Mauricio Pochettino urges USMNT to treat every World Cup game ‘like a final’

• US drew Australia, Paraguay, Euro play-off team

• Pochettino: friendlies tell little about WC tests

• Manage wants final' mindset for every match

Mauricio Pochettino said that it is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage" that the United States' World Cup group consists of two - and perhaps three - teams that his team will have played in friendlies within a year or so before kickoff of their opening game.

The US were drawn with Australia, Paraguay and the winner of a European play-off involving Turkey, Romania, Kosovo and Slovakia. The US played Australia in a friendly in October, winning 2-1 in Commerce City, Colorado. They played Paraguay in another friendly in November - a game that marked Gio Reyna's return to form with the national team in a 2-1 win. Turkey, should they make it through the play-off, would have a leg up on preparations, having beaten the US 2-1 in a pre-Gold Cup friendly in June 2025.