The U.S. Men's National Team had arguably the most impressive performance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in its opening game against Paraguay last week.
Winning the match was one thing, but how it played out was another. After years of frustrating, slow soccer, the USMNT played a brand of free-flowing, attacking football based on impressively accurate passing and relentless movement up the pitch.
Much of the credit goes to the players; Chris Richards had an incredible 100% accuracy rate on his passes, Folarin Balogun had several outstanding finishes, Malik Tillman was a consistent force, Christian Pulisic had a dominant first half, and Antonee Robinson made highlight-reel moves to get free. But the rest of the credit has been deservedly placed on manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Folarin Balogun of the United States celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match against Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026. (John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)
After an often shaky start to his tenure leading the USMNT, the performance against Paraguay was a complete repudiation of his critics and validation of his tactics and managerial style. Most USMNT fans were struck by the sense that they'd never seen a U.S. team play with that style, that successfully.
And with several other top teams, like Brazil and Spain, for example, looking generally unimpressive in their first matches, it's given rise to hopes that the USMNT may make a deeper run in the tournament than originally believed.
But it's one thing to see it from the outside, it's another to hear from the players what Pochettino is telling them. What motivation he's adding within the locker room. Thankfully, Sebastian Berhalter told us this week.
The midfielder and son of former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter spoke to the media on Tuesday about Pochettino's influence on their mindset.
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United States' Sebastian Berhalter kisses his jersey after a victory over Paraguay in the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., on June 12, 2026. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/AP)
"I think one is, we’re American. We don’t take s***" Berhalter said. "That’s something he really put in.
"Even though he’s Argentinian, he has that mindset of, ‘Look, this is what we do. This is who we are. This is what America’s about.’ Even from an outside perspective, he showed us Americans what we’re about. He really drills that into us."
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Winger Tim Weah agreed.
"I think we were super aggressive with how we played, how we pressed, and did other things," he said. "So it’s the buildup of all the games. And it’s been great to see and the mentality that coach Poch and his staff have brought to this team, that has been wonderful."
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Head coach Mauricio Pochettino watches during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between the United States and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 12, 2026. (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
The USMNT is no stranger to tough tackles or physical play in CONCAF. But for years, it's seemed like they lacked the attitude or mindset to counter it. It's just one match, and there's a long way to go, but thus far, the results in the World Cup, the most important international tournament, are very, very different. And very, very encouraging. It's odd, and a bit funny, though, that it took an Argentinian manager with virtually no experience in the United States prior to 2024 to install that very American mindset.
They'll look to keep that aggression, flair and quality going in the second match of the group stage on Friday against Australia.
Ian Miller is a writer at OutKick.
