miami player and Key Biscayne native Benja Cremaschi, an Argentine American now playing in Italy with Parma, participated in that camp and noted Pochettino’s impact.
“The culture around Argentinean soccer is they live the sport with a lot of passion and I think what Mauricio is trying to say is this team could use that passion for the jersey and the badge,” Cremaschi said after a training session. “If we can do that, I feel this country could become an incredible soccer powerhouse in the next World Cup.”
U.S. captain Tim Ream said on Saturday: “[Pochettino] has embraced the American culture while adding his own flair to this group and adding his own culture to the group. Listen, he loves it, he loves being here, and we love everything that he’s done for us as a group, and the way he pushes us.”
“The group is such a melting pot — staff, players and it’s an incredible representation of who we are as people.”
Pochettino, 54, has energized and unified the U.S. squad and has the team and its fans dreaming of a deep run.
“Why not us?” he has said on many occasions.
The U.S. win over Bosnia was the first in a knockout round game in 24 years and the team did it playing a man down for more than 30 minutes after Falorin Balogun was ejected with a controversial red card.
On Monday night (8 p.m., FOX, Telemundo), Team USA aims to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. The U.S. has lost in the Round of 16 in each of its last three World Cups (2010, 2014, 2022).
Beating Belgium will not be easy.
Belgium, which advanced to the Round of 16 with a 3-2 win over Senegal, has won six of the past seven meetings with the United States, including a 5-2 rout in a friendly in March 2026. USA’s only win over Belgium was at the 1930 World Cup.
Belgium finished atop Group G last week and survived a stiff test against Senegal.
The Belgians trailed Senegal 2-0 heading into the final five minutes, but Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans came to the rescue to make it 2-2, and then Tielemans scored a 120th-minute penalty to clinch the victory.
The Red Devils finished third in the 2018 World Cup but were eliminated in the group stage four years ago in Qatar.
Team USA got great news on Sunday, when FIFA Disciplinary Committee announced it had cleared forward Falorin Balogun to play following his red card in the Bosnia game. Rather than suspending him for Monday’s game, his suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year. If he commits another similar infringement during that period, he will have to serve a suspension.
Entering the tournament, many fans and pundits questioned whether this U.S. team could make a deep run.
“Before the World Cup, I was like, `I’m not sure. Maybe round of 32 would be the maximum,’ and then after the first game against Paraguay, there was a different feeling,” former Inter Miami and Portland Timbers coach Phil Neville said on the Miami’s Herald’s soccer podcast last week.
“It wasn’t like the football was great, but it was just a different feeling. It was just like the whole country had come together, the team, the manager, the players, the fans. And I’d say apart from France, I think USA have been probably one of the best teams in the World Cup so far in terms of the style of play, their entertainment, their enjoyment, their results.”
Neville, who is writing a column for the Times of London during the World Cup, believes Team USA could go far.
“I honestly think, what did Pochettino say? `Why not us?’ I honestly think if they keep this momentum going, then why not the USA?” Neville said. “They’re playing as good as any other country. There’s a happiness, there’s a togetherness, there’s a spirit that I’ve not seen from a USA team in a long time.”
USA possible starting lineup:
Matt Freese; Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson; Malik Tillman, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie; Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic
Belgium possible starting lineup:
Thibaut Courtois; Timothy Castagne, Arthur Theate, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper; Hans Vanaken, Youri Tielemans; Leandro Trossard, Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku; Charles De Ketelaere
This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 1:03 PM.