Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT World Cup Dream Had Been Coming for 341 Days

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Mauricio Pochettino arrived at his press conference in the aftermath of the U.S. men’s national team’s 4–1 drubbing of Paraguay on Friday night in an odd mood.

What should have been a sweet moment to savor the greatest performance of his entire managerial tenure in the States instead began with a rant about the moderately offputting mechanical clank of the air conditioning unit in the corner of the room. “We can’t work in these conditions,” he lamented before a question had even been asked.

Once someone had managed to quell the whirring which had so infuriated the USMNT coach, he was soon bothered by the noise coming out of the rows of seats in front of him. The focus was too much on the individuals for Pochettino’s liking.

Christian Pulisic was “amazing, of course,” Pochettino scoffed. “Balo [Folarin Balogun] was amazing, of course. Tim Ream was amazing, of course...” All 10 outfielders got name-checked during a bizarre tirade which felt more like a list of people to punish rather than praise. As he would explain, Pochettino had a different “principal actor” in mind.

“I need to press one thing,” the Argentine coach stressed. “The fans. They were amazing. On behalf of the whole team, a massive thank you to the fans because the energy they transmit to the team was amazing.”

That kind of atmosphere has been a long time coming for Pochettino—341 days, to be precise.

One Year in the Making

What an unreal crowd tonight! Thanks for showing up and supporting the #USMNT! What an amazing start to the #FIFAWorldCup! pic.twitter.com/SwUfWtKEcv
— Cindy Cone (@cone_cindy) June 13, 2026

As recently as last summer, home crowds were considered more of a hindrance than a help for the USMNT.

The first game for the hosts of the 2025 Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago drew just 12,610 fans. While there were small venues in use for the Concacaf competition, Curaçao’s goalless draw with El Salvador in the exact same stadium inspired a larger attendance.

Even when supporters did bother turning up, they weren’t necessarily cheering for the hosts. The USMNT’s semifinal and final showdowns with Honduras and Mexico respectively were both sellouts, but American midfielder Tyler Adams described the atmosphere as “an away game in a hostile environment.”

On July 6, 2025, Pochettino set out a challenge for the U.S. fans to replicate the atmosphere created by Mexico’s support in the Gold Cup showpiece. “I would love to see my players playing with 70,000 people cheering,” he wistfully reflected. “We need the people. We need the fans. The fans have one year to realize how important are the fans in soccer.” They realized.

There were 70,492 switched-on supporters stuffed into the steep tiers of SoFi Stadium on Friday. Even with the fight for attention posed by the ongoing NBA Finals and upcoming UFC event at the White House, this south western slice of LA County was painted an unmistakable shade of red and white.

USA goals in the 2022 group stage: 2.

USA goals in the first half v Paraguay: 3. pic.twitter.com/BXClcwpAS6
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) June 13, 2026

The vast 4K screen suspended above the pitch displayed a decibel reader which peaked at 112 dBA before the first ball had been kicked. An even louder burst of the nation’s initials at the opening whistle set the tone for a contest which the players very much played at full volume.

“Being in America, having this crowd around us, seeing the red, white and blue, all our red and white striped shirts in the crowd, it’s awesome,” Pulisic beamed. “I mean, hearing the ‘U-S-A’ chants, it’s really pushing us forward.”

The tide of American apathy towards soccer from the stands had begun to turn during the pre-World Cup friendlies—so much so that some of the players were even caught by surprise. However, those games were several orders of magnitude cheaper than a ticket to SoFi.

Fans heading to Soldier Field in Chicago could get a seat for the clash with Germany for just $150. Yet, at no point over the last nine months has a ticket for the USMNT’s World Cup opener been available on general sale for less than $850, per Ticket Data. One supporter told me he had spent $6,000 on a single entry to the clash with Paraguay, his grin fading as I failed to hide the disdain which involuntarily washed across my face.

Nevertheless, those who paid up played their part. As Pulisic noted: “We just hope it continues like that.”

The U.S. Needs to Keep Cheering

U.S. fans going nuts. — The crowd got involved on Friday. | Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated

The overwhelming emotion bubbling around the ground ahead of kickoff was unbridled excitement. This has been an occasion years in the making and fans flocked from across the country to Inglewood, Calif. for a chance to see the start of this journey in the flesh.

Yet every feeling, however powerful, is forever fleeting.

One jubilant spectator was bouncing around in the queue to head inside the ground when he saw a group of Paraguayans in their red-and-white kit. “What?! Paraguay wear our jerseys, how are we going to know who to root for?” he exclaimed, all while wearing an expression far too glum for someone in a star spangled hot dog costume.

The emphatic nature of the opening day victory against an opponent many had tipped to be defiantly obdurate (including their own manager) has undoubtedly sent expectations soaring. While most fans won’t stretch the same extremes as Alexi Lalas—the former U.S. international and professional antagonist hailed the first 45 minutes as “the greatest half of group play from a men’s team at a World Cup in history”—pre-tournament predictions no doubt need an update.

Based on the spread of votes in Sports Illustrated’s prematch poll, a group-stage exit was considered twice as likely as a maiden U.S. World Cup triumph—and more probable than a run to the quarterfinals.

Hopes could spin in a wildly different direction if the U.S. fails to demonstrate the same attacking verve against Australia next week. Yet, it is imperative that the crowd in Seattle remains as committed as the LA contingent.

The Power of Home Advantage at World Cups

Year	Host	Pre-Tournament ELO Ranking	World Cup Finish
1930	Uruguay	5th	1st
1934	Italy	4th	1st
1938	France	35th	8th
1950	Brazil	5th	2nd
1954	Switzerland	27th	5th
1958	Sweden	14th	2nd
1962	Chile	22nd	3rd
1966	England	3rd	1st
1970	Mexico	30th	6th
1974	West Germany	2nd	1st
1978	Argentina	10th	1st
1982	Spain	15th	12th
1986	Mexico	19th	6th
1990	Italy	4th	3rd
1994	USA	56th	14th
1998	France	4th	1st
2002	Japan	15th	9th
2002	South Korea	34th	4th
2006	Germany	10th	3rd
2010	South Africa	63rd	20th
2014	Brazil	1st	4th
2018	Russia	44th	8th
2022	Qatar	48th	32nd

Home support cannot be stressed enough at a World Cup. While some may question whether this remains the case—seven of the first 11 hosts reached the competition’s final, but none since France in 1998 have actually won it—the wait for a home-based winner is simply a consequence of who has hosted the tournament in the 21st century.

No one would really expect Japan, South Korea or Russia to hoist the trophy aloft. Yet, with the power of home advantage, all three majorly outperformed expectation by making deep runs in the knockouts. Germany (2006) and Brazil (2014) both reached the semifinals, while South Africa collected a respectable four points from three group games in 2010. Qatar stands out as the only host to not enjoy a noticeable boost, although the unique circumstances surrounding the 2022 World Cup help explain that anomaly.

While the individual players are obviously key, the entire collective will continue to be boosted by this unusual swell of support.

“We can do amazing things,” Pochettino predicted, “if the fans are in this way.”

But before the satisfied conductor left his lectern at the press conference, he made FIFA’s representative promise to fix the air conditioner.

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