Coach Mauricio Pochettino - 'The second Hector Cuper'

Despite playing on home soil, the US team's chances of winning are not entirely clear. This is because, while the Mexican team boasts almost their strongest squad, coach Mauricio Pochettino has brought a number of relatively unknown players to the 2026 Gold Cup.

Therefore, the US team's defeat to Mexico in the final, held at NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas), did not come as a surprise to international fans. Objectively speaking, Tyler Adams and his teammates had a relatively successful tournament in terms of performance.

However, for coach Mauricio Pochettino personally, the US team's defeat against Mexico was a sad milestone in his career. Before leading the US team, the Argentinian strategist had never won a final match.

Specifically, Tottenham Hotspur lost to Chelsea 0-2 in the 2014/2015 Carabao Cup, Tottenham Hotspur lost to Liverpool 0-2 in the 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain lost to Lille 0-1 in the 2021/2022 French Super Cup, and Chelsea lost to Liverpool 0-1 in the 2023/2024 Carabao Cup.

Witnessing coach Mauricio Pochettino's "dismal" track record, many experts and fans are reminded of coach Hector Cuper, the strategist who once finished as runner-up seven times. Therefore, calling Mauricio Pochettino "the second Hector Cuper" is not an exaggeration.

Nevertheless, coach Mauricio Pochettino still has many opportunities to end his title drought. The next tournament that the US national team will compete in is the 2026 World Cup. The team nicknamed "The Sams" will participate as the host nation, along with Canada and Mexico.

If he doesn't succeed with the US national team, the strategist born in 1972 could still return to manage major clubs in Europe. Simply put, Mauricio Pochettino's class has been proven. Hopefully, glory will soon come to the former manager of Espanyol, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea.