U.S. Against the World: Four Years with the Men's National Soccer Team (2026) s01e03 Episode Script

You Have to Fight

1
[TV static drones]
[bright tone]
- We have massive
breaking news here
on score line
for the US Men's
- US Soccer has
reportedly fired
men's national team
head coach Gregg Berhalter,
according to Fox Sports.
- As a player, you realize
that your time comes and goes.
And it's the same thing
as a coach.
Your time comes, and it goes.
It wasn't that long from
the final game of Copa América
to then when I found out
that I wouldn't
be coaching the team anymore.
- That's the end.
The United States is done.
- I take full responsibility
for it.
And it's something that really,
you know,
to this day still hurts because
it's a really special
opportunity for any coach.
But for me personally,
it really
struck close to home
because of my affiliation
with the national team.
- The US had their
first-ever victory
in the knockout stages
of a FIFA World Cup.
- Did I want to coach the team
in the 2026 World Cup
on home soil?
A hundred percent, absolutely,
it would have been a dream.
[camera shutter clicks]
But I got the phone call:
you're no longer required.
[dramatic music]

What kept going
through my mind is
when I had to call the players
and tell them that they weren't
part of the World Cup team.
The finality of that,
that's that.

It's an empty feeling,
really empty feeling.
- Last week,
the Fire appointed
Gregg Berhalter as director
of football and head coach.
- For the first time
since 2018,
Gregg Berhalter is coaching
in Major League Soccer.
As Berhalter put it, it's been
a crazy couple of months
since he was introduced
as director of football
and head coach.
- I think Gregg has been
obviously the biggest addition
of the offseason for the Fire.
His time
with the national team,
I still consider to be
a successful tenure.
- With the national team,
there's always challenges.
Now it's really about,
this runway
is getting shorter
and shorter.
How do you maximize
every opportunity together?
And then how do you
take advantage
of the big opportunity?
And I'm hoping
that the group is ready
to take it
to the next level.
- Going for it,
going for it ♪
Jumping off the block ♪
Baby, I was born for it ♪
No need to tally up ♪
We keep on scoring,
scoring ♪
I already been
in that mode ♪
I was focused ♪
Just pushing the game ♪
Yeah, I was
pushing through it ♪
All eyes on me ♪
And they hate
to see me do it ♪
I can't describe
the feeling ♪
That's flowing
out of my veins ♪
All these voices ♪
Only choice is just
to say my name in vain ♪
You cannot tell me
they feeling the same ♪
US against the world ♪
It's really us, yes ♪
Against the world ♪
- That season of uncertainty,
that period of not knowing
what the national team setup
looks like,
it creates
an uneasiness naturally.
- Texting about, like,
who's going to be the coach,
because you're seeing
all these big names.
- As a group, you know,
you're always trying
to figure out who's going
to be the coach because that's
the guy who's going to be
leading you into,
you know, a World Cup
in your own country.
- But we know that no matter
who comes in,
it's going to be about us
buying into the sense of pride,
the sense of passion that comes
along with wearing the crest
and then implementing
whatever game plan the coach,
whoever it was
that would be hired,
whatever he puts in place,
so yeah.
[distorted music]

- We are two years away
from the biggest
sporting event in history.
And preparing for that
requires big ambitions,
something US Soccer has
been demonstrating recently.
- Hello, everyone.
Welcome.
Wow.
This is a monumental day
for US Soccer.
Matt, I'm going
to hand it over to you
to introduce our new
Men's National Team head coach.
- Thanks, Cindy.
I'm confident
that we have secured
not only the best coach
but the best person
and the best leader
to take our program forward,
a coach with a real mentality
and a winning reputation
and a coach that matched
our ambitions
as we work and move
towards 2026.
And without any further ado,
I would like
to officially welcome
Mauricio Pochettino
as the US Men's Soccer
head coach.
[applause]
- We have some breaking news
in the hunt
- Absolutely
blockbuster news
- Mauricio Pochettino
has agreed
- The former Espanyol,
Southampton, Spurs, PSG,
and Chelsea manager,
the Argentine
set to take over
- Less than two years away
from the World Cup
- He only has
a certain amount of game.
- Time is going to be
of the essence,
but fans aren't going
to care about that.
They're going to want to see
success right away.
- You know,
Mauricio is probably
one of the few coaches
who I believe has not only
coached at the highest
level of the game
but played at the highest
level as well
[grand music]
[crowd cheering]

