Pochettino Warns USMNT Before Round of 32 as Team Eyes First Knockout Win in 24 Years
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 1
Pochettino Warns USMNT Before Round of 32 as Team Eyes First Knockout Win in 24 Years
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 1
Summary
Wednesday's match in Santa Clara gives the U.S. its best chance in years to reach the Round of 16, but Mauricio Pochettino rejected favorite talk and urged players to treat Bosnia and Herzegovina like a World Cup final.
Pochettino pointed to recent shocks — Paraguay over Germany, Morocco over the Netherlands and Japan pushing Brazil — while Christian Pulisic said knockout soccer can turn on 30 extra minutes or a penalty shootout.
Four regulars — Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun and Chris Richards — are expected back after sitting out the Türkiye loss, and Pulisic said he is ready to start after a calf injury.
A U.S. win would set up a Monday Round-of-16 game in Seattle against Belgium or Senegal and could deliver the Americans' first World Cup knockout victory since their 2-0 win over Mexico in 2002.