Latest news with #MauricioPochettino
Fox News
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Clint Dempsey: U.S. Team Needs Success For Pro-USMNT Crowds At World Cup
Clint Dempsey says success on the field during friendlies over the next year would help the U.S. fill seats with pro-American fans at the World Cup next year, a turnaround from pro-opponent crowds at this year's Concacaf Gold Cup. U.S. men's natioanl team coach Mauricio Pochettino and current players took note that spectators were overwhelmingly rooting for Guatemala in St. Louis and Mexico in Houston. "We were outnumbered in the games that mattered in terms of the semifinal and then final. There were more fans for the opposing team. So it's up to the national team players to put a product on the field that makes people want to go spend their hard-earned money," Dempsey said Thursday during an interview with The Associated Press. "I think with everybody being back and having that fight and kind of mixing that together with the quality, I think that will give people motivation to go out there and support this team." The Americans have 10 friendlies on FIFA international fixture dates, two each in September, October, November, March and June, before opening the World Cup at Inglewood, California, on June 12. They play at Seattle seven days later, then close the group stage at Inglewood on June 25. "I want to see a team that is playing in an exciting style, whether it's defending well, building out of the back, getting forward, creating chances, getting goals," Dempsey said. "I just want to see the fight and the grit that we saw in the Gold Cup, just with more quality. That's what I'm looking forward to, that team that gets you believing again that they can go and win games against top competition." Dempsey, tied with Landon Donovan for the American record of 57 international goals, played for U.S. teams that were eliminated in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup, reached the round of 16 in 2010 and '14, and failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. He says the rebuild for 2022, when the Americans again reached the round of 16, was positive with the new energy but came at the cost of veteran expertise. Defender DeAndre Yedlin was the only holdover from 2014. After winning the Concacaf Nations League in 2021, 2023 and 2024, the Americans were eliminated in the group stage of the 2024 Copa America, causing the U.S. Soccer Federation to replace Gregg Berhalter with Pochettino, and lost in the semifinals of this year's Nations League and the final of this year's Gold Cup. "There wasn't that big mix of a lot of older players kind of passing down lessons that they learned over the years," Dempsey said. "And sometimes it's one of those situations where you need someone to shake things up, right? You don't know if it's egos. You don't know what is the reason for why things don't work out. So I think after Copa America after Nations League, there definitely needed to be some things shook up. "And I think the more that people kind of look over their shoulder a little bit, their spots are not guaranteed, you have a culture that through training you can fight your way into getting into that starting lineup, I think people can get behind that and believe in that." Dempsey and wife Bethany have six children that keep them busy, daughters Elyse (16), Fifi (12) and Maevy (2), and sons Jackson (14) and Clay (10) and Linc (4). Jackson plays for Charlotte's academy. Dempsey doesn't coach, and while he never expected to remain in soccer as a broadcaster, he's pleased with his new roles. At the World Cup, the U.S. will be seeded as one of the three co-hosts. That means the Americans won't have a top 10 opponent in their group and if they finish first could avoid a strong nation in the new round of 32. "If you are looking on numbers and looking on paper," Dempsey said, "you have a chance to do something special and hopefully they take advantage of it. I think we need all the best players fit, playing week in, week out. I'm excited to see what they do with mixing a little bit more quality into this fighting and gritty kind of culture that you've seen throughout the Gold Cup." Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Clint Dempsey says success on the field will help build pro-American crowds at World Cup
Clint Dempsey says success on the field during friendlies over the next year would help the US fill seats with pro-American fans at the World Cup next year–a turnaround from pro-opponent crowds at this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup. Coach Mauricio Pochettino and current players took note that spectators were overwhelmingly rooting for Guatemala in St. Louis and Mexico in Houston. 'We were outnumbered in the games that mattered in terms of the semifinal and then final. There were more fans for the opposing team. So it's up to the national team players to put a product on the field that makes people want to go spend their hard-earned money,' Dempsey said Thursday during an interview with The Associated Press. 'I think with everybody being back and having that fight and kind of mixing that together with the quality I think that will give people motivation to go out there and support this team.' The Americans have 10 friendlies on FIFA international fixture dates–two each in September, October, November, March and June–before opening the World Cup at Inglewood, California, on June 12. They play at Seattle seven days later, then close the group stage at Inglewood on June 25. 