United States men’s soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino thinks he can win it all when the United States hosts the World Cup in 2026.
The legendary coach from Argentina has been at the helm of the U.S. soccer team for just two years, but he already sees great success on the horizon.
The United States will host the national tournament along with Canada and Mexico, and Pochettino thinks support from American fans and from the president is the key to a monumental run.
In an interview with Sky Sports reporter Gail Davis, Pochettino was asked what he would say if President Donald Trump wanted to know if the United States could win the World Cup.
“Yes. Yes,” Pochettino quickly replied. “I will say ‘yes.’ If he asked me, I say ‘yes, President, with your help, with the fans in behind hosting the World Cup, all is possible.'”
The 53-year-old spent about 15 years coaching across Europe’s top leagues and had his longest tenure with England’s Tottenham Hotspur from 2014 to 2019. Pochettino is credited with transforming the franchise from a mid-tier club to consistently competing for the English Premier League’s top five positions, which landed them spots in Europe’s most prestigious international club tournaments.
‘If you say football, it’s “no, no, no, no! Soccer!”‘
Pochettino told Sky Sports he was hoping to receive an invite to the White House, along with the team, especially after FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited the Oval Office to reveal a new World Cup trophy.
“Hope, yes. Hope our president invite the national team,” the coach confirmed.
The new manager was also asked how he has adjusted to using the term “soccer” as opposed to “football.”
Pochettino said he fully understood that soccer is not yet a predominant sport in the country but that it is on the rise.
“If you say football, it’s ‘no, no, no, no! Soccer!’ It’s true, it’s soccer because it’s not football, because too many difference and still they need to, many [need] to, discover [it] there in USA,” he explained.
The legendary coach said that while soccer is “not the principal” sport in the United States currently, he believes interest in the game is “growing a lot,” rapidly.
If Major League Soccer’s expansion is any indication of American interest in the sport, then the last decade has shown incredible growth.
MLS had added 12 teams since 2015, starting with New York City and Orlando. In 2017, teams in Atlanta and Minnesota were added.
A steady stream of franchises have been introduced since, starting with Los Angeles (2018) and followed by Cincinnati (2019). Miami and Nashville followed (2020), then Austin (2021), Charlotte (2022), St. Louis (2023), and finally San Diego (2025).
This brought the league to a massive 30 teams, separated into two conferences. Typically, European soccer leagues max out at 20 teams and operate under a relegation system where the bottom two or three franchises are bumped down to a lower league, while the top teams from the second-tier league gain promotion each year.
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Fearless, Soccer, Trump, World cup, Team usa, Sports
