Pochettino Abruptly Ends Press Conference After USMNT’s Loss to Turkey, Cites Lack of Recognition for Group Win

U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino ended his post-match press conference abruptly following the team’s 3-2 loss to Turkey in their final World Cup Group D game. Pochettino expressed his dissatisfaction with the media’s line of questioning, feeling they overlooked the team’s accomplishment of winning the group.

Victory in Group D had already been secured by the USMNT before their final match against Turkey, allowing Pochettino to heavily rotate his squad for the game at SoFi Stadium. Despite the loss, which was sealed by Turkey’s winning goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time, the USMNT still finished atop the group.

Por que importa

Pochettino’s frustration became evident when he felt the media was not acknowledging the group stage victory. “It cannot be possible that Turkey celebrates three points, Australia celebrates getting through, Paraguay celebrates getting through… for you to not say congratulations for winning the group, it’s a little bit sad,” Pochettino stated. He concluded his remarks by reminding reporters, “I need to remind everyone we won the group, sorry guys, we won,” before standing and leaving the room.

Key facts

Pochettino defended his decision to rotate the squad, emphasizing the risks associated with playing key players who were at risk of yellow card suspension. He pointed out that players like Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, and Antonee Robinson, all carrying yellow cards, did not play, allowing them to start the knockout rounds with clean slates. “To play with the same team we played against Australia to take a risk? To receive a yellow card (suspension)? To risk players who maybe have problems? I don’t understand,” he questioned.

Contexto

The USMNT fielded an almost entirely changed lineup from their previous win against Australia, with only Ricardo Pepi and Weston McKennie retaining their starting spots. Pepi started in place of an injured Christian Pulisic, who was absent from the opening match against Paraguay. McKennie played 86 minutes before being substituted.

Despite the loss, Pochettino expressed satisfaction with the team’s overall progress and the objective of getting Christian Pulisic crucial minutes on the field. Pulisic entered the match in the 58th minute after recovering from a calf injury sustained in the first game. “The objective was not just to win, but to get Christian 30-40 minutes,” Pochettino said. “He finished well and he made an impact on the pitch.”

The USMNT’s six points from their group stage matches technically mark their best-ever group stage performance, a record matched by the 1930 team, though the point system has changed.

The team will now prepare to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32, a match scheduled to be held in Santa Clara, California, next Wednesday. Pochettino expressed confidence in his team’s development, stating, “We’re a much better team now than we were before. That will be put to the test next game.”

Source: The Athletic – Pochettino abruptly ends press conference after USMNT’s Turkey loss: ‘Sorry guys, we won (the group)’ – https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7396665/2026/06/26/pochettino-press-conference-usmnt-turkey/