US coach Mauricio Pochettino refused to praise any individual player following the co-hosts’ dream World Cup opening win, insisting the 4-1 victory on Friday over Paraguay was a collective effort.
On an electrifying night in Los Angeles, the United States thrashed Paraguay, with Folarin Balogun scoring twice and Gio Reyna adding a late surprise, as well as an early own goal.
“It’s not only to talk about some names; it’s about the collective,” said Pochettino.
“It’s not only Balo or different players that performed. I think the team was amazing. Not only the starting 11 but all the players around and on the bench.”
When pressed by a journalist regarding US talisman Christian Pulisic’s performance during his post-game press conference, Pochettino refused to back down.
“You push me to talk about names, and it’s about the team; it’s a collective performance. Of course, he was amazing,” said the coach.
He then went on to mention almost every member of the US lineup, describing each as “amazing”.
Pochettino was also effusive in his respect for the 70,000 fans in Los Angeles.
Despite some media reports indicating that the US public is less committed to the event than prior World Cup hosts, particularly with the ongoing NBA Finals diverting attention away from soccer, the mood in the Los Angeles stadium was loud.
“On behalf of the whole team, a massive thank you to the fans, because the energy that they relate to the team was amazing, and we can do amazing things with it if the fans are in this way,” Pochettino added.
The US is currently in an excellent position to advance from Group D, which also includes next Friday’s opponents Australia and Turkey.
“We are so happy, but this is only the start,” said Pochettino.
“It’s still two games to play. We need to enjoy this start to the tournament but know that we need to keep going and try to improve and try to do better in the next game because all the games are very competitive.”
