“Just the mentality and the culture of the group.” These were the things that Christian Pulisic recently demanded from Mauricio Pochettino to change around within the ranks of the US Men’s National Team. Well, the Argentinian tactician seems to have received the message loud and clear as things are about to get real for the Golden Generation. You wanted the World Cup? Here’s how you get it!

The first training session isn’t even underway but Pochettino isn’t leaving any stone unturned in preparing the American boys for whatever hardships may come under his leadership, all with one goal in mind: “Win. Win the World Cup,” said the 52-year-old during a chit chat on Men in Blazers, insisting what for him constitutes to be a successful World Cup campaign.

The former Tottenham boss knows how to get straight to business as he has a message not just for the US Soccer stars, but also for the ardent supporters. “I don’t want to be nice with the fans, I don’t want to be nice with the players. I think we need to dream that we are going to win the World Cup. I think it’s a great opportunity to think big. That is why we are here eh?” he concluded, leaving host Roger Bennett in astonishment.

The look on the British-American broadcaster’s face said it all, almost as if Rog heard the exact words he had been hoping to hear from a USMNT coach for a very long time. But we are sure that even the fans and players would have had a feeling of goosebumps after looking at the kind of mentality, optimism, and culture that Mauricio Pochettino is eager to bring to the US locker room.

This echoes the moment he recently outlined the Day 1 task of USMNT stars. “We need to believe we can win. Not win just a game, but to win the World Cup. We want players to arrive on day 1 thinking big,” said Poch during his first presser as USMNT manager. While all of this sounds well on paper, does Pochettino realistically have time to bring this revolution within the group in a short span?

Mauricio Pochettino is ready to challenge time constraints ahead of 2026 World Cup preparations

While some may argue that the USMNT has limited time left for the level of preparation to win the World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino has a different perspective. “I believe that we have enough time,” acknowledging that not everyone may share his view. The former Premier League manager insisted that he doesn’t plan on giving time as an excuse for their underperformance in the 2026 World Cup.  

Rather, Pochettino would surely love to instill his new ideas and philosophy, even though only 10 international windows separate the team from the World Cup. After all, unlike club soccer, where he had ample time to work with his players continuously, Christian Pulisic and Co. will only be reuniting sporadically. While it may seem a limited time to see the manager implement his game plan and deliver results, this is the gamble that both Pochettino and the USMNT must take.