- But has just got
this passion for a project.
It's a fresh, unique
opportunity to start again.
There's no one ahead
of anyone else.
Any player that is on the
periphery or has maybe felt
like as if,
I didn't get my chance,
this is now your opportunity.
[applause]
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much to everyone.
And then what we believe
- There's something
that struck me
about what Mauricio Pochettino
said in his press conference
in New York.
He talked about his time
playing for Argentina
and how he didn't care
if it was a friendly,
it was a qualifier,
if it was the World Cup.
He approached the game
the same way.
He was going to go
out there and fight.
And he wanted
to play for the crest
and play at a certain level
no matter what.
I think that should
resonate in this group.
- When you hear
my father speak as a coach,
what he wants to do is that
the players can show
the best version
that they can give.
- For Mauricio, the player
is the center of this process.
- [speaking Spanish]
[exhilarating music]


- The players are going
to feel how strong he is.
He's got that edge.
- Guys!
Keep going!

[whistle blows]
OK?

[whistle blows]
Go!
Yeah!
Bravo!
[applause]
- Boys, shakes over.
GPS, under the can.
Shakes are there.
- Him and his staff
are businessmen.
When we cross that white line,
they want full focus.
They want full energy.
They want full intensity.
- There's quite the intensity
on the field.
We've had now two
two-days-in-a-row,
two-hour-long sessions,
which easily
the longest--
the longest I've had
with the national team.
- He knows that to get
the most out of all of us,
you know, he needs
to demand from us.
[tense music]
- We're a couple hours
before kickoff here,
Mauricio Pochettino's
first game in charge.
Anytime you start at a new job,
I don't care who you are
and what the job is,
there's going to be
butterflies in your stomach.
There's going to be
expectations.
You want to prove that you
were worth being hired.
So we're going to be
dissecting every little thing.
How do they press?
How do they defend?
How do they run?
Did they score?
Are they, like,
better attacking?
Everything will be
spun in that way.
I think that speaks
to the excitement
around a coaching change.
- And on top of all that,
it's against Panama,
which suddenly
has the connotations
of a team
that contributed to the US
getting knocked out
of the Copa América.

crowd: USA!
- USA on 3. 1, 2, 3.
all: USA!
- It is a historic night
here in Austin.
The road to the World Cup led
by Mauricio Pochettino begins.
- Please welcome the Men's
National Team head coach,
Mauricio Pochettino.
- 20 months out
from the home World Cup,
a coach admired
around the world,
stepping into international
management for the first time.
A change in direction,
a new beginning
bringing new opportunities,
the Mauricio Pochettino era
is underway.
crowd: USA!
Aidan Morris back to McKenzie.

June of 2021.
[crowd cheering]

Off to the races,
down the left side,
finds the ball inside
for Pulisic.
Pulisic, Aaronson,
back towards Christian
Pulisic and--

There it goes, Musah!
The first goal scored
under Mauricio Pochettino
goes to Yunus Musah.
[crowd cheering]

Tillman plays the ball
down the left and right.
Now it he wants it played
first time, and a goal!
[crowd cheering]
Ricardo Pepi with the goal!
[dramatic music]

To ensure a winning start
for Mauricio Pochettino!

The final whistle goes.
Victory
for Mauricio Pochettino
on his debut
as the head coach
of the US Men's National Team.
- It feels
so different, so stark,
to go from a very kind of
pessimistic environment
around the group to one that is
optimistic, happy, excited.
You know, everything is
the best thing in the world.
How long can you
stretch that out?
- I do not care
'bout whatever was told ♪
I heard them talking
but we never sold ♪
- Drove it forward
and towards the goal!
Double for Christian Pulisic!
Ricardo Pepi--Pepi, goal!
- Ain't finna give it up ♪
Ain't finna give it up ♪
Ain't finna
give it up ♪
Might as well get with us ♪
- All right, Chuck D, give us
your vibe meter right now.
Where are we at with
the US Men's National Team?
- We vibing!
- I was so excited
about what I was seeing
and the way
that they were playing,
and it was just this hope.
I felt hopeful.
- Listen up ♪
That ain't the way,
ain't no giving up ♪
Might have to win
and win it again ♪
There's no need
to add it up ♪
Look at the crowd,
it is going wild ♪
Giving me feelings
even now ♪
Ain't as bad as us ♪
We went through hell
and we had enough ♪

