The pressure is mounting on Mauricio Pochettino and the U.S. men’s national team, but the Argentine coach is not backing down.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s international friendly against Japan, Pochettino delivered a fiery response to critics questioning his team selection and recent performances.
The USMNT suffered their sixth defeat of the calendar year in a disappointing loss to South Korea last weekend. Fans were left frustrated after star defender Chris Richards was left out of the starting XI in favor of Tristan Blackmon, despite Richards featuring in the second half. Pochettino explained that Richards had been managing a minor issue, but critics still questioned the decision.
The former Chelsea and PSG manager hit back at the backlash, insisting player welfare and long-term planning take priority over friendly results.
“People sometimes create debate and talk with no sense,” Pochettino said. “This national team has already qualified for the World Cup, and the important thing is common sense. If we take risks in a friendly and he [Richards] suffers a big problem, the same people criticizing now would ask why we played him.”
Pochettino also defended his decision not to call up Malik Tillman, who only recently returned from injury with Bayer Leverkusen. He stressed that preparing players for peak condition at the 2026 FIFA World Cup remains the ultimate goal.
“Sometimes people want to only analyze results and be negative. But when it’s criticism for the sake of criticism, it doesn’t hurt me—it hurts the country and the players. We need to be united and provide the best platform for them to perform.”
Since taking charge, Pochettino has overseen 17 matches with the USMNT, winning 10 and losing seven. Despite the mixed results, he remains confident his work will be judged on the biggest stage next summer.
“The most important thing is to arrive at the World Cup in the best condition. No one will remember this press conference if we win the first game, the second game, the third game, and go to the next round.”
The USMNT face Japan on Tuesday night in their final September international friendly, as Pochettino looks to silence critics and build momentum toward 2026.
