“It’s really important now to start the competition with a good feeling. I think important for the player, for the guys,” Pochettino said Sunday after the win. “Nothing is done, but yes, to feel the victory and being more positive in the next few days.”
Heading into the match, doubts were beginning to grow for the U.S. setup that hadn’t won under Pochettino since January. Off the field, tensions also appeared to be growing publicly between the manager and absent captain Christian Pulisic, who was left off the alternate Gold Cup squad due to only wanting to take part in two friendlies before the competition.
That led to Pochettino arguing that players “cannot dictate the plan” ahead of the tournament.
“Today’s game was also a difficult one, especially because of the negative things that happened in recent weeks,” Pochettino added. “Some results that haven’t gone well always generate a bit of noise, right? It’s important for the players to have that confidence.”
Regarding the one-sided thrashing that was carried by a brace from midfielder Malik Tillman, Pochettino was filled with praise for the PSV Eindhoven player that compensated for the lack of many key figures — like Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah and Antonee Robinson — in his Gold Cup team.
“Malik is a talented player. That is obvious, that everyone can see. What changed [this summer], I think is, of course, I understand better him now,” Pochettino said. “After a few weeks together, I really started to understand him, and he started to understand us.
“Like in PSV all in love with him, now we start becoming in love, myself and the coaching staff, with him. He’s a talented player, one of the most talented players, I think, that we have in USA.”
With a list of missing figures due to a variety of reasons ranging from injuries, Club World Cup duties, or a break such as the instance of Pulisic, Pochettino noted that performances like Sunday’s could influence roster decisions for next year’s World Cup.
“We want to win, but at the same time it’s to help the players to perform and to knock [on] the door and say, we can perform for the national team and we can be involved in the next World Cup,” said the Argentine coach.
“That is what I expect. Win, and the player really believes that they are having the opportunity…[to] fight for a place in the World Cup.”
After the Gold Cup ends, the coach said that he’ll begin working with a much tighter selection after analyzing as many as 60 players in his last four camps.
“[We’ll] start working with a smaller group, [and] always keeping the door open for players who might appear. But above all, after the Gold Cup, we’ll have a much clearer idea,” said Pochettino.
With three points under their belts, the Americans and their coach will now face Saudi Arabia on June 5, before closing the group stage out against Haiti on June 22. The U.S. is second all-time with seven Gold Cup titles, and finished as semifinalists in the 2023 edition.
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