The Big Lead

Ted Lasso’s ‘believe’ speech echoed by new USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino

By Joe Lago

Sep 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; United States men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino talks to the media during a press conference introducing him as the new head coach for the United States men's national team at Warner Bros. Discovery Hudson Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
Sep 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; United States men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino talks to the media during a press conference introducing him as the new head coach for the United States men's national team at Warner Bros. Discovery Hudson Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
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In the third season of Apple TV's Emmy Award-winning "Ted Lasso," the show's main character — Lasso, an American football coach who achieves soccer success in England — gives a speech about what the "Believe" sign he hung above his office door really means.

Lasso, played by show co-creator Jason Sudeikis, rips up the sign after his club loses to the first-place team and his star striker abruptly retires. His crestfallen players are stunned. He then goes into a show-defining speech about where belief truly comes from.

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"Belief doesn't just happen because you hang something up on a wall. All right? It comes from in here. You know? And up here," Lasso says pointing to his heart and head.

On Friday, life imitated art.

At his introductory press conference as the new United States men's national team head coach, Mauricio Pochettino channeled his inner Lasso to explain how he intends to affect positive change with the 2026 World Cup less than 21 months away. The USMNT fired Gregg Berhalter in July after a disappointing Copa America.

"We need to really believe in things, big things," Pochettino said. "We need to believe that we can win. That we can win not only a game, that we can win the World Cup. Because, if not, it's going to be so difficult to show (commitment).

"We want players that arrive on day one at the training camp thinking big. That is the only way to create, you know, this philosophy, or this idea, all together to perform and to really put your talent on the service of the team. That is going to be a massive challenge."

The USMNT is a long way away from becoming a World Cup title contender. However, the first step is hiring the right manager. U.S. Soccer scored a coup by landing a coach of Pochettino's magnitude.

The 52-year-old Argentine has led some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Tottenham Hotspur, Paris-Saint Germain and Chelsea, but he has never run a national team. He won't have access to his players every day. He'll mostly monitor their performance from afar (or from the stands at their club matches), and he'll only get to hold USMNT training sessions every couple of months during the non-stop soccer schedule's international breaks.

For American fans, the immediate hope is that Pochettino reenergizes the USMNT squad, even with new faces if necessary. But in order to achieve success at the next World Cup, players will have to buy into his plan immediately. There's no time to waste, but there are plenty of reasons to believe in the new boss.

Pochettino has won wherever he's coached. Maybe he really can inspire the USMNT to reach new, historical heights.

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