USMNT must believe it can win the World Cup, new coach Mauricio Pochettino says

NEW YORK — "Believe."

That word has over the last few years become closely associated with America's most famous soccer coach, the fictional Ted Lasso of the Apple TV series of the same name. The same mantra is now the message coming from the most celebrated and accomplished coach in U.S. men's national team history.

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Mauricio Pochettino was officially unveiled as the USMNT's new boss at a grand press conference in midtown Manhattan on Friday, and when the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur manager was asked what he wants to accomplish with the Americans as the country prepares to co-host the biggest sporting event the world has ever seen 21 months from now, Pochettino didn't attempt to manage what even the most optimistic U.S. fans might see as a wholly unrealistic expectations.

"We have time, and we need to really believe in things, in big things," the 52-year-old Argentine said. "We need to believe that we can win all the games, that we can win the World Cup."

There's obviously a huge difference between thinking you can win the game's most coveted trophy and actually doing it — something Pochettino no doubt understands as well as anyone. But he also knows that to have any sort of success in 2026, his first order of business has to be restoring the USMNT's badly shaken confidence.

After becoming the first Copa América host to be knocked out in group play earlier this summer, the squad's self-assurance is at its lowest point since the program's epic failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. So Pochettino's immediate goal must be to get his players to once again play without fear, to believe that they can stand