Mauricio Pochettino said that ‘American sports reward losers’ when asked about the style of play in top European nations vs. in the U.S. 😯🇺🇸
QUESTION: “We know how England, France, Spain play… Players from countries with a strong tradition have a recognizable style. What is the style of the US team? What kind of football do the Americans want to play?”
ANSWER: “Their culture is playful. They want to play. We told them, “Guys, playing soccer is one thing, competing is another.” They’re two completely different sports. They grow up in a culture of playing. Why? If you start in MLS and you haven’t won a game in three months and you’re at the bottom, what’s the consequence if there’s no promotion or relegation, no international competition? American sports reward losers! But soccer is different: if you reward those who don’t win… If you don’t have goals, you don’t fight. If I lose, what happens? Nothing. They just fire the coach. Also, the American player is disciplined. But with a sense of complacency that isn’t good in soccer. It took us a year and a half to change that mentality.”
[EL PAIS]
JUST A REMINDER.
Paraguay beat Brazil and Argentina and had the best defensive record in South American World Cup qualifying.
They just lost 4-1 to the USMNT in their opening match at the 2026 World Cup final.
.@stoolpresidente asks @CoachMickCronin if something has shifted to bring back the old school coaches
"Little Johnny needs to learn how to pay attention and follow orders, and if I tell him 50 straight times the same thing, I'm gonna lose my mind if he keeps doing it wrong..."