Coming out clean
and we got the steel ♪
We going for it,
we really will ♪
You better do
what you better do ♪
We walk around like,
the hell are you ♪
We getting better than
better whenever, whenever ♪
This feeling's incredible ♪
We done been in that mode ♪
Just know that we
ain't giving up at all ♪
No ♪
- Been difficult to be
at home, missing out.
I picked up a knee injury,
and I've not been with camp
for about six months.
The reality is,
I'm not a starting player
on the team at the moment.
It's hard to picture
being in the World Cup.
Oh, hello.
We got a visitor.
Hey.
- Hey.
- Hey, what are you doing?
- Hey, Dada.
- Hey, Dada.
What are you doing?
Why are you sneaking in?
Having children
is the biggest context breaker
in people's lives.
It helped me
with everything in life
to realize there are
more important things.
Want this one or this one?
- This.
- Which one?
- Both.
- No, not both, pick one.
- [giggles]
- All right.
Remember the dentist told you
to get all your teeth?
The best players
in the world, they have,
like, a side to them where
they don't feel the pressure.
They just play.
And having kids
helps you do that.
[gentle music]
There you go.
- [vocalizing]
- She's very excited.
They come first, and that
really takes the pressure off.
When that pressure's off,
you can perform better.
I don't know
if you've ever been
to the station we're going to.
We're going to Wimbledon.
- Like Wimbledon?
- Yeah.
The World Cup,
it was one of the best
experiences of my life.
But the season
after the World Cup,
I had a bit of a shaky start,
to be fair.
And then I remember a couple--
I can't remember
which camp it was,
but we played Trinidad
home and away,
and I dyed my hair
and scored in each game.
After that, I just hit, like,
a real spell
of just confidence.
- I'm a pop star, baby ♪
- It's back
to Antonee Robinson.
On his left, it's goal!
[crowd cheering]
- Antonee Robinson
is now one of the best players
on this national team.
When you put him out
on the field at left back,
you know exactly
what you're going to get.
And for a back line, that's
maybe one of the most important
things that you can have.
- We work it like this ♪
Dynamite P
sounding explosive, yeah ♪
[exhilarating music]
- Arguably one
of the best left backs
in the league,
if not the best
left back in Premier League.
He's gotten better
at the club level.
He's become a consistent
starter at the Premier League,
attracting attention
from some of the bigger teams
around the world.
- Last season, that just
developed even further,
and I just felt really
confident in what I was doing.
I felt like the team
could really rely on me
and felt like I was important.
And then the injury.
[pensive music]

[whistle blows]

I had split my tendon open.

The bleeding from that
calcified
and basically turned
into bone.

[train rattling]
After seeing a few specialists,
few surgeons,
they said surgery is probably
the best option for me.
And it's just not been
a straightforward recovery.
I still get the pain.
All the, like,
scans and things
and assessments I've had
look as they should post-op,
which that in itself can be
frustrating because you'd
almost rather them go, oh,
wait, this is what's wrong,
so let's try and fix it,
not, no, you're fine,
when I'm like,
no, I'm not fine.
[somber music]
- No one knows
how deep that is.
Like, he doesn't
come home happy.
Being injured, I don't think
any of the lads do.

