Despite being one of the World Cup hosts, almost no one includes the United States on the list of candidates to lift the coveted trophy. However, their head coach, the Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, challenges that perspective: “Why not?” he asks. The former manager of Tottenham and PSG, among other teams, acknowledges that leading the host nation represents a unique opportunity, full of expectations and the responsibility of transforming the history of football in that country.
Pochettino maintains that the United States can aspire to win the World Cup because it has resources, a growing culture, and an increasing passion for football, fueled by the Latino community and the impact of international stars. He emphasizes that the key is for the group to create and build a unique competitive identity, capable of breaking with prejudices and external models, and thus turning the dream into reality.
Mauricio Pochettino’s memories are stirred in Murphy, Santa Fe. Not the Murphy of the United States, but the one in Argentina, where in 1978, a six-year-old boy watched the World Cup with his grandmother and older brother: “I lived in a prefabricated house with my grandmother and older brother because my parents worked the land, and on weekends we went to the club to watch the World Cup,” he recalled during an interview with The Guardian. In that neighborhood club, surrounded by bocce courts and one of the few color televisions, his world was shaped: Passarella, Ardiles, Luque, Bertoni, Kempes, Fillol, and Tarantini became the heroes of his childhood.
Today, the boy from Murphy manages the host nation of the World Cup and, for many, an invisible contender. The question comes to him naturally: if no one sees the United States as a contender, why not consider them a possibility? “Being hosts can create a synergy with the people, a support that the players feel,” says Pochettino. “Give us the freedom to fly. Why not?”
Pochettino laughs as he recalls how, even wearing the national team kit, he’s still asked in the United States what sport he plays. “Jesús always says we’re ‘masked heroes,’” he jokes, pointing to his assistant, Jesús Pérez. The challenge of taking the reins of the national team after his time at Chelsea became an invitation to step outside his comfort zone, to build something in a country where soccer is still defined by its own unique standards.
The Argentine coach doesn’t shy away from the complexity: “If you don’t understand that cultural difference, you’re going to bang your head against a wall.” The task, he explains, isn’t to impose, but to create together. The World Cup isn’t just an opportunity for the team, but for the sport itself in the country; a window to accelerate a process of change.
