United States men's national soccer team manager Mauricio Pochettino criticized the American media for not congratulating his team after securing top spot in Group D at the World Cup.
Despite a 3-2 loss to Turkey in a statistically meaningless match, the US had already clinched first place in a difficult group, marking their best-ever group-stage performance.
“At the moment, no one congratulated us for finishing first in a very difficult group,” Pochettino said during a press conference.
“Maybe I am confused, but the mood, the vibes [in here] is like we go home tonight and Turkey stays … it cannot be possible that Turkey finishes celebrating the three points, Australia is celebrating the qualification, Paraguay celebrating the qualification, and [I] come here, and for you not to say congratulations, that we won the group.
That is a little bit sad.”
The tension arose when reporters asked standard post-match questions about squad rotation and losing momentum after the defeat.
“[Momentum] is a topic that I don’t understand,” Pochettino said. “What is momentum?
To play with the same team that we played against Australia? And to take the risk of receiving a yellow card and not to play the next game?
Did Germany lose the momentum too [in their 2-1 loss to Ecuador]? I don’t know.”
This friction highlights cultural differences in sports journalism. In South and Central America, media professionals often offer warm pleasantries and congratulations to national team coaches.
American journalists, however, maintain a strictly businesslike approach, prioritizing professional objectivity over personal rapport.
Pochettino previously showed similar frustration after a 5-1 victory against Uruguay last year when reporters questioned his rotated lineup.
“Maybe we need to stop the press conference,” he said then.
“And maybe I need to go to the dressing room and come back and start again the press conference because it’s like we lost 5-1.
I am the USA coach, not any other.”
During that event, a Spanish-language reporter opened with a traditional compliment: “Profe, buenas noches, quiero felicitar lo por el gran triunfo.”
The manager immediately softened his demeanor, responding, “I’m going to respond to your question with the respect that you offered me with your question.”
While Pochettino downplayed the final group match to focus on the upcoming knockout round, media members remained objective, knowing group-stage accolades disappear quickly if the team falters against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
