🗣️ Mauricio Pochettino was asked whether the United States has a clear football identity compared to traditional European powerhouses. 🇺🇸
▪️ Question: "Players from other countries with a strong tradition have a recognisable style. What is the style of the US team? What kind of football do the Americans want to play?"
🗣️ Pochettino: "Their culture is playful. They want to play. We told them, “Guys, playing football is one thing, competing is another.” They’re two completely different sports. They grow up in a culture of playing. Why? If you start in MLS and you haven’t won a game in three months and you’re at the bottom, what’s the consequence if there’s no promotion or relegation, no international competition?
American sports reward losers!
But football is different: if you reward those who don’t win… If you don’t have goals, you don’t fight. If I lose, what happens? Nothing. They just fire the coach. Also, the American player is disciplined. But with a sense of complacency that isn’t good in football. It took us a year and a half to change that mentality.”