“The mentality is on the players. Sorry, they know it,” remarked Mikey Varas ahead of facing New Zealand. Well, to some extent, the USMNT’s interim boss is right, it’s the players who shall ignite a fire within them to win. Unfortunately, such didn’t happen earlier this Saturday as the Star and Stripes endured a narrow 1-2 defeat at the hands of Canada. Now facing another challenge of their September window, skipper Christian Pulisic has assured ardent fans about witnessing a team ‘that’s hungry’ to win.

After all, that’s the only mentality the American boys can show, considering they have yet to make up to fans since their poor Copa America display. However, Pulisic has given a word on behalf of the team that they will have a comeback. Speaking in the pre-match interview with the US Soccer, the AC Milan star said, “You’re gonna see a team that’s hungry and is not happy with the last result, is wanna go out and fight; take this game very seriously.”

The 25-year-old warned his teammates regarding the challenge they may face against New Zealand. “It’s an opponent that is not gonna give it to us, it’s gonna be a tough matchup. We need to be at our best tomorrow and hopefully, some guys to step up,” concluded Pulisic. Indeed, some strong mentality that the captain is trying to instill. Perhaps it must have been due to what Varas said earlier.

The former USMNT U20 boss insisted that it’s on the players to showcase their “mentality to fight, run and to sacrifice.” No matter how hard the trainings are conducted by Mikey, the starting XI is the one to ‘get going’ during the match to win games. “Coaches can only get you so far on the mentality perspective. They’ve got to search deep inside. That’s something I challenge them with,” added Varas.

This is something that the USMNT stars should keep in mind, not just while they are with their interim boss, but especially with a name like Mauricio Pochettino.

USMNT stars shall brace themselves for a ‘competitive environment’ ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival

Mikey Varas earlier expressed the long-term vision that the USMNT aspires to follow. “We’re going to make it a really competitive training environment. Everybody knows that training matters and that they’re going to have to come in and earn their spot for the game,” said the interim boss. In short, such efforts need to be made in order to see the players have a smooth transition with the new coach.

Teaching is a half-battle, they say. Sure, the US Soccer is ready to go all in for bringing any kind of coach. Even if they do, the endgame rests in the hands of the players to apply the knowledge to the game and bring the best outcome on the pitch. The group shall understand that no manager has a pill that they would eat and start winning games. It’s all about how the players perceive and implement such learnings.