Mauricio Pochettino: Round of 32 Match vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina ‘Is a Final’ | OneFootball

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Head coach Mauricio Pochettino shared a raw and heartfelt moment with his players, depicted in the brand-new episode of Behind The Crest presented by Volkswagen, an incredible behind-the-scenes glimpse of the U.S. Men’s National Team’s historic start at FIFA World Cup 2026.

In the scene, Pochettino sat his players down on the pitch during training and told them to think back to when they were children. Remember what it was like to dream of playing professional soccer, he told them, when all you dreamt of was playing in a World Cup.

On the eve of the USMNT’s first knockout stage match at FIFA World Cup 2026, Pochettino’s message acknowledged the years of preparation for each one of the 26 players on the roster. Some have been part of Youth National Teams, others utilized dual citizenship and made the choice to represent the Stars and Stripes later. Their paths may have looked different, but the moment they’ve been preparing for and dreaming of has arrived.

That sentiment rings true individually, and it also applies to the USMNT as a collective. The program – and American soccer along with it – has been building toward this summer ever since Pochettino’s arrival in September 2024. The journey didn’t begin with the group stage opener against Paraguay on June 12; it didn’t even begin at the Final Draw on Dec. 5, 2025. Reaching this point has been a much longer time in the making.

“Tomorrow is a Final,” Pochettino said in FIFA’s pre-match press conference at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Tuesday. “The game against Paraguay was a Final. We also tried to translate [that message] when we played in Chicago against Germany or in Charlotte against Senegal, or the previous game against Uruguay in Tampa, or in Philadelphia with Paraguay. I tried to create similar feelings and emotion.”

The head coach has been readying his team for the knockout stage of the tournament ever since he joined U.S. Soccer. Scheduling matches against quality opponents in front of large crowds has been a significant emphasis in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup on home soil, especially without World Cup qualifying to stoke the fires of competition.

In his message to the media, the head coach echoed the words of his captain. Defender Tim Ream revealed earlier this week that he wasn’t feeling as much pressure as some might expect. The team is more mature than they were four years ago, the last time they were in a single-elimination match at a FIFA World Cup against Netherlands in the Round of 16. Four years older and more experienced, the group is relying on the work that brought them here and is focused on one task – winning the next match.

“All that we were working [for] is the moment tomorrow to apply on the field,” Pochettino said. “They need to be relaxed and not to think and tomorrow play with intuition and the confidence that all that we were preparing is going to appear on the field.”

The U.S. Men’s National Team reaching this moment – finishing atop Group D, scoring a record eight goals in the group stage, amassing the most points in program history at a FIFA World Cup group stage, inspiring a nation – is a testament to that intentional preparation. The number one goal for Pochettino was for the U.S. to finish first place in the group, to ensure advancement. And the team accomplished that feat with one game to spare.

“The mentality is perfect,” Pochettino said. “We are so, so happy in the way that we [have been] working from Day 1 when we met in New York… I've seen massive, massive improvement if we want to compete and we want to achieve things that sometimes were only in our dreams. That is why we are so happy with the whole Federation and the people that are working, so the whole staff. And, of course, the players, the principal actor. I think they are doing a fantastic job. I am so happy and so proud of them. I hope that we continue performing and taking the lessons that we want.”

Now, those preparations will be tested more intensely as the U.S. faces a single-elimination game for the first time in the tournament and the first time since the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. In the FIFA World Cup Round of 32, the U.S. faces Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. At stake is a chance at either Senegal or Belgium in the Round of 16 in Seattle.

As it aims for its first win over a European opponent since 2021, the U.S. will gain and potentially be without some depth. Forward Christian Pulisic told reporters on Tuesday that he’s feeling good and is “ready to go” for the Round of 32 clash in Santa Clara. The forward sat out the win over Australia in Seattle and entered the second half as a substitute in the group finale against Türkiye.

Of the three players dealing with injuries this week, Pochettino said that defender and goal scorer against Türkiye Auston Trusty is “much better than we expect” and could be available for tomorrow’s match, pending a final assessment. The coaching staff is waiting on more information to determine the availability of center back Mark McKenzie and midfielder Cristian Roldan.

“It’s going to be difficult, but we need to wait because in 24 hours things can change pretty quick,” Pochettino said.

Things changing quickly has been the theme of the week as the tournament shifts into a new gear in the knockout phase, which has already featured stunning upsets and penalty kick shootouts. Four of the first five matches in the Round of 32 have been determined by one goal or a penalty kick shootout. The third-place team out of Group D, Paraguay, which the U.S. defeated handily 4-1 in the group stage opener, knocked out four-time World Cup winners Germany. Morocco outlasted the Netherlands in a chaotic PK shootout to reach the Round of 16. Japan nearly forced extra time against fifth-ranked Brazil, but Gabriel Martinelli saved the day with a stunner in second-half stoppage time.

Ream said earlier in the week to “expect the unexpected” in the knockout rounds, and while the U.S. hopes to not be surprised, Bosnia and Herzegovina has earned the full respect of Pochettino and his team. Led by Ermin Mahmić, who has scored a team-high two goals in the tournament, and captain and all-time leading scorer Edin Džeko, Bosnia and Herzegovina is flashing some confidence after advancing out of Group B in only the country’s second all-time appearance at a FIFA World Cup.

With a place in the Round of 16 on the line, Pochettino and his players plan to trust the process that has gotten them to this stage of the competition. The rest is all intuition, all football, all preparation – and all about winning.

"For us, it is the final of the World Cup tomorrow,” Pochettino said. “If we don’t think in this way, we are going to struggle. We are seeing already in all the games after the group stage how difficult it is. Not one game was easy for no one, and it's very competitive because of the factor of this World Cup... We don't have another opportunity if we fail. It’s all in, knowing that game is the Final of the World Cup. If we are capable to go through, the next one is going to be another Final of the World Cup. That is going to be, and is, our mindset and our mentality.”