July 8 – Having praised the opportunity of the Gold Cup and the importance of being able to have his team together for an extended time at a proper competition, US coach Mauricio Pochettino has turned edgy and frustrated after having lost the final 2-1 to Mexico on Sunday night in Houston.
At the semi-finals in St Louis, Pochettino praised the Guatemalan fans and the atmosphere and intensity they brought to the stadium. The sub-text being ‘where are the American fans and why don’t they care?’ Pochettino said it was like playing an away game.
After the final last night in the NRG Stadium – 71,000 sell out and only 20% of the fans supporting the US, another away game – he turned his focus on the referees, claiming that his US team should have had a penalty, that Mexico’s second goal was offside, and that even Mexico’s first goal came from a set piece that wasn’t a foul.
It was a lot of protesting. If he had focussed on the penalty decision – and on this he had a solid claim – then he would have been more believable. He failed to acknowledge that his team had been completely outplayed, failed to create a single believable opportunity in open play or put together any period of possession that had the hint of a threat.
Pochettino didn’t mention how completely outplayed the US were, how they failed to maintain any kind of consistent control in the Mexican half, and how the clumsiness of many of the US defensive tackles went unpunished.
It was a hugely disappointing night for the US who had been showing signs of improvement through the tournament. And as for their fans and what they might have thought. Well who knows, there was barely anyone there to ask and even the federation folk were noticeable by their absence.
The reality is that there is still a fundamental disconnect between the men’s US national team and its US supporter base. In a country that is currently all about being ‘great’, the world’s game doesn’t seem to be part of the narrative. Perhaps a presidential order mandating US attendance at US home games?
Pochettino summed it up following the Guatemala game, praising their fans, saying: “An unbelievable energy. That is football, that is football. When we say, the connection between the team and the fans, that’s the connection we’d like to see at the World Cup. The connection that makes you fly,” he said.
What he didn’t mention was that this wasn’t just fans supporting a team. In uncertain social and geo-political times in the US it was a celebration of identity and community.
“When we talk about culture, that is culture … to see (Guatemala), how they fight, how the fans behave, that is an important thing that we need to learn in this country.”
And on that he is bang-on point. But it isn’t a new issue, and it isn’t like the US doesn’t play soccer. It does and in large numbers and with great passion – beneath the tip of the iceberg that Pochettino stands on is a huge and committed soccer culture. It just seems to melt away when it comes to the US national team.
So what about the ref?
The referee probably made a mistake on the penalty claim – they often do.
Max Arfsten had carried the ball into the Mexico box, past Roberto Alvarado before right back Jorge Sanchez poked the ball away in the box. Sanchez then fell and put his left hand on top of the ball as went down, but the referee didn’t blow for a penalty.
Instead, Sanchez played the ball out of danger, perhaps with a slight nudge of the ball with his hand to make that easier.
“I’m not going to cry,” Pochettino said, when asked about the handball. “I wanted to tell the truth, and the truth was that if that [handball] happened in the opposite [box] for sure it’s penalty.” ‘For sure’ Poch? That is a big accusation that could see you get one of those Jesse Marsch-type bans, and you really don’t want to make yourself that toxic ahead of 2026.
“[Sanchez] was the player with the knee on the floor. He pushed the hand over the ball. It’s not that the hand was on the floor and the ball touched. OK, well the excuses now, but you know that was a penalty and maybe 2-1 for us and maybe we now would be celebrating the trophy,” said Pochettino.
Chris Richards, who had been a class act in pretty much everything he has done on and off the pitch and scored the US goal on the night, weighed in with his own remarkable comments, and zero humility.
“The thing about CONCACAF is that I feel like we’re always one step behind with the refereeing,” Richards said.
On the no penalty he said: “Homie palmed the ball like Shaq in the box.”
“And then on the other end, we had a block, it was offside,” he continued referring to César Montes, who was standing in an offside position with Richards on the wrong side of him and unable to defend the free kick. Montes cheating or Richards making a mistake?
“In any other league, it would’ve been called offsides,” Richards said. “But again, that’s CONCACAF for you. They hate us.”
They probably do now.
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