“She has a side that’s goofy and funny.” This is how Casey Murphy described Emma Hayes as USWNT head coach in a recent exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. Beyond shedding sweat and tears on the pitch, it must have been the easy-going nature of the former Chelsea boss that helped the team to connect better. Now if USMNT players have similar expectations with their new manager Mauricio Pochettino, they might be barking up the wrong tree.

In the debut episode of The Overlap US segment of ‘It’s Called Soccer,’ Tim Howard highlighted one of the reasons why the American boys are currently facing a rock-bottom situation and the only way for them is upward and onward. “The only voice this young group has ever heard was Gregg Berhalter’s,” said the iconic goalie, emphasizing what went wrong under the former manager.

“Sometimes you have to be scared of your manager—not like fearful—but going into every camp, I have to be playing for my club. If the manager gives me the shirt for the US team, I have got to hold on to it for dear life, and that means kicking, scrapping, fighting, and doing all the dirty work,” shared Howard about his good old days while representing his nation.

However, players were rather dealt with a soft stance, which eventually led to the downfall of the team. The recent September window where they endured a loss to Canada and drew to New Zealand remains one of the examples. “It got a little bit too nice in the US Camp. It was very friendly. They all love the manager and I’m just not sure that the fighting spirit was there,” added the former Manchester United star.

Tim has no doubts about the quality of the squad and their desire to win. However, he questioned whether the American boys possessed traits like toughness or ruggedness, unlike previous generations. “You can play expansive football or between lines, get your center backs to take it in wide areas but ultimately you have to be able to fight and dig in as a US team and they’ve lost a little bit of that,” concluded Howard.

A clear indication for Mauricio Pochettino to not soften his stance on players and to maintain that discipline within the team. Luckily, for the sake of the team and keeping up with Howard’s advice, the former Tottenham manager has already revealed his tough side.

Mauricio Pochettino won’t be ‘nice’ with the USWNT players and fans

The first training session hasn’t even begun, yet Mauricio Pochettino is already getting to work, sending a strong message not just to the US Soccer players, but also to their dedicated fans. “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 said.

In a similar conversation with Men in Blazers and during his inaugural press conference, the former Tottenham boss emphasized that he’s fully committed to preparing the American team for the challenges ahead. For him, there’s no room for merely decent results—winning the World Cup is the only measure of success in his book. This is exactly the kind of mentality that Tim Howard seeks from the US players.