Mauricio Pochettino has warned his USA players that they must treat Wednesday’s last-32 clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina like the World Cup final – or risk being on the wrong end of yet another upset.
The USMNT cruised through to the knockout rounds, topping Group D with a game to spare after impressive victories over Paraguay and Australia.
Pochettino’s team head into Wednesday’s game near San Francisco as heavy favorites, with the cheapest tickets on one resale site a staggering $1,354. Bosnia and Herzegovina snuck through Group B and sits 46 places below the US in the world rankings.
But the round of 32 has already thrown up a shock, with Paraguay upsetting Germany on Monday, while Brazil was forced to come from behind before beating Japan in stoppage time.
On Tuesday, Pochettino dismissed the pre-game odds and told his players they will ‘struggle’ against Edin Dzeko and Co unless their mentality is right.
‘This is the final of the World Cup,’ he said. ‘If we don’t think in this way, I think we are going to struggle.
‘I think we have seen already in all the games after the group stage how difficult it is. No one game was easy for no one…we don’t have another opportunity if we fail.’
Mauricio Pochettino said the USA must treat Wednesday’s clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina like the World Cup final
The USMNT head into Wednesday’s last-32 showdown near San Francisco as heavy favorites
Pochettino continued: ‘If we were capable to go through, the next one is going to be another final of the World Cup. That is our mindset and our mentality. We are [in] a final.’
The USA coach insisted he ‘does not believe’ the United States are the ‘favorites,’ adding: ‘Everyone says the favorite is Germany, but Paraguay beat [them]… Brazil and Japan, how difficult it was.
‘In this World Cup… we need to be careful when we say one is favorite and another not. I understand that maybe because we are USA and we host the World Cup.
‘We are here and maybe we have the fans on our side, but I think we have full respect for [Bosnia and Herzegovina]… if we want to win and go to the next stage, we need to perform in our best.’
Pochettino also urged his team not to listen to the hype surrounding their recent performances. This USMNT has captured the imagination of the American public during the World Cup but the manager wants them ‘not to change.’
‘Because we won two games, and people maybe were surprised about our performance, now we are a “big star.” I think that is the most important – not to be confused and approach the competition the same way,’ he said.
‘A game like tomorrow is 90 percent, maybe 85 percent emotional. If we can reduce that and put in 70 or 60 or 50 percent, if we reduce the emotional and more about the play and… put the emotional side at the end of the game, I think it’s much better,’ Pochettino continued.
‘In soccer, unpredictable things can happen – we try to reduce them. But we need to approach [this] like we were approaching the last few games. It’s [about] going there and try to play free.
Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a spot in the knockout rounds with a victory against Qatar
The Argentine cited a conversation he had with his compatriot Jorge Valdano, who won the 1986 World Cup alongside Diego Maradona. ‘Relaxation brings concentration,’ he told Pochettino.
Bosnia and Herzegovina finished third in Group B following a draw with co-hosts Canada, a 4-1 defeat by Switzerland and a 3-1 win over Qatar.
The USMNT ended the group stages with defeat by Turkey after Pochettino rested many of his starters. It was America’s tenth consecutive defeat against European opposition dating back to the 2022 World Cup.
‘Tomorrow we have a good opportunity to fight against the history,’ Pochettino said. ‘We have another challenge.’
