13 wins, one draw, and 7 defeats—that’s the managerial record Mauricio Pochettino maintains ever since joining the US Men’s National Team last September. Not bad, considering the win percentage is around 62%. Though in the eyes of many, such numbers are somewhat hard to accept, they’re at least better than how things had been for the American boys in the past. So the biggest question would be, what changed?

Of course, given that they will host the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, such a change in their approach is expected. But to be quite specific about the change one is trying to imply here, it’s after the 24-2025 Concacaf Nations League, where they lost to Canada while contesting for the third-place spot. But fast forward to today, and here they are securing major wins over the likes of Paraguay, Japan, and Australia.

And for a man like Mauricio Pochettino, you can imagine how much he likes his team to learn from their failures. “I think it was a good reality check that put us in a position, in the real situation, to see where this team, this federation, really was,” began the 53-year-old when quizzed by journalist Roberto Abramowitz ahead of the Uruguay clash. “Perhaps for us, after a few months of being in charge, I think it was a good opportunity to hit rock bottom in order to start correcting the things we had to change to get to where we are today.”

Sure, it’s not like straight after the Nations League upset, things were uptight good for the American boys. In fact, to recall, straight after this tournament defeat, they lost two consecutive games during the June window, a 1-2 vs Turkey, and 0-4 against Switzerland, the type of teams you would expect to see in the World Cup. But in the eyes of Pochettino, those painful moments were nothing but a necessity, not only because of the team’s growth but also to help him get a grasp of things as a manager.

Let’s put it this way: why not face the worst now so that when the time comes, the USMNT can really show they have learned from their upset. Just as the USA, Pochettino insisted that similar is the case with the likes of Argentina or even England, who always try to learn from their negatives, rather than looming on it and start raising fingers at one another. By accepting the failure, the former PSG boss believes it offers teams the “insight into what was really going on,” something which he desperately needed.

Not surprisingly, considering it also comes from a man who is managing a national team for the first time in his remarkable managerial career. So, with the worst, Mauricio Pochettino had to plan, build, and make decisions in a way that allowed him to withstand all the criticism and everything that came with putting people in uncomfortable situations.

“We have gradually built it up with strength. We have endured a lot of situations that were undeserved, but we understand that this is soccer. No one here holds a grudge against anyone,” added the former Chelsea boss. This change in approach, ladies and gentlemen, as Pochettino puts it, is nothing short of “The beginning of how we want to perform.”

Not going to lie, this approach does sound interesting. But where does the team go, considering we are down to just six and a half months away from the prestigious summer tournament?

Mauricio Pochettino is still not impressed with the USMNT

Well, that’s one solid mentality to keep as a manager of a team, which has been topped up with a lot of expectations on their shoulders. But what does it still lack that makes Mauricio Pochettino so confident in the fact that it still misses something? “We still have a lot of growing to do as a team, as a structure,” he added in the same conversation.

Oh, the ‘sky is the limit’ factor, how could one forget that? Clearly, Pochettino wants his team to follow this advice by heart in each game they step into. “The most important thing is to maintain this ability to fight and compete. This should not be something extraordinary in one game, but rather the hallmark of this national team,” added the USMNT boss.

We couldn’t agree more. One thing is certain now — expect the US Men’s National Team to be full of surprises, as they have evidently found their footing ahead of the 2026 World Cup. How solidly they’ll be able to keep up with this hallmark is something only time will tell.