'I want to see a team that is playing in an exciting style, whether it's defending well, building out of the back, getting forward, creating chances, getting goals,' Dempsey said. 'I just want to see the fight and the grit that we saw in the Gold Cup just with more quality. That's what I'm looking forward to–that team that gets you believing again that they can go and win games against top competition.' Dempsey, tied with Landon Donovan for the American record of 57 international goals, is an analyst for CBS soccer coverage and the Men In Blazers Media Network, and he worked for Fox at the 2022 World Cup. He currently is involved in a promotion for the health care company Abbott in which 11 players will be selected to train at Real Madrid with club coaches and with input from Abbott scientists and the club's medical staff. Now 42, Dempsey played for US teams that were eliminated in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup, reached the round of 16 in 2010 and 14, and failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. He says the rebuild for 2022, when the Americans again reached the round of 16, was positive with the new energy but came at the cost of veteran expertise. Defender DeAndre Yedlin was the only holdover from 2014. After winning the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021, 2023 and 2024, the Americans were eliminated in the group stage of the 2024 Copa America, causing the US Soccer Federation to replace Gregg Berhalter with Pochettino and lost in the semifinals of this year's Nations League and the final of this year's Gold Cup. 'There wasn't that big mix of a lot of older players kind of passing down lessons that they learned over the years,' Dempsey said. 'And sometimes it's one of those situations where you need someone to shake things up, right? You don't know if it's egos. You don't know what is the reason for why things don't work out. So I think after Copa America, after Nations League, there definitely needed to be some things shook up. And I think the more that people kind of look over their shoulder a little bit, their spots are not guaranteed, you have a culture that through training you can fight your way into getting into that starting lineup, I think people can get behind that and believe in that.' Dempsey and wife Bethany have six children that keep them busy: daughters Elyse (16), Fifi (12) and Maevy (2), and sons Jackson (14) and Clay (10) and Linc (4). Jackson plays for Charlotte's academy. Dempsey doesn't coach, and while he never expected to remain in soccer as a broadcaster, he's pleased with his new roles. At the World Cup the US will be seeded as one of the three co-hosts. That means the Americans won't have a top 10 opponent in their group and if they finish first could avoid a strong nation in the new round of 32. 'If you are looking on numbers and looking on paper,' Dempsey said, 'you have a chance to do something special and hopefully they take advantage of it. I think we need all the best players fit playing week in week out. I'm excited to see what they do with mixing a little bit more quality into this fighting and gritty kind of culture that you've seen throughout the Gold Cup.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
What is the confidence level in Mauricio Pochettino after Gold Cup final loss?
Yahoo Sports contributors Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros discuss their confidence levels in Mauricio Pochettino after the Gold Cup Final loss. Hear the full conversation on the 'The Cooligans' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript I said at the beginning of the Gold Cup, I said, I, I, I thought the US would only reach the semi-final. I didn't think they would win it. So, for me, this is, uh, a great result. Uh, just getting to the final, I think is good for this particular group. If it was Weston McKenna, Eunice Moussa, Christian Pulisic, and losing the final, then I'm like, yo, I'm, I'm to get to a semi-final, that's successful. So you think this was a successful tournament for the US men's national team? I do, I do. But with, with, with this Rockets fitting that you're wearing a Mexico shirt when you say that because I can't, I can't find where. You picture this as a positive for the US national team because all the winning the trophy does is, uh, build the confidence of the team. It doesn't, it doesn't give us any competitive matches in these 341 days. It doesn't change what the next 12 months are going to look like. I disagree. I want to go back to a comment that was put in early, and I believe it was Ben Skolnik. So if it wasn't, I apologize, but Pochettino had one test, one test on his way to the World Cup. This was it, and he failed it. I mean, I would argue he had two with the Nation's League, but OK, one test left. Yeah, OK, maybe that's what he meant, but I, I'm trying not to paraphrase, but I completely agree with that sentiment. This was a moment to prove that what you do raises the value of the player, raises the level of the American player. That maybe it's your tactical genius that was what was missing before when we had Greg Burhalter. Maybe it's your knowledge of how to put your arm around a player and get them to play above their pay grade, get them to play at a level that we couldn't, we didn't have before. I did not see that. Granted, if you were to show me the list of these players, and say this team made it to a Gold Cup final, I'd be shocked because I don't think this list of players is on, for the most part, 90% of these players aren't on your list of players that should be in the World Cup. So I'm surprised. He's got a 106-0 record. Damn, we don't have not one draw with this guy. Jesus. Uh, so, I mean, I'm, I'm not looking at this and saying Mauricio Pochettino's doing a job so much better than what Greg Burhalter did. Uh, have you seen anything? No, no, uh, but, but again, the mismanagement of the roster, we have to at some point we have to ask those questions. What actually went down with you and Christian Pulisic? Who's to blame him? A win, a win makes us not ask those questions, right? You're not even broaching that subject. It's like, man, Pochettino, you got it right again, you know. Close
