SANTA CLARA, California — US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino isn’t buying into the favorites label ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup round-of-32 showdown against Bosnia, pointing to a string of stunning upsets that have rocked the tournament.
Germany was knocked out in a penalty shootout by Paraguay on Monday, and Morocco sent the Netherlands home the same way. Those results have Pochettino on guard as the co-host nation prepares for its knockout stage opener.
“First of all I don’t believe that we are the favourite team because … the last few days (we have seen) how difficult it is for everyone,” Pochettino said Tuesday at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.
“I think favourite is (something) to talk (about) after, no? Everyone said the favourite is Germany but Paraguay beat (them) and Morocco against Netherlands,” he added. “In this World Cup, there are many things, factors that can influence the performance. We need to be careful when we say, OK, one is favourite (over) another.”
The Americans arrived at the knockout round in strong form, winning their first two group stage contests against Paraguay and Australia to claim the top spot in Group D. Bosnia, by contrast, finished third in their group.
Star forward Christian Pulisic has declared himself ready to start after coming off the bench during the 3-2 loss to Turkey. However, Pochettino indicated that center back Mark McKenzie is unlikely to play due to an ongoing foot injury.
There was more encouraging news regarding left back Auston Trusty, who had to be carried off on a stretcher late in the Turkey match after rolling his ankle.
“Auston is much better than we expected. We’ll make one final assessment but hopefully he’ll be available on the bench,” Pochettino said.
The winner of Wednesday’s match will advance to face either Senegal or Belgium, who play each other earlier in the day.
Pochettino stressed that his team must treat the Bosnia game with the same urgency as a championship match and give their opponents the respect they deserve.
“They deserve that respect,” he said. “You can see that they have quality, not only that they are aggressive and have good organization. They have players with quality and a coach that provides the platform to perform. That is a good thing. That is why, for us, this is the final of the World Cup tomorrow.”