Can you read to us?
There are injuries
that finish those careers.
But I'm there to just try
and be the positivity
and believe in him,
which I do wholeheartedly.
And it's his life, my life,
the kids' life.
Like, it really consumes us.
Our recent conversation
is, like, maybe you won't
be back to who you were
and as good as you were.
But he won't let it happen.
This is just a rocky bit.
But he's going
to come back way better.
And he's never ever slipped
with his dedication.
Getting into the squad,
playing at the World Cup
in America,
that's his main focus
right now.
- Whether or not
I'm going to be there
is obviously up in the air.
But I'd like
to think in my head
that I'm getting
towards a point
where I'm going to, you know,
try and get back in the team,
try and play a lot,
show that I've still got it.
It could be a case
of having to jab myself up,
put some tape on, and get
through it for the six,
seven games it's going to take
to get to the final
because it's one of the most
important things to me,
help my country win a trophy.
But nothing's guaranteed.
- In international soccer,
FIFA sits atop the pyramid.
And underneath them
are confederations.
Each of those confederations
represents
a region of the world.
So CONCACAF represents
North America,
Central America,
and the Caribbean.
For teams in this region,
these CONCACAF tournaments
are a chance to stake
your claim as being the best
in your part of the world.
The US Men's National
has won
three straight
Nations League tournaments.
They want a fourth.
But at the same time,
the big-picture goal
is the World Cup.
For Mauricio Pochettino,
priority one, win a trophy.
Priority two, figure out
who are the guys going
to be that I'm going
to bring with me
to the tournament in 2026.
- With the National Team,
there's lots of changes.
There's a new dynamic.
A new manager comes in
and basically
an all-new staff coming in.
It's the unknown.
There are some guys
who will feel that angst of,
will I or won't I?
Or if anybody says, yeah,
I'm a lock, I'm a guarantee,
they're lying to you.
- There's this dynamic here
with Pochettino
where it puts pressure now
on the players.
When things went wrong,
Berhalter took that on.
It was always
the coach's fault.
Well, Mauricio is going to get
less of that blame
because of his success
as a manager.
- We've got
a really good playing group
with a good mentality.
Mauricio will raise that level.
He has the highest
professional standards.
[both speaking Spanish]
- [laughs]
Thanks for having us.
Is it more important to win
or for you to have
the possibility
to see everybody--no,
because what's very important--
- Good question.
- Sam, what happened to half
our team just dropping out?
- Well, to be fair
- Antonee's, like, bad,
right?
- Antonee's been banged up
for the past, like, year.
- Because they've been resting
him every three-game week.
- Yeah.
- This is an audition
for these players.
There are a few big names
who are missing due to injury.
Players now have
an opportunity
to step up
into these positions
and really grab ahold
of that job.
Josh Sargent
at the number 9,
where you don't have
Ricardo Pepi here,
you don't have Balogun here.
Antonee Robinson
had to withdraw from camp.
That opens a huge opportunity
for somebody like
a Joe Scally.
You know, Tim Ream
is an ageless wonder.
But you always have to prepare
for when Father Time comes.
Then Tyler Adams,
Mauricio Pochettino said,
we loved him.
We wanted to sign him
at Chelsea.
But he's got to win a job.
There aren't that many
competitive games left
to test, who do you trust
in these big moments?
[exhilarating music]

- [speaking Arabic]
- Taking the soup
for Mr. Yunus Musah,
our practicing Muslim.
It's Ramadan, so he will need
to eat before the sun comes up.
So this is going to be
the last thing
that Yunus will eat,
including liquids,
before our big semifinal game
against Panama, making sure
he gets his entire nutrients
in for the day.
[indistinct chatter]
I'll see you in a little bit.
[gentle music]
- [speaking Arabic]

- You can be
equally as strong,
if not stronger, when you
purposely align yourself
with something
that you feel connected to
and you feel that you want
to support and build.
- It doesn't look one
specific way to be American.
It doesn't sound one
specific way to be American.
This is the beauty
of being American.
- Playing for such
a diverse country,
it does mean a lot to me.
- What we represent
is very beautiful to see.
And I think that's
what makes us stronger.
- We have problems in the US.
Like, we're not going
to push those to the side.
But when we can shine the light
on what we're doing right,
we're able to represent
our country
in the best way possible.
- To come together
with our various upbringings,
with our various
religious beliefs,
football is that
unifying vessel.

- There's pressure.
Playing Panama,
you have to win that game.
[indistinct chatter]
If you don't win that game,
for lack of a better word,
vibes--you need to keep
the good vibes going.
And I think you need
to win the final,
or there's going to be
a lot of backlash.
[tense music]

- Begins with intensity,
communication,
commitment all over the field.
And then we go
to another final, all right?
Let's go after it.
Come on.
Come on, boys, on 3.
On 3, USA.
1, 2, 3.
all: USA!
[crowd cheering]
- The United States
trying to get
to their fourth consecutive
Nations League final
as they will again
look to lift this trophy
for a fourth consecutive time.

