USA defender Auston Trusty has revealed the mindset Mauricio Pochettino has brought to the USMNT, and Manchester United fans will like the sound of it. Pochettino has been confirmed as the new manager of the Red Devils but is finishing his stint in charge of USA before travelling to Manchester.
On Saturday, the Americans hammered Haiti 6-0 in Miami, before Pochettino’s last game at the helm against the same opponents in Cincinnati on Wednesday. Celtic defender Trusty opened the scoring on Saturday and was full of praise for his outgoing manager.
Pochettino's winning mindset
The 28-year-old says the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss insists it is important for his team to keep pushing for more goals regardless of the scoreline, which is the kind of approach that will go down well at Old Trafford.
‘We play for him. Obviously, he’s our gaffer. Obviously, it’s sad that he’s moving on. So it’s a great opportunity that he is moving on into,’ Trusty told TNT Sports after the win over Haiti.
‘But we play for him. It’s his team, it’s his identity, and the mindset is to win every single game, every single match, and no matter the opponent, no matter how many goals you’re up, you keep fighting, you keep putting on the score and just do your thing, play your game.’
Players praise departing coach
Monaco’s Folarin Balogun also scored on Saturday and feels Pochettino has left the US team in great shape. ‘The manager is an amazing guy, an amazing coach,’ said the former Arsenal striker.
‘It’s always disappointing when a top coach leaves. But it’s part of the game, it’s part of the business. I wish him the best in United. We have to build on the foundation he set. You’ve seen the intensity, the togetherness since he’s been in charge, and as his players we have a job to carry that on.’
Pochettino thanks players
Pochettino thanked his players for their professionalism on international duty during the awkward situation of their manager’s imminent departure.
‘The players were very, very professional from day one when they started to see all the rumours and then when we confirmed it a few days ago,’ he said. ‘If you say to me, what we feel proud of, we feel so proud of the players and how they managed the situation in a mature way.
‘In the last two years, the kids, the young kids that appear, you can see how they play very relaxed because of what the experienced players provide, that platform to perform.’
