The United States Men’s National Team got off to a hot start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, blasting Paraguay by a final score of 4-1 in a game that the team dominated from start to finish. The dominance comes despite much of the team returning from previous World Cup rosters, but there is one key difference: the coach.
This time, the United States is led by veteran Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has previously coached several top European clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea. His managerial style and tactical acumen are clearly working for the United States, and it comes despite a bit of a culture clash.
‘American Sports Reward Losers’
Pochettino was recently asked about the difference between the style of play in the United States compared to the unique styles of play of teams in countries like England, France, and Spain. When asked what “kind of football” the United States plays, he did not hold back as he gave a rather scathing review of American sports.
“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,” Pochettino said via El Pais in comments that have been translated from Spanish. “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!” he continued. “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.”
Pochettino Isn’t Wrong
While his comments might be controversial, his assessment of American sports isn’t necessarily wrong. Most professional sports throughout the United States do, in a sense, “reward losers” through higher draft picks for the teams finishing with the worst records in order to promote parity throughout leagues.
In fact, “tanking” has become a growing problem in the NBA with teams intentionally losing games once they are out of contention in order to give themselves a better chance at a higher draft pick.
In the NFL, the team with the worst record gets the highest pick in the NFL Draft. In the NBA, NHL, and MLB, the team with the lowest record has the best chance in a draft lottery. In MLS – the most direct comparison for Pochettino’s argument, the lowest team in the league gets the highest pick in the draft.
Conversely, in Europe and other parts of the world, the lowest team in the league standings is not rewarded with a higher draft pick; it is relegated and sent down to a lower league. The team would then have to earn its way back to the top league the following year.
While Americans have become accustomed to the American system for sports, it’s easy to see why Pochettino would see the system as rewarding losers.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.