Mauricio Pochettino came in as the biggest name the U.S. men’s soccer team had ever hired. The rebuild wasn’t smooth. But the team is in the World Cup knockout stage — and by all accounts, the players are with him.
The U.S. men’s national team advanced to the knockout round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a result that has quieted at least some of the skepticism that trailed Pochettino’s tenure from the start.
The rebuild
Pochettino’s time in charge had rough stretches — that much isn’t disputed. Taking over a program with high expectations and a home World Cup on the horizon, the Argentine coach faced pressure that few of his predecessors encountered at this level of U.S. soccer. The stakes were obvious. The margin for error, thin.
What changed, according to accounts from within the camp, is buy-in. Players are described as fully committed to what Pochettino has put in place. That kind of cohesion doesn’t always show up on a stat sheet, but it tends to show up in knockout rounds — the stage the U.S. has now reached.
Whether the team can advance further remains an open question. The knockout stage is unforgiving; a single loss ends the tournament. Pochettino hasn’t said publicly what he expects from this point forward, and the draw for subsequent matches will shape everything.
What’s clear is that the U.S. got here. For a program that has spent years trying to close the gap with traditional soccer powers, reaching the knockout stage of a World Cup held on home soil carries weight — though how far that momentum carries is still to be decided on the field.
