New US men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Friday that his aim is nothing short of competing with – and beating – the best teams in the world.

The new coach of the U.S. men’s soccer team says there’s time for players to buy into new ideas and a new philosophy. NEW YORK — In the 20 months before the 2026 World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino will gather the U.

It is perhaps easy to hear Mauricio Pochettino say his new players must “believe” they can win the World Cup and roll your eyes. It’s the sort of flashy soundbite in first press conferences that ambitious managers often produce.

"I'm impressed that you remembered to say 'soccer,'" U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone quipped right after Pochettino's opening remarks. Pochettino slipped back into his default term, "football,

U.S. men’s soccer made history on Wednesday with the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as head coach of the national team.

The 52-year-old former Tottenham and Chelsea manager set a high bar during his 48-minute introductory news conference Friday, three days after he agreed to coach the Americans through the 2026 World Cup.

At his official introduction as USMNT coach on Friday, Mauricio Pochettino said he wants his players to think big: "We need to believe that we can win all the games, that we can win the World Cup."