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Clint Dempsey says success on the field will help build pro-American crowds at World Cup
Clint Dempsey says success on the field during friendlies over the next year would help the U.S. fill seats with pro-American fans at the World Cup next year, a turnaround from pro-opponent crowds at this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup. Coach Mauricio Pochettino and current players took note that spectators were overwhelmingly rooting for Guatemala in St. Louis and Mexico in Houston. 'We were outnumbered in the games that mattered in terms of the semifinal and then final. There were more fans for the opposing team. So it's up to the national team players to put a product on the field that makes people want to go spend their hard-earned money,' Dempsey said Thursday during an interview with The Associated Press. 'I think with everybody being back and having that fight and kind of mixing that together with the quality, I think that will give people motivation to go out there and support this team.' The Americans have 10 friendlies on FIFA international fixture dates, two each in September, October, November, March and June, before opening the World Cup at Inglewood, California, on June 12. They play at Seattle seven days later then close the group stage at Inglewood on June 25. 'I want to see a team that is playing in an exciting style, whether it's defending well, building out of the back, getting forward, creating chances, getting goals,' Dempsey said. 'I just want to see the fight and the grit that we saw in the Gold Cup, just with more quality. That's what I'm looking forward to, that team that gets you believing again that they can go and win games against top competition.' Dempsey, tied with Landon Donovan for the American record of 57 international goals, is an analyst for CBS soccer coverage and the Men In Blazers Media Network, and he worked for Fox at the 2022 World Cup. He currently is involved in a promotion for the health care company Abbott in which 11 players will be selected to train at Real Madrid with club coaches and with input from Abbott scientists and the club's medical staff. Now 42, Dempsey played for U.S. teams that were eliminated in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup, reached the round of 16 in 2010 and '14, and failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. He says the rebuild for 2022, when the Americans again reached the round of 16, was positive with the new energy but came at the cost of veteran expertise. Defender DeAndre Yedlin was the only holdover from 2014. After winning the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021, 2023 and 2024, the Americans were eliminated in the group stage of the 2024 Copa America, causing the U.S. Soccer Federation to replace Gregg Berhalter with Pochettino, and lost in the semifinals of this year's Nations League and the final of this year's Gold Cup. 'There wasn't that big mix of a lot of older players kind of passing down lessons that they learned over the years,' Dempsey said. 'And sometimes it's one of those situations where you need someone to shake things up, right? You don't know if it's egos. You don't know what is the reason for why things don't work out. So I think after Copa America after Nations League, there definitely needed to be some things shook up. 'And I think the more that people kind of look over their shoulder a little bit, their spots are not guaranteed, you have a culture that through training you can fight your way into getting into that starting lineup, I think people can get behind that and believe in that.' Dempsey and wife Bethany have six children that keep them busy, daughters Elyse (16), Fifi (12) and Maevy (2), and sons Jackson (14) and Clay (10) and Linc (4). Jackson plays for Charlotte's academy. Dempsey doesn't coach, and while he never expected to remain in soccer as a broadcaster, he's pleased with his new roles. At the World Cup, the U.S. will be seeded as one of the three co-hosts. That means the Americans won't have a top 10 opponent in their group and if they finish first could avoid a strong nation in the new round of 32. 'If you are looking on numbers and looking on paper,' Dempsey said, 'you have a chance to do something special and hopefully they take advantage of it. I think we need all the best players fit, playing week in, week out. I'm excited to see what they do with mixing a little bit more quality into this fighting and gritty kind of culture that you've seen throughout the Gold Cup.' ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
🔬 Surveying the USMNT's center-forward options ahead of 2026
