Mauricio Pochettino kicks off new USMNT era with ‘tough’ and ‘intense’ training session

You know that old saying, the one about never getting a second chance to make a first impression?

New U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino apparently subscribes to that little pearl of wisdom, given what his new players had to say when asked how the first 48 hours under the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham manager’s watchful eye has gone.

“It’s intense,” veteran defender Tim Ream told reporters on Tuesday, shortly after the second training of the Pochettino era wrapped up. “We had a pretty long session — I’d say one of the one of the longer ones we’ve had with the national team.”

“It was definitely intense,” said left back Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, who noted that the USMNT’s European-based players had in the past usually used the first day in camp to recover from club games and the long-haul transatlantic travel.

“If you’ve played on Saturday, it’s kind of light, you’re not doing a lot,” Robinson said of the old way. “Yesterday, we were kind of straight into training, and it was a tough session.”

Ream and Robinson were speaking via video conference from Austin, Texas, where the Americans will meet Panama on Saturday in a friendly at Q2 Stadium — Pochettino’s long-anticipated debut. The last few members of his 25-strong roster, including star forward Christian Pulisic, joined the group late Monday after playing for their clubs the day before.

Hired last month after the USMNT’s humiliating 2024 Copa América performance on home soil, Pochettino’s mandate is to produce a strong showing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup — which will also be hosted by the U.S. (along with Canada and Mexico). 

While the new boss immediately set the tone on the field, he and his recently appointed staff of assistants have taken a more relaxed — though no less deliberate — approach around the team hotel.

“Today, for the first time, he’s kind of addressed us all and said how he wants certain things to be,” Robinson said. “Yesterday, before all the boys were here, he was kind of meeting people individually and just talking through some things, getting to know everyone a little bit better.”

So far, the individual and group meetings have been deliberately uncomplicated. After announcing the roster last week, Pochettino warned against overloading the players with new information, and Robinson said there hasn’t been much discussion around tactics just yet. But with just 10 international windows remaining before the World Cup, there’s also a sense of urgency. “He knows that we’ve got a short period of time to kind of understand the principles he wants us to play with,” Robinson said.

More than anything, Pochettino understands the importance of results. Last month, under interim coach Mikey Varas, the U.S. lost to Canada and tied New Zealand at home. Panama, which beat the USMNT at the Copa América, would love to spoil Pochettino’s debut. The U.S. then faces a tricky visit to Guadalajara, Mexico, next week. The Americans have just one win over El Tri south of the border in program history.

“They want to get to know us and, obviously, we want to get to know them,” Ream said. “The message is that he wants to win.”

“He has his principles, he has his ideas, but at the end of the day, it’s about winning,” Ream added. “It’s important to have that mentality, it’s important to have that mindset going forward and leading into these games and, you know, beyond.”

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports. A former staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports, he has covered U.S. men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.

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