Pochettino urges – On the eve of the USMNT’s World Cup opener against Paraguay in Los Angeles, Mauricio Pochettino urged supporters to bring the same kind of contagious, street-level hysteria that has seized New York with the Knicks’ title push—insisting that nothing short of wi
Los Angeles felt like a stage set for a different sport on Thursday, not just because the USA were about to open their World Cup campaign against Paraguay, but because Mauricio Pochettino kept talking about New York.
He didn’t mention the Knicks as a side note. He used their atmosphere as a blueprint. New York fans have been pouring into Manhattan. with streets buzzing earlier this week after the Knicks moved to within one win of a first NBA championship since 1973. Pochettino’s players. too. were caught up in it from across the country after New York’s stunning comeback win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. Even in Argentina—his homeland—four years ago. scenes sparked by Lionel Messi’s World Cup glory were still fresh enough to be brought up now.
Asked how the USMNT can inspire the same hype in the build-up to the tournament, the USA coach sounded convinced it can spread if the team has the will to match it.
“I think it’s contagious and we need to play with passion. we need to win games – that’s very important… [we need] to make the fans feel proud about what they are seeing on the field. ” Pochettino said. “To create that emotional relationship and then you will do the rest – try to encourage the people to celebrate – but we need to win. The important thing is to win.”.
That message landed for players who were already living inside the noise. Tyler Adams was among those who celebrated wildly after the Knicks’ victory on Wednesday night. admitting he “blacked out” amid the chaos. Ahead of training on Thursday. Adams said he hopes the remarkable run now in New York can inspire the US this summer.
“It’s pretty captivating,” Adams said. “I think them kind of being the underdog coming out of the east and doing something special as they’re doing right now. I take inspiration, but I’m a New York Knicks fan, not everyone’s New York Knicks fans!”
Pochettino made the connection tighter, but only in one direction: the emotion has to serve the result.
He reiterated on Thursday that the US needs to win the World Cup for him to consider the summer a success. He also told his players not to expect further motivational speeches, insisting that if they are not ready by now, it’s too late.
The pressure is real. not just because the USA are co-hosting the World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada. but because American football has often struggled to capture the kind of national fixation that other sports enjoy. Pochettino’s aim is to change that—by turning the opening match into something the whole country can feel.
On the eve of the tournament opener, he piled the stakes on his own team. Speaking in Los Angeles on Thursday, Pochettino insisted: “For me, success is [to] win the World Cup… if we don’t arrive to the final and we don’t win the World Cup, to talk about successful is [wrong]. For me, in my mindset.”
The history also sits in the background. The US has reached the quarterfinals only once since the first World Cup in 1930, when America finished third. Pochettino, however, said he was not looking for excuses.
“Then if you say to me: ‘Oh. the conditions’ or ‘we play against good teams. good national teams…’ okay. okay. okay. okay. ” he said. “But when we signed here it is because we wanted to come here and to be involved in the unique event. But with the possibility to compete well and believing in winning.”.
He even addressed the practical side of tomorrow’s task. Pochettino revealed he has already chosen his starting XI for the game against Paraguay. He confirmed that defender Chris Richards is available after injury, but didn’t name the goalkeeper who will start between Matt Turner and Matt Freese.
“I don’t know if they know,” Pochettino said. “Because if I tell [you] if they know, you will start to call [them to find out]!”
A victory over Paraguay would give the USA a huge chance of reaching the knockout stages, with their next matches coming against Australia and Turkey.
Taken together, Pochettino’s message is hard to misread: the coach wants the fans celebrating, but he keeps returning to the same demand—win, and win loudly. In his version of summer, the noise comes after the whistle, not before it.
Mauricio Pochettino USA vs Paraguay USMNT World Cup 2026 Knicks mania Tyler Adams Chris Richards Matt Turner Matt Freese Los Angeles San Antonio Spurs Lionel Messi