How a ‘naive’ Mauricio Pochettino’s lowest moments turned the USMNT into World Cup darlings

The former Tottenham coach experienced three body blows early in his tenure with the US, each contributing to the solid World Cup to come

Tears welled in Mauricio Pochettino's eyes. His US team had just lost the 2025 Gold Cup final in a hard-fought match to determine the regional crown. To make matters worse they had been beaten by Mexico, their arch-rivals.

Were they tears of sadness, of frustration at the result? Perhaps in part. But as Pochettino explained this week, these were also tears of empathy for his players. They had just played a tournament final. In Houston, one of the largest metro areas in the United States.