Like most of their fans, players on the U.S. men’s national soccer team had heard the rumors of the incoming coach.
On Saturday night, during a team meal in Kansas City, U.S. Soccer’s sporting director, Matt Crocker, told the players that the federation was finalizing a deal with Mauricio Pochettino. But it wasn’t until the pregame meal in Cincinnati on Tuesday that they were told it was done.
A few hours later, U.S. Soccer told the public. It was officially time to move forward under arguably the highest-profile coach in the history of the U.S. men’s team.
For the players, who have spent the past week or so dancing around questions about Pochettino, there seemed to be a sense of relief that the moment had come.
In the wake of yet another disappointing result — this time a 1-1 draw against New Zealand — the feeling that this group needed some sort of spark was unavoidable.
“Hopefully, he’s someone that’s going to come in and really change the culture around here,” said Christian Pulisic, the U.S. captain, who scored against New Zealand to move into the top five for U.S. men’s goals with 31.
“And it’s time. We’ve got to take a big step up. I think we have the quality, and now it’s time to compete and try to win. So that’s the next step.”
The idea of changing the culture and mentality came up multiple times after Tuesday’s game. It was a stark change from the World Cup less than two years ago, when the culture of a young U.S. group was seen as an overwhelming positive.
The Americans have clearly regressed over the past 12 months, however. They lacked an edge in a listless, 2-1 loss against Canada on Saturday, and though they were more aggressive against New Zealand, the quality and ruthlessness were still lacking.
“I mean just that winning mentality, just in every moment on the field,” Pulisic said.
“We obviously were missing it again today. Just something is missing. I can’t exactly explain it to you, I wish I could, but just that winning mentality.”
The Argentine Pochettino is known as a coach capable of inspiring teams to get more out of the collective. That was true at Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, and even his most recent job last season at Chelsea.
Pulisic said he heard from former teammates at Chelsea who enjoyed playing under Pochettino, and players spoke both Tuesday night and earlier in the week about how Pochettino’s strengths might fit well with this team.
“His teams were always difficult to play against,” veteran center back Tim Ream said last week about playing against Pochettino with Fulham.
“Obviously, he’s a high-quality, high-level manager, and they were teams that were really well-organized and really, really strong in the attacking sense.
So, always difficult to play against them. I don’t think I was on the right end of any of the matches that I played against them.”
Pochettino will also be the first Spanish-speaking coach for the U.S. men’s team.
“Think it’s great, of course,” U.S. forward Ricardo Pepi said. “We have some players who speak Spanish, players like me. So just in terms of culture, it’s going to be great for the team.”
Coaching changes can always bring a spark, players said, and they don’t expect anything different with Pochettino. “When someone new comes in, yeah, it gives everyone a bit of an extra push,” Pulisic said.
The hope is that the change encourages players to find their best performances with this U.S. team after a rough summer at Copa América and other disappointments. But there is optimism that Pochettino can turn things around.
He will take charge of the team for the first time next month, in matches against Panama in Austin, Texas, and away at Mexico.
“Steady the ship,” U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner said. “Get to know the players in the first two windows, then have a chance to win a trophy in March and have a really good Gold Cup.
So I think just direction, making sure that guys bring that intensity and energy every time they step onto the field, and that nobody takes their opportunities for granted.”
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