[whistle blows]
And we are in motion
in Los Angeles
and the CONCACAF
Nations League semifinal.
Weah will drift all over.
Now Pulisic.
Hasn't been on the ball much.
Underlapping run.
McKennie keeps it in play.
His pullback, Sargent.
Deflected off the post.
It stays out.
It stays 0-0.

[crowd cheering]
Weah, into his right.
It's McKennie
straight at the goalkeeper.
Mosquera gathers it in.
Best chance of the game
so far.
Gutierrez, he's crossed in
at the near post of it.
He had Turner scrambling.
Pochettino frustrated.
His first touch is decent.
Weah has to turn back
for a moment,
couldn't cross it
first time, now does,
into the middle, and Sargent!
[crowd cheering]
This goal drought is over?
No, it's not.
The flag is up, offside.
Does not count.
It stays 0-0.
[somber music]
[indistinct chatter]

OK, guys, final--
- Let's go! Let's go!
- Come on.
[indistinct chatter]
[crowd cheering]
- Tyler Adams talking
things over with Tim Ream.
[whistle blows]
Pulisic behind the back line.
Pulisic into the middle.
Latching on, spun it
onto the roof of the net.
It was just behind him, and he
couldn't put it on frame.
Rodriguez and Adams
with a slide tackle,
takes it out on the touch.
There's José Fajardo.
Waterman takes
his place up top.
To be careful, they don't
concede before extra time.
Here's Carrasquilla.
Carrasquilla forward to
Waterman, Cecilio Waterman!
[crowd cheering]
Los Canaleros win the knockout
blow in stoppage time!
And the defending champs
have been knocked out.
[whistle blowing]
[indistinct chatter]
- OK, we have the head coach
of the US Men's National Team,
Mauricio Pochettino.
If you have--
want to ask a question,
please raise your hand.
[pensive music]

[fans chanting]
[muffled chatter]
[somber music]

- Yeah.
- You know?
- Yeah.
- No, absolutely.
- Yeah.
It's something bigger.
You're a part of something--
something much bigger.
Exactly what you said, like,
it has to be everything.
I was 35
at the last World Cup.
I thought,
oh, this is my last one.
It's the only one.
But there came a point
where I thought--
with it being on home soil,
I thought, well,
I may as well just keep going.
Do I know
that it's a long shot
and some people
think I should not?
Absolutely.
You're better than me?
People have been trying to
retire me as soon as I hit 30.
- I just think Tim loves it.
His mindset really is,
as long as I feel good,
I'm going to keep going.
Even the kids,
this last window,
they were like,
Dad's leaving?
And I was like,
oh, yeah, he's going,
like, with the national team.
And they were like, still?
And I was like,
yeah, he got picked.
And Aidan was like,
oh, for God's sake.
I thought he was done
with that.
What was your favorite thing
with football and Dad?
- When he went
to the World Cup.
- What about
when they played England?
You liked that, right?
- Yeah.
- But you thought
that we were going to lose?
- Yeah.
[laughter]
- Because you think
England's better?
- Not really, but yeah.
- [laughs]
- Guys who play
both club and internationals
have no time at all.
The kids, they know,
with the national team,
it just comes
with extended periods of time
that Dad's not home.
Let's say summer.
If it's, like, a Gold Cup,
it's, like, seven weeks.
So--and the time that we have
to do anything is very minimal.
Even having babies,
I worked my third
around Tim's
international schedule.
- You're like a bunch
of bobbing apples.
Some people don't go
with their national team.
They finish that part
of their career,
and they have the opportunity
to then enjoy those moments.
And for me,
I'm still doing both.
I was in London, at Fulham,
for nine long years,
300 starts,
312 appearances,
Player of the Season award,
Team of the Year
in the championship.
I'm proud of what I've done.
- It's a miss!
Andersen reacts.
And on the line is Tim Ream,
35 years of age.
- But for the last
couple of years at Fulham,
we have really been chatting
about where do we see ourselves
raising our children.
- [laughs]
- Kristen and I were having
lots of conversations.
And it was, are we sure?
Are we ready?
Are you ready?
Am I ready?
Are the kids ready?
And then as we got to all
yes answers, OK, it's time.
- People will say, but you had
a Premier League contract.
Why would you
cancel it to come?
But he does want
to play till he's 40.
Charlotte's giving him
that chance to do it.
- 36-year-old defender
Tim Ream,
after nine years at the club,
is leaving them to join
the MLS side, Charlotte.
- I need to now make
an impact somewhere else.
- And there's a header right
off the post, and it's in.
Tim Ream, welcome back
to Major League Soccer.
- I feel like myself
and my family,
we've done a good job of being
able to adapt and adjust,
which is probably why I'm
still playing at 36 years old
and, you know, longer.

