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Jeff Carlisle
ST. LOUIS – United States manager Mauricio Pochettino lauded the bond that is developing among the players and staff ahead of Wednesday’s Gold Cup semifinal against Guatemala.
Pochettino was specifically asked about how the team stuck up for Malik Tillman after he missed a penalty in the quarterfinal against Costa Rica, and was the subject of some trash talk from the Ticos afterward.
“That means a lot. It means that we are connected, that we care about [our] teammates,” said Pochettino about the united front the players have shown. “And that needs to be natural, in between them and that is why [they] deserve the whole [praise]; the experienced players, but also the young players that listen to the experienced players. That is an important thing.”
Pochettino added, “We can select 26 players, but then to be a team is a different thing. You can have 26 players that play in individual way and it’s difficult to have this type of behavior. That is because they care, because they made the effort, not only on the field [but off] the field to try to care.”
The former Chelsea and PSG coach noted that he sees the camaraderie being formed even at team meals, where it feels like they are all sitting at one table.
“That is what we want. That is how we feel, how we want to represent our country, and we want to fight for our flag and for our shirt,” he said.
The U.S. is expecting a difficult match against Los Chapines, who upset Canada in the quarterfinals in a penalty shootout. Guatemala’s lineup includes forward Rubio Rubín of the USL’s Charleston Battery, who scored the equalizer against Canada, and D.C. United defender Aaron Herrera.
Rubin had previously represented the U.S. at senior level, and was U.S. Soccer’s Young Male Athlete of the Year in 2012 before switching to Guatemala in 2022. Herrera played with USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams for the U.S. at the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup.
“It’s always a little bit strange obviously when you play with them in the youth national team and then now, they’re playing for Guatemala, and you’re playing against them in a Gold Cup, but it’ll be a really unique experience,” said Adams. “We know how strong Guatemala is. There’s a reason that they’re in the semifinal, so we can’t take that for granted the opportunity to play them.
“And Rubio Rubin obviously was a high level player coming up through the national team, so a lot of players looked up to him growing up and yeah, he’s done really well for himself so it’ll be exciting to play against him.”
Pochettino said he’ll decide on Wednesday if midfielder Johnny Cardoso will be available. Cardoso missed the match against Costa Rica with an ankle injury, and while he practiced with the team for a portion of Wednesday’s training session, Pochettino said he still feels some discomfort.
“It’s an uncomfortable situation, and we have 24 hours to assess and see if [Cardoso] can be available to be selected or not,” the U.S. manager said.
The training session also saw an unidentified drone that appeared to be watching the practice, and had USMNT staff trying to figure out where it came from. A U.S. Soccer spokesperson said that as of Tuesday afternoon, the drone remained “unidentified” but that since it was present only during the open portion of practice, it was not a concern.
“If someone wants some clips we can send [some], it’s not a problem,” Pochettino joked. “It’s not NASA. It’s the men’s national team.”