Read 4 minutes19 Jun 2026 07:06 PM IST
Hosts USA opened their FIFA World Cup campaign with a 4-1 win over Paraguay in their opening Group D encounter in Los Angeles earlier this month. Mauricio Pochettino’s team’s 4-1 win in their opening match was the most goals scored in a World Cup match since the USA beat Belgium 4-2 in the 1930 FIFA World Cup. This meant that it was the biggest victory for the USA men’s team in a FIFA World Cup match since the 1930 edition. The 54-year-old Pochettino, who made 20 appearances for Argentina and oversaw Tottenham Hotspurs’ run to the Champions League final in 2019, joined the USA as head coach in 2024 and since then the team has amassed a total of 15 wins and two losses in 27 matches. With the USA taking on Australia in their second match of the World Cup on Friday, the team will be looking for their second win of the tournament in as many matches as possible. With the USA hosting the World Cup, Pochettino has spoken about how tight security is in the country for the World Cup.
“I have a very good bodyguard, Jerry. He’s not very big, but I don’t want to fight him. I have two big men behind him. The other day I went for a walk on the beach with my wife. I told Jesus from my staff to distract him because I was going, and then when we went down there were people everywhere. I asked Jerry to save me… Jerry asked to save me. The truth is that security is very tight here.
Under Argentina, the USA men’s team has drawn only two matches and the remaining 25 matches are up for grabs. The USA has been placed in Group D with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey and is expected to advance to the round of 32. Prior to the World Cup, the team was based at the Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California. Pochettino also spoke about the US president Donald Trump He got the call at training camp and how he expects Trump to cheer from the stands if the USA reaches the tournament’s later stages. “It went on for a few minutes. He was very kind to all the players. He is a busy person, but if we get to the later stages, I am sure he will be with us,” the coach said.
The 1930 World Cup saw the USA’s best semi-final appearance in history. In the 1950 World Cup, the USA defeated England 1–0 in the group stage. The country then returned to the World Cup after a gap of 40 years after qualifying for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Since then, the USA has only failed to qualify for the World Cup once and failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Their best World Cup finish since the 1930s was the team’s quarter-final appearance at the 2002 World Cup, where the team lost 1–0 to Germany. Pochettino also talked about how the current USA team is in good mental shape. “We are in a good mental state. There is great group energy, good dynamics and very strong cohesion. Without stress or nerves, without thinking about the results, just enjoying the atmosphere. This is the only match-we have to keep proving this level. I told the players after the game: Be careful if our fans wake up. If people start to think that we start to pass, we start to think that we can do it. The main power of the future is the most seen United States national team ever. It was a match to go,” he added.