When a new coach takes the pitch, there’s a certain energy that builds. And under Mauricio Pochettino, that voltage is bigger than ever. The USMNT players sensed it at once. There was no time for small conversation once he arrived—this was about planning, intensity, and the type of mentality that wins championships. Two of the team’s more seasoned players, Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson, knew right away that Pochettino was not there to ease into his job. He was there to establish a precedent that would be followed right away.

The American supporters are excited to see what Pochettino has to offer as they prepare for Panama in Austin. However, Tim Ream has recently highlighted the mutual trust and understanding between the players and the new coaching staff—that’s the most important thing.

“They want to get to know us, and obviously, we want to get to know them, said Ream. The message is that he wants to win.” Given the significance of these first encounters, one thing has been very clear: Pochettino’s sole objective here is victory.

The team’s mentality is already starting to change due to Pochettino’s emphasis on developing a winning mentality. Ream underlined how important this way of thinking is for the future: “It’s important to have that mentality, it’s important to have that mindset going forward and leading into these games and, you know, beyond.”

As they attempt to regain confidence in the upcoming months, USMNT will have little room for error. The squad’s vitality looked to have been sapped by the steady demise of the Gregg Berhalter administration, as they were thoroughly outplayed by CONCACAF rivals Canada last month. Pochettino has a ton of work ahead of him and is starting it immediately.

21-year-old Chelsea player admits he wasn’t happy playing under Mauricio Pochettino

Chelsea finished sixth in the league and made it into the Conference League, a position they never found themselves in under Mauricio Pochettino. Now, they find themselves in the top four. When the Blues decided to remove the Argentine after just one season as the team’s manager, a number of players allegedly felt devastated. That doesn’t appear to have been the case for everyone, though; Cesare Casadei appears to be among them.

The Italian, who had returned from his loan at Leicester City under Maresca, informed TuttoSport that he was unhappy with his situation the previous season. “And with Pochettino, it was quite difficult for me. I only played bits and pieces, 11 appearances but a total of just 71 minutes on the pitch, at most in the last quarter of an hour, and above all as substitutes for 1′, 4′, 5′, 8’… I wasn’t very happy. Everyone would like to play a bit more.”

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