The Victory Of The United States At The Concacaf Gold Cup Redam Riots In The Last Few Weeks

JAKARTA - The United States coach, Mauricio Pochettino, welcomed the positive aura of a 5-0 victory over Tokyo and Tobago in the first match of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup group phase at PayPal Park, Monday, June 16, 2025.

The result ended The Yanks' four consecutive defeats in the two Concacaf Nations League matches and the friendly.

"It's very important now to start the tournament with a good feeling. I think it's important to the players, to the players."

"Nothing has been done, but, yes, to feel victory and to become more positive in the next few days," Pochettino said after the victory.

Ahead of the match, doubts began to grow for the United States, which has not won under Pochettino since January 2025.

Off the pitch, tensions also seemed to escalate in public between manager and captain Christian Pulisic, who was not included in the Concacaf Gold Cup squad as he only wanted to take part in two friendlies before the tournament.

This makes Pochettino argue that the players cannot dictate plans ahead of the tournament.

"Today's game is also difficult, especially because of the negative things that have happened in recent weeks."

"Some of the results that are not going well always cause a bit of noise, right? It's important for the players to have that confidence," said Pochettino.

As for the landslide victory over Tokyo and Tobago, Pochettino praised PSV Eindhoven's Malik Tillman, who contributed two goals.

His presence offset the lack of many key figures - such as Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, and Antonee Robinson - in the Concaf Gold Cup.

"Malik is a talented player. It's clear, everyone can see it. What changed (this summer), in my opinion, of course, I understand better now."

"After a few weeks together, I really started to understand it. He started to understand us."

"Like in PSV, everyone loves him, now we are starting to love him, me and the coaching staff. He is a talented player, one of the most talented players, in my opinion, that we have in the United States," said Pochettino.

With a list of players out of action for various reasons ranging from injuries, the 2025 Club World Cup task, or a break like the one experienced by Pulisic, Pochettino noted that appearances against Tokyo and Tobago could affect the player list decisions for the 2026 World Cup.

"We want to win, but at the same time, we want to help the players perform and knock on the door and say, we can perform for the national team and we can get involved in the next World Cup."

"That's what I expected. Winning and players are absolutely sure that they have the opportunity (to) fight for a place in the 2026 World Cup," said the Argentine coach.

After the Concacaf Gold Cup ended, Pochettino said he would start working with a much tighter selection after analyzing as many as 60 players in his last four camps.

"We will start working with smaller groups. Always keep the door open for players who may appear."

"However, most importantly, the Concacaf Gold Cup, we will have a much clearer idea," said Pochettino.

With three points in their hands, the United States has valuable capital against Saudi Arabia on June 20, 2025, before closing the group stage against Haiti on June 23.

Meanwhile, the United States is in second place of all time with seven Concacaf Gold Cup titles. In the 2023 edition, they ended their journey as semifinalists.