Enjoy Pochettino while you can

SEATTLE — Enjoy Mauricio Pochettino while you can because he’s probably not going to be around following the World Cup.

So far, the head coach of the United States Men’s National Team has his team hitting on all cylinders in the group stage as the Americans are virtually assured of moving on to the knockout stage following their impressive 2-0 victory over Australia on a sun-splashed Friday afternoon at Lumen Field.

One more match in Group D remains — next Thursday against Turkiye at SoFi Stadium and perhaps Christian Pulisic will be ready to return to the pitch by then. He was held out against the Socceroos as his left calf probably presented too inviting a target for the Aussies’ moving trees that form their back line.

Pulisic’s teammates soldiered on without him, their patience being tested to the utmost against Australia’s physical style of play. Whether Pochettino warned his lads to not sink to their opponent’s level or told them to match the Aussies shot for shot, it doesn’t matter. In the end, the home team played with enough poise to get the result it needed and send the vast majority of the 66,925 home happy.

“I saw a team that reflects different plans and the capacity to adjust to the demands of the games,” Pochettino said in his post-match news conference. “They were fantastic.”

When US Soccer decided to hire Pochettino to replace Gregg Burhalter nearly two years ago, it was with this month in mind. The rough patches were expected. The experimentation of lineups was a necessary evil. It takes time to implement your will and your mindset and develop a culture. It doesn’t happen overnight.

Yes, we like to pick apart every move and question every substation and wonder out loud why this player was brought on board while another sat. It’s what we do. We see it in our favorite club team and when it comes to the national team, well, we all think we’re experts, particularly after we’ve quaffed a pint or three at the local watering hole.

But getting the players to believe in his system and trust him to do right by them is a huge part of this. And to that end, it’s hard to find fault with Pochettino at this point.

“The credit goes to the players and the assistant coaches,” he said. “We want to keep the same approach we’ve had since Day One — we believe we can win.”
 
Pochettino is comfortable in his own skin. He has managed some of the world’s most noted clubs — Paris St. German, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea — along with great individual talent such as Harry Kane while with Spurs. He knows how to reach his players to get them to play for him while equally vexing those he works for which ultimately leads to his moving on.

In a way, he reminds me of Gerard Gallant, who was the first head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights and took his team to the Stanley Cup Final only to clash with management and ultimately be replaced. Pochettino gets results but he also seems to find himself out of favor with those who sign his paycheck.

Here, he’s on board for this World Cup. He’s on a short leash, much like John Tortorella was in Vegas recently with the Golden Knights during the team’s Stanley Cup run. And like Torts, Pochettino will likely move on to his next club. There was speculation he was going to AC Milan in Italy. But that went to Ruben Amorim. Somehow, I don’t think he’ll have any trouble finding gainful employment somewhere.

There’s still work to be done here in the States. With each match, expectations grow while the confidence of Pochettino’s players grows exponentially. They have performed admirably so far. But everyone knows the heavy lifting lies ahead. The knockout phase is where you earn your money as a manager and it will be up to Pochettino to get his guys to believe that they’re capable of carrying over their performance from Group D play into the critical stage of the World Cup where a single mistake or tactical miscalculation can prove fatal.

“We want them to keep believing,” Pochettino said. “We need to keep working hard and have discipline in what we do. Getting better every day is not about being relaxed.

“I’m not American. But after the game, I was emotional because of the way the crowd here supported us. I thought it was a perfect connection between the people and the team.

“All the country is supporting us and that is good.”
 
Yes, an entire nation will be supporting them. The “USA” chants will be loud and perhaps intimidating for the Americans’ opponents. The voices of the supporters united in singing Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer” will reverberate throughout the stadium. But in the end, this team and their coach will be judged on the results. Which is as it should be.

How far will they go? We’ll find out in the days to come. There’s still the final Group D match with Turkiye. But for now, how about we enjoy what this group has accomplished so far and give credit to the guy who has orchestrated it? He’s enjoying it. So should you.