Mauricio Pochettino identifies what he thinks Is wrong with American Sports | OneFootball

The MLS is a great league that has made significant progress in the last couple of years. With new rules and teams, the US soccer league is more competitive than before. Adding the names of Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min, and Thomas Muller placed additional pressure.

However, USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino highlighted the darker side of the MLS during a recent press conference.

The Argentine head coach argued that the league's current format tends to reward underperforming teams.

Mauricio Pochettino: “American sports reward losers”

You can’t be mad when the former Tottenham Hotspur manager said this about the MLS. That’s the reality of the US sports guys.

In the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and Major League Soccer, there are no relegation or promotion systems in place, which removes the pressure for poor performance.

If a team struggles early in the season, there are no real consequences; they simply wait until the following year to try again.

In contrast, most international leagues feature promotion and relegation systems, ensuring that competition remains intense and meaningful throughout the season.

That’s why Mauricio Pochettino said:

“Their culture is playful. They want to play. We told them, “Guys, playing soccer is one thing, competing is another.” They’re two completely different sports. They grow up in a culture of playing. Why? If you start in MLS and you haven’t won a game in three months and you’re at the bottom, what’s the consequence if there’s no promotion or relegation, no international competition?”

Adding: “American sports reward losers! But soccer is different: if you reward those who don’t win… If you don’t have goals, you don’t fight. If I lose, what happens? Nothing. They just fired the coach.”

One important change the MLS should consider is integrating with the USL. The bottom two MLS teams would be relegated to the USL, while the top two USL teams would be promoted to the MLS.

With that said, the US soccer federation, or the people in charge, must change the format of the tournaments.

It’s not impossible, and the reward of adding a little bit more spice will benefit the players and the USMNT.

Improving the level of competition would naturally instill a competitive mindset in USMNT players, eliminating the need for coaches' adjustments between domestic play and FIFA international matches.

“Also, the American player is disciplined. But with a sense of complacency that isn’t good in soccer. It took us a year and a half to change that mentality,” implied Pochettino about the current USMNT team.