Christian Pulisic made it very clear on what he expects from Mauricio Pochettino after another disappointing USMNT match against New Zealand

Christian Pulisic and USMNT fans can finally breathe easy — Mauricio Pochettino is now the man in charge. After a few weeks of speculation, the U.S. men’s national team has locked in the ex-PSG and Tottenham boss, and let’s just say, expectations are through the roof.

But let’s be real, this isn’t going to be a quick-fix situation. Pochettino is stepping into a team that needs some serious work. And if Tuesday’s 1-1 friendly draw against New Zealand—ranked 94th in the world—is anything to go by, there’s no doubt Pochettino has a big job ahead.

The U.S. looked unconvincing throughout the match, and despite holding onto a 1-0 lead for most of the game, they conceded a sloppy equalizer in the 89th minute. Not the kind of first impression you want when you’re bringing in a new head coach to spark a revival.

USMNT concedes late equalizer, draws New Zealand

USMNT concede an unfortunate late equalizer to New Zealand 🥴 pic.twitter.com/SwOlkFrESK

— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 11, 2024

And then there’s Christian Pulisic.

After the match, he didn’t shy away from the reality of the situation. When asked about what he expects from Pochettino’s arrival, Christian Pulisic dropped the usual PR lines and got straight to the point—this team needs a mentality makeover.

Christian Pulisic on new USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino

CP10 on new #USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/Roj9VQD5vs

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) September 11, 2024

“Hopefully a culture that is willing to fight, that is willing to take risks,” Pulisic said, clearly fed up with the status quo. “There’s a lot of things that need to change. Just the mentality and the culture of the group. I think we have the quality. I know hopefully that’s the first thing he wants to change.”

Christian Pulisic is right about a major change to how the United States approaches soccer not only on the national stage but the sport in general.

Is the mentality and culture of the group the main reason that the Americans continue to struggle? I doubt it. Mental toughness and the overall culture of a team is definitely important but I can’t get on board with the “talent” being there and not being used properly.

If only it was that simple, ya know?

I’m not saying that Christian Pulisic. The Americans do tend to be a group that are content with just showing up to any match and carry the weight of being the only sport in the states that the U.S. fails to flex their typical world domination so maybe removing that from the equation would be a massive upgrade to the USMNT.

In my humble opinion, the entire issue is actually way bigger than just the USMNT itself.

As Americans, I really do believe that the main issue with soccer is the fact that no one takes it seriously, from developing talent at a young age to the amount of money that professional soccer players in the MLS make, it really doesn’t seem like soccer is a priority – but at the very least, it’s trending in the right direction.

The average guaranteed compensation for a Major League Soccer (MLS) player in 2024 is $594,390, which is a 12.1% increase from 2023 but that’s still not anywhere close to any other major sports league in America.

So sure, let’s change the culture and have the USMNT fighting for every inch, taking risks, and playing with the kind of hunger that their new head coach Mauricio Pochettino is known for implementing in his squads.

That sounds great. Will it actually produce an entire new way of how soccer is viewed in America? I certainly have my doubts – which sucks given the fact that the 2026 World Cup is on the horizon and being held on home soil.

Look, I won’t pretend to be an expert on soccer and who knows, maybe Pochettino can be the one to lead the charge? His résumé certainly indicates it. He’s built tough, competitive teams everywhere he’s been, and if he can do the same with the USMNT, we could be looking at a major transformation.

But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves—it’s going to take time and a whole lot of patience.

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