Pochettino: The USA has a “great responsibility” at the 2026 World Cup.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino called hosting the 2026 World Cup “a tremendous responsibility” and urged U.S. fans to help push the team forward.

Pochettino will lead the USMNT in a game for the first time against Panama at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas on Saturday and is eager to get his team off to a winning start. But he also has his eye on the 2026 World Cup, which the USA is co-hosting alongside Canada and Mexico.

This tournament marks the second time the United States has hosted a World Cup. The first event took place in 1994. This World Cup gave a huge boost to the sport in the United States, and the revenue from this tournament helped launch the MLS. Pochettino hopes to channel that enthusiasm in the run-up to 2026.

“I think it's a huge responsibility for us to give our fans a sport that can be exciting and entertaining like another sport here that leads the country,” he said during a roundtable with reporters, referring to the most popular sports in the US “And I think our responsibility is a huge, huge responsibility.”

Pochettino said he was trying to protect his players from that pressure. In his very first meeting with the USMNT, he mentioned the importance of getting past any stress they may be feeling.

“In football, players have to express themselves. They play because of their talent,” Pochettino said. “If you put too much pressure, then you stop expressing your talent because there are too many thoughts or too (many) things in your head.”

For the Argentine, the fans are important here, regardless of whether the team wins or loses, whether they play well or not.

Without question, the 2024 calendar year has been a frustrating time for USMNT fans. The team failed to get out of the group stage at the 2024 Copa America and had some exciting moments in the Concacaf Nations League semi-final against Jamaica. The 5-1 friendly defeat against Colombia was also sobering.

Pochettino hopes that with the help of fans, the USMNT can begin to regain some momentum.

“Together we have to build the self-confidence and confidence that in two years we will be able to be really competitive and be proud of a sport that maybe (wasn't born here) but is starting to belong here,” Pochettino said.

“I think that’s going to be really important. But without the fans it's impossible. We need the fans… to buy this idea. If not, it's impossible. In Germany, in Argentina, in Brazil, why is there football?” The first? Because of the fans.