U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team coach Mauricio Pochettino says he thinks Team USA has a great chance to get into the top tier this year with a little help from President Donald Trump.
The U.S. has been a perennial miss for the World Cup, having only reached the tournament 11 times since 1930 and never winning the big game title. But Pochettino hopes this year will be different with Trump’s help.
“I will say yes. If he asks me, I say yes. President, with your help, with the fans behind hosting the World Cup, all is possible,” Pochettino said, according to Fox News.
The captain added that the “pressure is on” for a win in the U.S., especially since our culture is geared toward winners.
Pochettino added that the U.S.A. is “a country where the mentality is about winning. You know, in sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win. That is the culture. It’s cultural. Of course, it’s going to be a pressure, but a welcome one. That means that we are going to feel the adrenaline that we need to feel.”
Bill Clinton, the last sitting president to attend a World Cup game, attended the opening ceremony for the Men’s World Cup in Chicago in 1994 and the final 1999 Women’s World Cup game. However, with his fondness for sports, many expect Trump to attend a game when the U.S. hosts the Cup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in July of next year.
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