The U.S. Men’s National Team may have officially clinched its spot into the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage but head coach Mauricio Pochettino is still wanting more out of them.

Pochettino watched as his USMNT squad brushed aside Australia 2-0 in front of 66,925 fans at Seattle Stadium on Friday, sealing them a Round of 32 spot with one Group D match to spare. A Cam Burgess own goal boosted the Americans ahead early before a clever header from Alex Freeman sealed the deal before halftime.

Although the USMNT made history by claiming two World Cup group stage wins for the first time since 1930, Pochettino still expects more out of them going forward.

“I think we need to keep believing and keep the same approach from Day One, that we can win and that we can continue working hard,” Pochettino said postmatch in his press conference. “We are building our journey together into the next game and overall my view hasn’t changed too much. When you win, it makes it easier too.

“Now we need to go for the next game, we need to be disciplined and be responsible,” he added. “We also need to be tough with ourselves to get better everyday. The IQ of the players in my squad are so high so with our help [the coaching staff], I think we can work together to take the next step.”

Freeman was one of the top performers in Friday’s match, delivering another sensational 90 minutes in defense. The 21-year-old has continued to earn opportunities under Pochettino and rewarded his Argentine head coach by giving the USMNT breathing room before halftime.

Pochettino not only credited Freeman’s growing talent as a player, but also gave recognition to Orlando City for their work in developing him during his early years as a pro.

“It’s difficult to explain the evolution for him,” Pochettino said. “I want to give credit to Oscar Pareja and the coaching staff at Orlando City. If you don’t build that relationship and trust, it’s difficult to make a decision on a player off of some clips. We want to build all of the relationships with all of the MLS clubs.

“He is so humble, he has an amazing profile, he always listens,” Pochettino added about Freeman.
I really enjoy being with him, coaching him, and he is an amazing player. I think he can be one of the best players at his position in the world.”

Both the USMNT and Australia entered Friday’s match with familiarity of one another after their friendly encounter last fall. Although the match may not have featured every player from the USMNT’s 2-1 October win, several of the players who featured in that match earned minutes, including Chris Richards, Matt Freese, Weston McKennie, and the aforementioned Freeman.

Australia head coach Tony Popovic admitted his impressiveness in the USMNT, believing they have improved since October’s showdown.

“They are through now, so they’ve done their first part,” Popovic said in his press conference. “I have been impressed with them, even going back to October. They look stronger. They are powerful, cohesive, and they have players coming off the bench with quality and experience.”

Similar to last week’s 4-1 romp over Paraguay, the USMNT were supported heavily by their fans in Seattle, as they stayed undefeated at the memorable soccer city. Pochettino was visibly emotional in his postmatch celebrations, applauding the crowds and being on the end of many chants and cheers from the home fanbase.

If the USMNT wants to continue surging through the World Cup, Pochettino believes the connection needs to stay strong between his players and the fans of the whole country.

“After the game, I was emotional because the atmosphere was amazing, fans were amazing,” Pochettino said. “The warm reception in the way they support us and celebrate a victory, makes it very emotional. Our players were emotional too.

“It’s a perfect connection between the team and fans makes us very proud,” he added. “To connect with the people is what we wanted, if we want to achieve good things, we need that support, but we don’t only need the Seattle support, we need all of the countries’ support.”

Due to Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Turkey on Friday night, the USMNT were officially named group winners with one match to spare. Pochettino may make ample changes to his starting lineup in order to give some starters rest against Turkey on June 25.

Pochettino isn’t focusing at all yet on the knockout stage, admitting that Turkey is still on the USMNT’s schedule regardless of their result.

“Tomorrow we will wake up and start focusing on Turkey, it’s too early to look at the knockout round,” he said. “We are 28 players training, 26 on the list, all of the players on list are qualified to play.”

Source: Sbisoccer.com