Mauricio Pochettino: ‘Trump asked if US can win the World Cup’

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Mauricio Pochettino may now be the most important figure in American soccer, as the county gets ready to stage the biggest World Cup in history, but that hasn’t yet granted him any special status. He still hasn’t got a green card, having taken the job in September 2024. “We are waiting,” he laughs. “The last time, in Los Angeles, we were waiting one hour and a half in the queue!”

He then offers a quick caveat.

“I am not complaining because if I complain, they are going to kill me!”

The statement was in response to whether he feels like a celebrity in a country where that wattage is greater than anywhere else. Pochettino says he hasn’t felt that, but is aware it may change if Donald Trump starts to get attuned to his work. The US president’s son, Barron, is known to be a football fan, and Pochettino has already sensed how a mere mention can bring a different level of interest.

“I was listening to a conversation between our president Donald Trump and [Fifa president] Gianni Infantino. The president asked ‘can we win the World Cup?’ And Gianni said yes. But I was disappointed with his answer. He should say: ‘You need to ask your great coach, Pochettino, because for sure he can give a better opinion!’”

That can also go another way, of course. One critical social media post from Trump could bring a new level of pressure. It would put dealing with Daniel Levy or Chelsea’s ownership group into a different perspective.

“With our president, that likes to put pressure, that is going to be good,” Pochettino said. “Yes, we are ready to deliver.”

It would be similar even if Trump wasn’t president, mind. “We are a host - and then it's a country where the mentality is about winning. In sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win. That is the culture.”

Pochettino accepted the job because he thinks the US squad is “really good”, with a lot of experience. It’s an exciting time given they are the main hosts of the 2026 World Cup. It also makes it an exciting time for any manager, even allowing for their new expectations.

open image in gallery US president Donald Trump, pictured in the Oval Office with the World Cup trophy ( Getty Images )

Pochettino is taking the main job in a country that is becoming football’s new world, where popularity is sky-rocketing and the entire sport is looking to capitalise on that. He feels this can have huge implications for the game.

“America is massive. It’s massive. Soccer is growing but still we need more. I think we can dominate soccer, football, maybe in ten or 15 years’ time. Or maybe less. Five, seven. The potential is massive.”

Pochettino is having a catch-up on how he’s found the role with selected journalists in a Mayfair hotel, taking the opportunity as the US national team does some work in London. The location seems relevant, since the Argentinian still has such an affinity with England.

It raises an obvious question. If he was ready for international management, how close was he to the England job? He already has a strong relationship with FA technical director John McDermott, who he worked with at Tottenham Hotspur.

“We keep a very good relationship. But I think the decision to start to search for a coach was after we signed [with USA]. We signed, and then they started the process. We were never involved.”

So would he have considered it? “Yes, of course... England is like my home now. It's my home, but it's true that I am Argentine, that can be controversial!”

open image in gallery Pochettino says he has a ‘love ‘ for England through his time in the Premier League ( Getty Images )

This is probably the key point, especially given the historic football relationship between the two countries.

“I love England. But for sure, the history is there. And always it can be controversial, an Argentine guy defending the badge, the flag of England. But because it never happened, it's not a situation that we need to analyse.”

It does, though, mean he can empathise with Thomas Tuchel, given they are both managers now adapting to international football for the first time. “He is in a similar position where he is discovering things and he will learn because he is in a completely different world, being coach of the national team.”

That is also something that raises a particular challenge for Pochettino, given that he and assistant Jesus Perez are one of the management teams most obsessed with physical conditioning in the game. They’re now in the unfamiliar position of having to leave that to the players’ clubs.

“The good thing is that we were on the other side and we really understand,” Pochettino says. “The disadvantage is that you don’t have time, the advantage is that they are so focused, the players. It is completely different, the discipline and energy they apply when they come.

“We need to motivate the players in a few days, we need to decide the strategy, the tactics. To be more aggressive in our way to select the players. There are so many things, which are challenging us as a coaching staff.”

open image in gallery The United States will host the 48-team World Cup with Mexico and Canada in 2026 ( Getty Images )

Pochettino admits he may have to tweak some of his approach. The idea for his United States is “to dominate play in the opposition’s half”, but accepts that will be difficult against a Spain or Argentina. “You need to be flexible,” he says. “It’s really important that we need to build our own team.”

He describes the United States squad as a “mix” in terms of experience and youth, but it’s also brought a set of characteristics unique to US soccer’s distinctive culture. “We have some players, until 12, he didn't play soccer,” Pochettino says. “He was playing another sport, and then moved to soccer. That is a completely different mind.”

Pochettino is naturally asked whether he has immersed himself. He has been to watch NBA in Orlando and the Los Angeles Rams in NFL. “I started to understand a little bit. Basketball, yes, but American football, it’s more difficult sometimes. In general, I understand, but the details I need to ask.”

Pochettino is open about wanting to eventually return to club management. He talks about how the 2026 World Cup “should be a great opportunity for us to make a break and then come back to the clubs”, although he adds he could stay longer.

Pochettino’s last experience in the club game was his season at Chelsea. He clearly feels his work was crucial to getting the club back on track. “The team that in the beginning suffered many, many problems,” he says. “In the end were doing really, really well. If you see the table in the last six months you can see the progression was massive. We became a team fighting for the top four and that was a good thing to keep going in the season after.”

open image in gallery Pochettino parted ways with Chelsea after his single season in charge ( Getty Images )

There’s then the great question - Tottenham Hotspur - and while he again reiterates his desire to return, he is more interesting on admitting previous “friction” and how he has learned from it. “In the bottom of my heart I still feel the same. I would like one day to come back. Not because of my ego it's because my feeling is I would like one day to win with Tottenham. We were so close and it was so painful,” Pochettino says.

“I made mistakes, you know? But the good thing is when you are clever you learn from your mistakes. It’s like when a relationship finishes. I feel empty. I feel so disappointed. With everyone but also with myself because I didn’t manage well and when that happens it’s part of my responsibility.

“I think now Tottenham is a club with an expectation to win because if you see the facilities – training ground or stadium – now you can see it is about winning trophies. That is why I would like one day to come back. But if that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. With all the possibilities again to build something special, that is my feeling and it didn’t change. It's six years since we left and it's always going to be a special club for me.”

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