SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Forget Russell Crowe, the most intriguing comparison surrounding Mauricio Pochettino this summer is the one with “La Malinche.”
The multilingual Nahua woman known by the same nickname helped Spanish travelers conquer the Aztec Empire in the 16th century. She taught conquistador Hernán Cortés the secrets of a mysterious land; Pochettino has taught the U.S. the secrets of a mysterious sport.
For once at this World Cup, there was no dark cloud hanging over the U.S. men’s national team head coach. No air conditioners were too loud, no questions too weird, even FIFA’s press officer failing to pronounce his name correctly only elicited a rueful grin. Pochettino was too “proud” of what he had just witnessed to have his mood punctured by any external trivialities.
It wasn’t simply the fact that the USMNT had beaten Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–0 on Wednesday evening, achieving the team’s second ever knockout victory in a men’s World Cup, it was the manor of the win. “It’s not only the victory, it’s the way that we earned the victory,” Pochettino pointed out, “that is so important.”
Just as they have all tournament, the Stars and Stripes romped into the round of 16 playing very much like a team coached by Mauricio Pochettino. It was telling that the proud South American rejected the idea he had become even a little bit American. “I am 200% Argentine,” he insisted, repeating it three times to make sure his passport wasn’t revoked. But that’s the point: Pochettino has not morphed to suit his new surroundings, he has remodelled the team in his own image.
USMNT Respond to Pochettino’s Rallying Cry
The only moderately fortunate aspect of Folarin Balogun’s harsh red card for falling awkwardly on Tarik Muharemović was its timing. Referee Raphael Claus flashed his red card in the 64th minute, just a handful of moments before the second half hydration break.
FIFA’s insistence on splitting the game into four quarters gave Pochettino the chance for one final team talk. “Now we need to show that we are a team, we are united,” he told his players, sodden with sweat in the dry heat of Santa Clara, Calif. “That is the moment to show to everyone—and to show to ourselves—that it is not only empty words when we say, ‘We are a family.’”
The impact Pochettino has on these players is palpable. So many members of the current roster have hailed the influence of “Coach Poch,” relishing his unique brand of empathetic wisdom. Across those final 25 minutes, the 10 players on the pitch embodied the grittier side of his character, hunkering down to deny Bosnia and Herzegovina any clear sight of goal.
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In the aftermath of his rallying cry, Pochettino’s side willingly ceded possession—the visitors had 70% of the ball—without giving up a single shot on target. The message was so well received the manager didn’t even make a substitution until the 87th minute. In fact, during this period of numerical inferiority, the U.S. doubled its lead thanks to Malik Tillman’s punchy free kick.
The construction of that set piece was pure Pochettino.
Transformation of Four Years
Even with the clock running down and a one-goal advantage to sit on, the USMNT was still winning the ball high up the pitch. Christian Pulisic forced Muharemović into a skittish clearance which Benjamin Tahirović could only divert towards Antonee Robinson. The left back’s first thought was to punch a pass into the feet of his opposite fullback, Sergiño Dest, who was naturally occupying the center forward position on the edge of the box to win the foul which Tillman so ruthlessly punished.
The swing in intensity since Pochettino’s arrival has been concussive. At the 2022 World Cup, a side managed by Gregg Berhalter had the 18th most intense press in the competition, allowing the opposition an average of 15.8 passes before putting a foot in. Only Spain and Germany pressed more feverishly than the U.S. during the 2026 group stage, with Pochettino’s ratters and hounders breaking up play every 8.1 opposition passes, per Opta.
The clear shift in mentality was almost immediately. While the number of games he had overseen was still in single digits, Luca de la Torre revealed: “The way we press [under Pochettino] is a lot more aggressive, especially from goal kicks. There’s the intention to play in the half of the other team.”
Tim Ream didn’t let the ball drop in the U.S. half after Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj was forced into a long punt forward by the scurrying of Weston McKennie and Tillman at the end of the first half. Three passes, two deflections and six seconds separated Ream’s volleyed clearance on the halfway line and Balogun’s clinical putaway.
While a third goal of the summer for his striker will undoubtedly please Pochettiino, the way that McKennie bellowed at Tillman to join him in a cohesive press must have been just as encouraging.
U.S. Coming in Line With Pochettino’s Mindset
The pessimistic atmosphere in the wake of the USMNT’s ultimately meaningless defeat to Türkiye baffled Pochettino. “Maybe I am confused, but the mood, the vibes is like we go home tonight,” he seethed.
It may seem like an inconsequential wrinkle—much like those 90 minutes of bench players charging around in defeat—but Pochettino is all about the vibes. This is a proudly spiritual character who keeps a box of lemons on his desk to absorb bad energy. “Decisions, personal relationships and absolutely everything else are a matter of energy,” Pochettino wrote in his book, Brave New World, which was co-authored by Guillem Balagué. “Good or bad, small or large.”
Reflecting on the issues with the project he inherited at U.S. Soccer, Pochettino diagnosed: “The problem was the mindset.”
What was once the team’s weakness is now a strength to lean upon.
Faced with the adversity of a harsh red card which, in Pochettino’s eyes, was simply the biggest of several refereeing decisions that didn’t go his side’s way, the USMNT could have boiled over against Bosnia and Herzegovina under the oppressive Northern Californian sun. But they kept their cool. “The players reacted very well to control that emotional part of the game,” Pochettino beamed with pride postmatch, “that was so important.”
USA ADVANCES TO THE ROUND OF 16 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/DgONA6UHIr
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 2, 2026
The whole approach to this knockout tie was refreshingly laid back. Gio Reyna shrugged at the suggestion of expectation. “This team really does well with challenges.” Ream admitted that he didn’t “feel too much pressure” while Pulisic claimed the whole roster is “more relaxed” after living through these moments at the 2022 World Cup. As Pochettino said, there is a “maturity” to a team which had seemed naive for so long.
That sense of quiet confidence has radiated out to the fans. The U.S. crowds this summer have interpreted soccer fandom as one giant costume party. It was a July Halloween in San Jose, with scores of American forefathers, dozens of Uncle Sams and giant eagles swooping everywhere, a wave of excitement rather than nerves washing around the place.
“I’m not too worried,” Roberto told Sports Illustrated after gawking at the droves of Bosnian fans marching through blue and yellow plumes of smoke across the bridge to Levi’s Stadium, “as long as the boys come to play.” Under Pochettino, they usually do.
The players, Pochettino insists, are the “principle actors.” But they are all reading off his script.
