US fans can learn from unbelievable Guatemala supporters, Pochettino says
Over 22,000 spectators attended the match in St. Louis and the majority were Guatemala supporters, loudly backing their team throughout the game even as Diego Luna's early brace helped the U.S. reach the final, where they face Mexico on Sunday.
"The fans of Guatemala, I need to say, wow, unbelievable. It was like, to play there. And that was good for our players because it was an atmosphere we didn't expect," former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Pochettino told reporters.
Argentine Pochettino said he hoped to see the same passion from American fans when the World Cup takes place in the U.S. next year.
"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.
"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."
Pochettino said that in many countries, soccer matches were seen as much more than sporting spectacles.
"In a different country, you play (to) survive. You play for food. You play for pride ... it's not to enjoy, go home and laugh, that's it," he said.
"The moment that we, this roster, start to live in this way, I think we have big room to improve." REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
33 minutes ago
- Business Times
Home advantage as Team Singapore looks to rule the pool at World Aquatics Championships
MORE than 2,500 athletes from over 180 countries have registered to take part in this month's World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. Many of the world's top swimmers are expected to be in town, including the likes of two-time Olympic gold medallist Strahinja Rasovic from Serbia, American Olympic silver medal winner Claire Weinstein and Scotland's most decorated Olympian Duncan Scott. The WCH, as the competition is called, is the sport's flagship international meet and is being held in South-east Asia for the first time. It runs from Jul 11 to Aug 3 and there are six aquatic sports: swimming, artistic swimming, water polo, diving, high diving, and open water swimming. Singapore will be represented by its largest-ever contingent at the WCH with 72 athletes – of which nearly half (32) are making their debut – in all the disciplines except for high diving. At the 2023 championships in Fukuoka, Singapore fielded 27 athletes in four disciplines. The line-up this year includes 16 swimmers, 10 divers, nine artistic swimmers, eight open water swimmers, as well as the men's and women's water polo squads. Swimming and artistic swimming events will take place at the new 4,800-seater WCH Arena, which was built earlier this year on a former open-air car park next to the Leisure Park Kallang mall, a short walk from the National Stadium. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up The other two competition venues are the OCBC Aquatics Centre, where diving and water polo will take place; and Palawan Green in Sentosa, where spectators can catch the open water and high diving events. A view of the new WCH Arena, one of three venues for the upcoming World Aquatics Championships in Singapore PHOTO: REUTERS 'Purpose and pride' Distance swimmer Gan Ching Hwee said that nothing can beat the feeling of competing for one's country in front of a packed home crowd. 'I've had the privilege of representing Singapore at major events like the Olympics, but standing on the blocks in front of a home crowd is something I've dreamed about for a long time,' noted Gan, who turns 22 later this month. She finished ninth in the 1,500-metre freestyle at last year's Paris Olympics, setting a national record for that event as well as the 800-metre freestyle. 'It gives you an extra sense of purpose and pride. This is a milestone not just for us as athletes, but for Singapore sport, and I hope our performances will inspire more young Singaporeans to believe in themselves and chase their goals,' she added. Lee Kai Yang, the captain of the men's water polo team that is making its first appearance at the WCH, said he is ready to go full throttle and show what the team can do on the world stage. The 29-year-old is a goalkeeper who has already helped Singapore win several medals, including gold at the Southeast Asian Games in 2015, 2017 and 2023. 'Many of us have grown up competing at the regional level, and now we finally get the chance to represent Singapore on the world stage,' he explained. 'We know we will be up against some of the best in the world, but we are ready to step up, give everything we have got, and show what Singapore water polo is capable of.' While it is a first outing for the men's team at the WCH, the women's water polo team is competing at the global meet for the second time, having made their debut in Doha last year. Some of the other members of Team Singapore to watch out for in the pool are Teong Tzen Wei, who was a silver medallist at the last Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023. The 27-year-old also claimed a silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 in the 50-metre butterfly, becoming just the third Singaporean to win a swimming medal in that quadrennial event. Over in diving, among those to keep an eye on are synchronised springboard divers Max Lee and Ayden Ng, winners of the Sportsboy Team of the Year (event) at last year's Singapore Sports Awards. In artistic swimming, Debbie Soh leads a nine-member team that includes Yvette Chong and Kiera Lee. The trio recently secured a bronze medal in the overall duet category of the 2025 World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Series, which was Singapore's first ever medal in the circuit. Singapore Aquatics president Kenneth Goh said the fact that so many of the Republic's athletes are making their WCH debut 'speaks volumes about the depth of talent' today. He added: 'We have established ourselves as a powerhouse in aquatics in the region, consistently competing against the best in Asia. But to become the best in the world, we must challenge ourselves against the very best, and we will not shy away from that.'
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Spurs hire Ho as women's coach to turns things around after disappointing season
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tottenham Hotspur have hired Martin Ho as their new women's coach on Friday to right a team that finished a lowly 11th in the Women's Super League last season. The 35-year-old, whose contract runs until 2028, was born in Liverpool and returns to England from SK Brann in Norway, where he had an impressive two years. The team became the first Norwegian side to reach the group stage of the Women's Champions League after winning all four of their qualifying matches. They were eliminated by eventual champions Barcelona in the quarter-finals. Ho was an assistant coach at Manchester United's women's team for four seasons before heading to Norway. Spurs sacked Robert Vilahamn last month after they finished one spot above the relegation zone, recording only five wins from 22 matches. REUTERS
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Spurs hire Ho as women's coach to turns things around after disappointing season
Tottenham Hotspur have hired Martin Ho as their new women's coach on Friday to right a team that finished a lowly 11th in the Women's Super League last season. The 35-year-old, whose contract runs until 2028, was born in Liverpool and returns to England from SK Brann in Norway, where he had an impressive two years. The team became the first Norwegian side to reach the group stage of the Women's Champions League after winning all four of their qualifying matches. They were eliminated by eventual champions Barcelona in the quarter-finals. Ho was an assistant coach at Manchester United's women's team for four seasons before heading to Norway. Spurs sacked Robert Vilahamn last month after they finished one spot above the relegation zone, recording only five wins from 22 matches.
