Donald Trump looked at him and, while shaking his hand, asked: “Coach, do you think we can win the World Cup?” The United States national team coach snapped to attention: “Of course we can, Mr. President!” At the World Cup draw ceremony, Mauricio Pochettino fulfilled his duty. The host’s optimism overrides the national mood. But Pochettino knows the odds of lifting the trophy are remote.
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The World Cup circus begins and David Beckham will unveil his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this Friday. It is the entertainment industry’s nod to the World Cup, and almost the only one. On the Oscar boulevard, among parties and hustlers imitating Michael Jackson, you have to look hard to find references to the big soccer event, even though 20 miles away the United States opens its campaign against Paraguay on Friday afternoon.
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Empieza el circo mundialista y David Beckham descubrirá este viernes su estrella en el Paseo de la Fama de Hollywood. Es el guiño del imperio del entretenimiento a la Copa del Mundo, y casi el único. En el bulevar de los Oscar, entre saraos y buscavidas que imitan a Michael Jackson, hay que rastrear mucho para encontrar referencias a la gran cita del fútbol, pese a que a 20 kilómetros de allí Estados Unidos arranca su concurso contra Paraguay (madrugada del viernes al sábado, 3.00; DAZN).
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Donald Trump le miró y dándole la mano le preguntó: “Entrenador, ¿cree que podemos ganar el Mundial?”. El seleccionador nacional de Estados Unidos se puso firme: “¡Por supuesto que sí, señor presidente!”. Interpelado en el acto del sorteo de la Copa del Mundo, Mauricio Pochettino cumplió con su deber. El anfitrión se impone al estado de optimismo nacional. Pero Pochettino sabe que las probabilidades de levantar el trofeo son remotas.
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Politics occupies an increasingly oppressive sphere in the United States, and the national team cannot escape it. After two decades of disappointment, the host team of the biggest World Cup in history faces the dual challenge of winning over a tense country and competing successfully on a historically unfavorable stage. Leading the operation is Mauricio Pochettino (Murphy, Argentina; 54), arguably the national team coach with the most complex mission of all.
The first time U.S. soccer legend Tab Ramos played on a team in the country he had just moved to from Uruguay, Argentina was the reigning champion of the 1978 World Cup and the boy was thrilled that the jersey he was given, the Harrison Rec kit, was orange “like the Dutch one.” Ten minutes in, the coach took him off the field: he was too good to compete with that group. He was 12 years old.
© George Etheredge (George Etheredge)
Timothy Weah used his platform as a member of the U.S. men’s national soccer team to speak out about what he sees as an injustice. The Marseille player — son of Ballon d’Or winner and former Liberian president George Weah — joined New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani onstage as he announced he had secured 1,000 tickets priced at $50 for the matches to be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, just across the river from Manhattan. They are a drop in the bucket for this venue — the stadium, expanded to a capacity of 87,000, will host eight matches including the final, meaning 696,000 total tickets — but it’s something.
© Pamela Smith (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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