The seed does not grow unless the gardener tends to it—an old saying, and even so, quite relatable to the situation the USMNT was facing. Their current ‘Golden Generation‘ may have the best individual talents one could see, but the Stars and Stripes surely needed someone to not just coach them but inspire them. And what better way was there to start this journey than by hiring Mauricio Pochettino? No wonder Herculez Gomez believes that the Argentinian tactician provides at least that ‘hope‘ for the US to achieve their best and a never-before-seen version.

Getting someone like Poch would have been the last thing many imagined for the USA, especially considering they had just moved on from a coach like Gregg Berhalter. Despite giving his best, the American manager’s project failed to convince many, forcing the US Soccer to call a manager like Mauricio with a European pedigree. And boy did the former Tottenham manager’s arrival made everyone feel like he truly is the right man in charge.

In fact, this hiring also counts as one of the top stories of the beautiful game this year for Herc Gomez. “I’ve always said, for as green, as naive, as new as this team was with players—the likes of Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson, Yunus Musah—these types of players, the greenest part of this team is their head coach,” began the ex-forward on the latest podcast episode of ESPN’s Futbol Americas. “That was the most inexperienced part of this team. A lot of people felt it was one piece holding them back.”  

Throughout the years, many have questioned whether there exists a right coach for the American boys. Calling the current roster the “greatest collection of players the USMNT pool has ever had,” Gomez claims that Mauricio’s hiring not only ignites optimism but also offers an opportunity for everyone to see whether the years of failure have been the players or the coach’s fault.

“This move gives everybody an opportunity to see if is it the players, or was it the coach. What can happen? Can you do something special? A coach like Mauricio Pochettino gives you at least that hope—at least the understanding that now you have someone that maybe is capable of taking you there,” concluded Gomez.

Seems like the ESPN commentator has his money on Pochettino for bringing the best out of their much-hyped Golden Generation, something which Berhalter failed to do so, also making it a subtle dig for the former American boss. Of course, not the first time someone has taken a subtle dig at Berhalter and his failure.

Mauricio Pochettino termed as the ‘guy that gets’ the USMNT!

Recently, Eric Wynalda couldn’t contain his enthusiasm when discussing the USMNT’s prospects under Mauricio Pochettino on the WTF podcast (Wynalda Talks Football). The former player and coach expressed delight over the new manager urging players to embrace their ‘creativity‘ in the attacking third, further praising Pochettino’s approach, describing it as “cool” and refreshing for allowing players to think independently.

He discussed how seamlessly Pochettino manages to get the message around the team. “When I saw Pochettino speak about our national team, I mean, I actually got emotional. I was like, there it is. There’s a coach. That’s a guy that gets it,” said Wynalda. Eric also appreciates how Pochettino emphasizes defensive solidity and teamwork while empowering his players with freedom and creativity in attack—a quality rarely seen in the USMNT before under previous managers.

Call it firing shots on Gregg Berhalter, but do you think Mauricio Pochettino is the man to get the USMNT on track? Let us know in the comments.