U.S. World Cup Team Training Base (IRVINE, Calif.) — Before he even coached his first game at the helm of the United States men's national team, time was not on Mauricio Pochettino’s side. While most international managers get a full four-year World Cup cycle to prepare their squads, the highly regarded former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss had a mere 21 months to prepare the USA for not just any global showpiece, but for the first World Cup on American soil in more than three decades. Pochettino’s journey would be a sprint. Problem was, the now-54-year-old Argentine inherited a broken team when he first walked into the U.S. locker room in October 2024. The Stars and Stripes had just been grouped at the Copa América that summer hosted by the U.S., undone by a sense of entitlement resulting from a co-called "Golden Generation" of starters who were around the same age and had broken into the international game at around the same time. Changing that culture by creating more competition within the player pool was Pochettino’s first mandate. That part took a full year. But he also had to tweak the soccer, which wasn’t easy. Like all national teams, they gather as a group only sparingly compared to the club level — where Pochettino and his close-knit staff had spent their entire 15-year careers before arriving stateside. "He comes in not even two years ago, and you [only] have 10 days every month to kind of get a game plan across," winger Brenden Aaronson said on Wednesday, a few hours before the USA flew to Seattle for their second game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Australia on Friday (kickoff at 3 p.m. ET on FOX/FOX One.) "We have a certain way that we want to play, so it kind of takes time to get fully into it. And I think we're kind of hitting that spot now at the perfect time." That sure looked to be the case last week, when the co-hosts opened their Group D slate with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay, already one of the signature wins in the program’s 113-year history. The USA’s three-goal margin of victory was its largest at a men's World Cup since the inaugural event in 1930. Never before had it scored four times in one match on the biggest stage. The crazy part is, the Americans could’ve easily added a few more. Now it’s time to see what Pochettino’s team can do for an encore. The Socceroos are expected to sit deeper in their own end of the field than Paraguay did, limiting the space available for the Americans to exploit. "Australia seemed pretty happy being comfortable in a low [defensive] block, and they've obviously got big, strong defenders that will be difficult to break down," said U.S. fullback Antonee "Jedi" Robinson. "It's going to be a different challenge." One thing that must stay the same is the USA’s fight. The home side never took their foot off the gas in their opener, with Gio Reyna scoring their final goal with one of the last kicks of the contest. Under Pochettino, intensity has been non-negotiable from the beginning. "The biggest thing that he asked for is that fight and that grit and the aggressiveness, and I think that's the minimum for him," Aaronson said. "In the last game we competed, we were aggressive, we won a lot of second balls. And I think when you can do those things in international matches, you have the upper hand, always." That’s the idea, anyway. The Aussies surely have a plan of their own. Tony Popovic’s charges might not boast the club résumés the U.S. has man-for-man, but they’re among the most physical teams in this World Cup. In the end, the difference could come down to playing style, to the Americans' ability to create the sorts of golden scoring chances that have been hard to come by since long before Pochettino took over. But the U.S. is flying now. The left-footed Robinson and fellow wingback Sergiño Dest are supporting the forwards and striker Folarin Balogun. Midfielders are rotating in and out of available space, making them harder to defend. The ball is moving, always. The U.S. scored three times in a pre-tourney tuneup vs. Senegal last month, then outshot four-time world champ Germany in their send-off game. The Paraguay game was easily the best of the Pochettino era. Still, there’s no word yet on if Christian Pulisic, his top attacker, will be available to play after suffering a calf injury that forced him to the bench midway through the curtain-raiser. Either way, it does feel like Pochettino has his players peaking when it matters the most. "The coach has done a fantastic job," said Aaronson, who could take Pulisic’s place in the lineup if the U.S. headliner isn’t ready to go. "Now we finally can understand the system…every player knows what they need to do." For a squad determined to make a deep run this summer, the hope is that it helps net them another crucial three points.
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