USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: Mauricio Pochettino plays down favorites talk ahead of Round of 32
While Pochettino admits the USA's group form has impressed, he can't fully admit they are favorites against Bosnia. He and captain Tim Ream made clear the need to control the sensations, the upsets in the previous rounds and the pressure on the field.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Mauricio Pochettino didn't want to meet yesterday's meeting with Team USA, who are being called favorites in their Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although the US emerged as group captains early by impressing in the first two matches of the group stage, Pochettino is recalling the upsets that are rare.
"We'll see how skillfully the big upsets come," Pochettino said. "Paraguay beat Germany, Morocco actually shocked the Netherlands, Japan troubled Brazil. So it's not right for us to conclude that one team is the favourite. We have to be careful."
While the USA has some advantage in terms of American physicality, personnel options and dominance on the field, Pochettino wants the team to be mentally relaxed, reduce pressure and play with intuition. The match will be played at Levi's Stadium; The team was motivated by the fact that there was going to be a large number of fans in the queues and it was expected to be watched by around 25 million viewers across India.
The last time the U.S. recorded a knockout victory in soccer history was 24 years ago — a 2-0 victory over Mexico at the 2002 World Cup — and knockouts at major tournaments have remained elusive since then. In 2010, Ghana watched as it was expected. Although this current squad has some upside from past experience, Pochettino expects natural success as a result.
In the words of star striker Christian Pulisic: "It's not like being a favorite wins every time. This is football. Tenning for 90 minutes and the decision can come in penalty time; that's the beauty. We have to be ready for what's coming. It's not easy." Pulisic said Cal was ready to return to the grass after suffering an injury; He missed the first half of the opener, missed the second match and was subbed in the third.
Pochettino hopes to see some key players back in the starting lineup. Center back Chris Richards, left back Antony Robinson, defensive midfielder Tyler Adams and striker Folarin Balogun are all expected to return to the starting line-up after being rested in the last group fixture to avoid yellow card punishment.
As for specific injuries, defender Aston Trustee (elbow-ankle related) is likely to be fit; Mark McKenzie(foot injury) and Christian Roldan(quadriceps) are listed as doubtful.
Pochettino has generally indicated that he is likely to call up the starters, who played 4-1 against Paraguay at Inglewood on June 12. "The way we've played so far has proved successful," said centre-back Richards. "That trend must be followed."
How many times has Pochettino said—they are going to treat this match like a World Cup final. Laughing, he once said: "If we play, the next match is like a final." Captain Tim Ream also said he feels less pressure this time around: "The weather is very different this time, I don't feel as much pressure right now."
Pochettino quoted an old friend, 1986 World Cup winner Jorge Valdano, as saying: "Told me once — relaxation breeds concentration." He advises his players to stay relaxed and play with intuition and confidence rather than giving way to unnecessary thoughts.
On the second side, Bosnia came to the next stage and won the third-place finish by equipo; That's why they create fulfilling challenges with an unrelenting courier at Levi's Stadium. Combined, the USA have been praised repeatedly — Pochettino's aim is to maintain that pace and belief.