By JAMES ROBSON | Associated Press
Mauricio Pochettino predicts the United States can dominate soccer and Donald Trump will put pressure on him to deliver at next year’s World Cup.
The U.S. men’s national team coach believes it is only a matter of time before America leads the way in the world’s most popular sport.
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“I think we can dominate soccer, football, maybe in 10 or 15 years’ time, or maybe less: five, six, seven years. The potential is massive,” Pochettino told English media. ”In five or 10 years, for sure we can be No1 in the world.”
Pochettino was hired last September to succeed Gregg Berhalter as coach and lead the country into the 2026 World Cup, which it co-hosts with Canada and Mexico.
Notably, the 53-year-old Argentinian, stopped short of saying his team could produce a shock victory at next year’s tournament, but he believes with Trump as president, much will be expected of his team.
“For us, the pressure is going to be there because we are a host,” he said. “In sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win. The players know it’s going to be massive pressure and now our president (Trump) likes to put pressure on, but it’s welcome. That means we are going to feel the adrenaline we need to feel. We are ready to deliver.”
Pochettino might welcome that pressure, but he was uneasy with FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s response when, on a recent White House visit, Trump asked him if the U.S. could win the World Cup.
“Gianni said yes, but I was disappointed with this answer,” he said. ”He should say: ‘You need to ask your great coach, Pochettino.’ Because for sure, he can give a better opinion.”
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer