Pochettino’s July – In Seattle, U.S. men’s soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino marked America’s 250th independence anniversary with birthday wishes tied to the World Cup—while players like Tim Ream and Folarin Balogun described a team that reflects the country’s diverse roots ahead
SEATTLE — Less than 24 hours after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a Seattle Mariners game alongside the U.S. men’s national soccer team, Mauricio Pochettino circled the field at Husky Soccer Stadium with a kind of celebratory focus that didn’t exactly fit the usual World Cup routine.
Saturday was the 250th anniversary of American independence, and the 54-year-old coach didn’t miss the moment. He turned toward reporters as he made his way around the pitch.
“Happy birthday,” Pochettino said, pausing as he pointed to the date. “It’s 250 years, no?”
Pochettino is 54, born in Argentina, and lives in Spain. This summer, he has fully leaned into the American experience in ways that players say are both visible and deliberate—songs, stories, and reminders of where the team comes from.
After U.S. wins, he has joined tens of thousands of fans in singing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” At the same time, he’s pushing his players not to forget his roots, even as they carry their own.
“He’s 200 percent Argentine,” U.S. captain Tim Ream said. “I think he’s obviously taken to the culture. and at the same time has added his bit of culture to us as well. … The group is such a melting pot of staff, players. And, it’s just an incredible representation of who we are as people. But, he definitely won’t let us forget that he still is Argentine at the end of the day.”.
Ream’s point landed because Pochettino isn’t the only part of the roster shaped by places beyond the United States. Six players on the roster were born abroad, and others—like forward Folarin Balogun—were raised in Europe.
Balogun’s path runs through both countries before it ever reaches the World Cup spotlight. He was born in Brooklyn, in the New York City borough, to Nigerian parents, raised in London, and chose to play for the U.S. rather than any of three countries he could have represented.
“This is a unique experience for me,” Balogun said. “being in the World Cup in your home nation.”
His “home nation” got a birthday of its own this weekend—and so did Balogun, just as the U.S. prepares for its next challenge.
While Pochettino’s unexpected birthday wishes weren’t aimed at Balogun—who turned 25 on Friday—the timing still carried weight for a team that is trying to keep the holiday energy while staying locked on the job. Saturday’s celebration came just ahead of practice at Husky Soccer Stadium.
For many Americans, soccer still hasn’t fully claimed the mainstream space that American football, basketball and baseball occupy. Even so, the World Cup has drawn attention in a way that might surprise the skeptics.
New polling from Ipsos Sports, provided exclusively to The Associated Press, shows the World Cup has excited soccer fans and piqued many Americans’ interest, even as the sport faces an uphill climb to reach mainstream popularity.
Now the U.S. has a chance to turn that curiosity into something sturdier when it plays Belgium in the Round of 16 on Monday at Lumen Field.
If the Americans win, it would be the first time they have ever won two knockout games at the World Cup, and it would secure their second quarterfinal appearance—and their first since 2002.
“It’s an opportunity to continue to inspire tens of millions of people, inspire kids,” Ream said. “It’s an opportunity for us to win another knockout-stage game in a World Cup.”
The task will not be easy. The U.S. needs contributions across a roster built from different backgrounds, including starters such as Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest, who are the children of U.S. service members.
Dest said the Americans can win Monday despite a heavy test just weeks ago. Belgium blew out the U.S. 5-2 in a World Cup warmup match in March.
“Belgium is a great opponent,” Dest said. “But, we also see some opportunities for us to be able to win that game. ’Cause we are also a great team at the moment. We grew a lot, as well, in this tournament. And, at the moment, it’s really difficult to beat us. So, it will be difficult for Belgium as well.”.
Saturday offered Ream and his teammates a moment to honor the holiday away from the press cycle. Ream said the team watched fireworks from a rooftop bar.
“It’s a little bit different celebrating here than over there because obviously, in a lot of ways, a lot of people don’t actually know why we celebrate the Fourth,” Ream said. “which is crazy to me, because they were a big part of why we celebrate the Fourth.”
That sentiment fed right into how the captain sees the team heading into Monday night—with a squad that is, in his words, quintessentially American because of the variety it carries.
“With all our different backgrounds, where we all have grown up, it’s a true representation of what America is,” Ream said. “It’s a melting pot of people, personalities, of characters. It’s the perfect representation of what the U.S. is.”
By the time the fireworks were fading, the message seemed clear: for this group, the holiday isn’t just another day on the calendar. It’s a reminder of what they represent—while the real countdown begins for Belgium.
Mauricio Pochettino Tim Ream Folarin Balogun Belgium Round of 16 U.S. men's national soccer team July Fourth 250th anniversary Husky Soccer Stadium Lumen Field World Cup