It was so nearly a summer of celebration for Mauricio Pochettino and the United States Men's National Team, with the host nation coming up short in the final of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup against bitter regional rival Mexico. An early strike from Chris Richards was cancelled out by Raúl Jiménez and Edson Álvarez as El Tri secured back-to-back tournament wins, ultimately leaving more questions that need answering by Pochettino before the 2026 World Cup. On the surface, a run to the final with a squad that many fans and pundits alike deem to have been, at best, a 'B-tier' outfit, is hardly a sob story worth lamentations. But apart from a tournament-opening 5-0 thrashing of Trinidad & Tobago, each of the subsequent five fixtures were decided by one-goal margin, while the US also needed to rely on shootout heroics to get past Costa Rica in the quarter-finals. More frustrating is the reality that despite the US ending the tournament with 13 goals, budding midfield pair Diego Luna and Malik Tillman led the side with three goals each, with Richards' two goals level with Charlotte's Patrick Agyemang's total tournament tally. This, expectedly, threw further questions into the fire when it comes to who the US can look to as their attacking focal point up front. And it is arguably the most important question of all for the Stars and Stripes (outside of the goalkeeper debate), given the realities of tournament play. To have any chance of pulling together what could hopefully be described as a successful World Cup campaign, most nations can always fall back on a key goalscoring threat at center-forward. England relies heavily on Harry Kane (and others), France can boast Kylian Mbappé, Spain increasingly turns to Mikel Oyarzabal in that role, and Ronaldo still starts centrally for Portugal. Further still, the likes of Sweden and Norway are grateful to have Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland, and even Mexico can be confident with Jiménez leading the line. At current, no such figure truly exists for the United States, and the hope across the upcoming 2025/26 club season is that someone, somewhere, will find form before the world's focus once again shifts to American shores. But who will it be? Patrick Agyemang Let's stay with the aforementioned Agyemang to start the discussion, with the 24-year-old recently securing a summer move to Championship outfit Derby County. His story is one worth diving into, but despite his rapid rise at MLS side Charlotte FC, and what is currently a solid goal return of five goals in 12 appearances for the US, his inconsistency in front of goal has left many fans frustrated while routinely debating just how good he could become once he goes through a period of heavy refinement. Brian White Then there's Brian White: a key attacking catalyst for the Vancouver Whitecaps under Jesper Sørensen. White, 29, is already in his prime years as a footballer and has looked the real deal in the Pacific Northwest since leaving the NY Red Bulls and smashing 56 goals in 128 appearances in MLS over the last four-and-a-half seasons at BC Place. His form in front of goal for the Whitecaps has yet to make the jump to the international stage, however, with White hitting the back of the net on just a single occasion in eight appearances, while likely completely ruling himself out of the conversation. Damion Downs The third center-forward in the US team for the Gold Cup was youngster Damion Downs, with the 21-year-old German-born striker riding his wave high after a very solid season with 2. Bundesliga outfit FC Köln. Confirmed to be on his way to the Championship in a move to Southampton, Downs is another potential diamond in the rough for Poch. Though hitting the match-winning penalty against Costa Rica will gift him some grace, it is far too soon to truly include him in the current debate. And now we come to some of the star names of the US National Team pool; players that Pochettino was unable to call upon this summer, but is near-guaranteed to have at his disposal less than twelve months from now. Monaco's Folarin Balogun, PSV's Ricardo Pepi, and Coventry's Haji Wright are all sure to be considered, while Norwich's Josh Sargent could have a pathway to turn Poch's head in due course. Perhaps the most surprising aspect is the fact that Pepi boasts the best strike rate of those mentioned, with 13 goals in 33 appearances (0.39 goals/match) that easily eclipses that of both Balogun and Wright (0.29 goals/match). Sargent, who had long been one of the great hopes for the national team program, has never been able to find his feet in a US kit, managing just 5 goals in 28 appearances (0.17 goals/match). With Pepi now back in training with PSV after recovering from a long-term knee injury, should the 22-year-old get back to the type of form that saw him hit 11 goals in 18 Eredivisie appearances before getting crocked, that could, along with once again featuring in the Champions League, be enough for his CV to top the pile on Poch's desk. Balogun struggles to see consistent minutes along the French Riviera, and despite Sargent's consistent rate of return at Carrow Road, he seems very much outside of the current planning process. All told, football is always a waiting game. As endless possibilities that can, and likely will, present themselves over the coming months, finding a reliable striker to lead the line would go a long way in quelling fan angst ahead of the World Cup while applying a bit of aloe on current wounds inflicted by El Tri. 📸 Tim Warner - 2025 Getty Images