Kill myself to continue
to be and play.
- No.
- Not easy and then
- Yeah.
- There was
a lot of talk after Panama.
Just wasn't our day,
wasn't the moment.
The stars definitely
didn't align on that day.
And not much time now
until 2026,
and we need to grow from the
moments where we've suffered
and then show our abilities.
[tense music]
- It's a third-place game,
which doesn't sound
all that great standing here.
But every game should matter.
When you come in here,
you're representing something
much bigger than yourself.
You're representing something
much bigger than a club.
You're representing a nation.
- [muffled speech]
[exhilarating music]
- It's got to come
from us today, boys.
Come on.
That energy
has to come from us.
So I want to see a team
with a fucking chip
on our shoulder today.
Come on, this is
our final today.
Let's go.
USA on 3. 1, 2, 3.
all: USA!
[crowd cheering]
- And 15 months away
from a World Cup.
It's the white and blue kits
for the Americans,
all red for Canada.
And we're underway
in this third-place match.

The pressure is on now.
Canada looking to translate
this into a goal.
Ahmed wants the right,
throws it
through the middle,
a couple swings,
and winds up on the feet
of Oluwaseyi!
He pounces on it and scores!
So far, the US have been
blanked in the attack.

Looking for an angle,
Tim Weah.
Throws it through.
It's Diego Luna.
Agyemang, there it is!
They get their first shot of
the game and their first goal.
Does that open the door?
Does that take
the pressure off this team?
OK?
[indistinct chatter]
- Second half underway
here in the third-place match,
tied at 1 apiece.
And now a foot race
at the other end.
David beats Arfsten.
Here's Jonathan David
inside of the 18,
slams the brakes on.
And then the stars and stripes
dodge a bullet there.
And Jesse Marsch not happy.
I don't think David
was touched by Arfsten at all.
And now a red card
has been shown.
How about that for the plot?
Jesse Marsch is done.
Turner catches
with Buchanan on top of him.
And then Turner,
with two defenders,
hurls this ball
out to midfield.

[crowd cheering]
Pulisic into a run.
Pulisic, being yanked,
continues his run
with Koné.
Pulisic holds on.
And finally, a foul is given,
and it's going to be
a booking as well.
Well, if the US have
any type of creativity,
now's the time to use it.
Pulisic arches, cleared away.

New ball for Buchanan.
Buchanan cannot elude Arfsten.
Buchanan.
This ball inside,
David brings the flag.
Jonathan David puts Canada
back in front!
Canada's all-time leading
goal scorer makes it 2-1.
That look says it all.
And now a flare-up here
in the last seconds.
[whistle blowing]
And that's
the full-time whistle.
Canada takes out
the United States.
[dramatic music]

- We knew it was an opportunity
for us to lift another trophy.
We were the only ones
that had ever had our hands
on the Nations League trophy.
- We wanted to perform,
and we didn't.
We failed,
and we came up short,
probably one
of the lowest feelings
that this group has had
in a long time.
- It was definitely a big blow
not to just us as players,
to our fans.
- The problem with not
playing well in the games
that we should play well in
is that the pressure
that's mounting
towards the World Cup,
it's the pressure of not
wanting to have our fans
feel disappointed with our
performance in the World Cup,
knowing that it might be
the only time in their lifetime
that they get to see
a World Cup on their home soil.
- This is rock bottom.
This puts even more pressure
when it comes to the Gold Cup.
- Today Mauricio Pochettino
effectively named
the Gold Cup roster
that includes 16 MLS players.
- If I'm not ready for it now,
I'm just never going
to be ready for it,
so let's find out.
- I don't really care
about anybody else,
but just proving to myself
all the sacrifices
to wear this crest
are worth it.
[crowd cheering]
- We have races,
and we fucking own it.
Let's fucking go tonight.
USA on 3.
1, 2, 3.
all: USA!
[bright tone]
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