Mauricio Pochettino is right, USMNT’s brutal loss doesn’t matter at all
· Yahoo Sports
The USMNT already knew its opponent in the upcoming Round 32 when manager Mauricio Pochettino sat down to fill out his starting 11 for the group stage finale against Turkey. As a result, there were nine changes from the lineup that blanked Australia. Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi were the only holdovers. An early strike from Auston Trusty in the third minute made it appear that a stress test of the U.S. depth would not be an issue. Then the Americans’ defense fell apart, ultimately leading to a Kaan Ayhan game-winner for Turkey in the final seconds of the match.
A 3-2 loss was certainly not what Team USA was looking for after starting the World Cup on the front foot. They’ll carry a little less momentum into the first knockout test against Bosnia Herzegovina Wednesday in Los Angeles. Yet nothing has really changed. Pochettino and his side passed the real test by quickly wrapping up the top spot in Group D and collected seven points in the group stage. When his best lineup was on the field, the USMNT looked like a squad perfectly capable of advancing and pushing even the top sides in the world to the limit.
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So perhaps that’s why Pochettino had such a tough time with the tenor and tone of questions during his postgame press conference. In addition to categorizing them as “a bit weird”, the skipper also said it was sad that no reporter congratulated him and the players for clinching the group.
The defeat to Turkey means the Americans missed out on making history as they have never won all three group stage matches in a World Cup.
Pochetti’s postgame presss conference
Pochettino does not seem to care about that.
“Making history is winning the World Cup,” he said. “It’s not winning three matches only within the World Cup. I don’t really understand. It’s a little bit petty if you will — you’re thinking a little too small. You’re telling me you could make history — what does it mean to win three matches if you lose the next one?”
“The mood is like we [are going] home tonight and Türkiye is staying,” the U.S. coach added. “I need to [remind] you and everyone that we won the group. Sorry guys, we won.”
When I first saw the headline about Pochettino taking umbrage with “petty” questions, I’ll admit there was a strong urge to get a small pitchfork out and go full ugly American. How dare he not know how important winning at all costs is to us! The European mind could simply never understand!
But you know what? He’s right.
Once the initial sting of magically turning a hard-fought draw into a loss wears off, the rational mind can grasp that it doesn’t really matter. Winning would have kept vibes high. Yet this is just a dark lining of a very bright silver cloud.
Breezing through the group stage without breaking a sweat was a gift. Nothing is guaranteed for a country that has not proven itself reliable in the World Cup through the years. Yet Pochettino had the luxury of resting players and observing how the rest of the roster reacted to the big stage. A manager could not ask for anything more.
Heck, it’s probably a good thing that he now knows who cannot be trusted. That’s a much better thing to discover in a meaningless match as opposed to when facing elimination. Losing is not okay … unless it’s okay.
Pochettino is right
Pochettino’s point about the relative importance of the Turkey match compared to the do-or-die affair against Bosnia and Herzegovina is worth repeating. What is the value of winning all three group stage battles only to bow out early against a beatable opponent? If that had happened, not a single supporter of the USMNT would care at all about a silly 3-0 start.
The thing is now Pochettino needs to back it up a bit. If he thinks the questions last night were petty then he might be in for a rude awakening if Team USA lays an egg in the Round of 32. Expectations have been raised. Anything short of the quarterfinals is going to be seen as a major disappointment.
So, yes, that loss doesn’t matter. For now. It’s erased completely with a win on Wednesday. It’ll matter a heck of a lot if leads to a second straight defeat when it matters most.
Jury’s still out but for now I’m on coach’s side.