What Pochettino personally confirmed in this excellent interview: 1) It is/was a tough job reversing the broken and chronically ill ship he inherited.
2) The difference between "soccer" and football everywhere else in the world? In the US it's about entertainment since there's no consequences like relegation in MLS. Overseas it's NOT merely entertainment.
3) People lose perspective and show a lack of respect for those with expertise. To boot, pro American soccer coaches also demonstrated this lack of respect [to me].
4) US Soccer is not interfering in his roster decisions.
5) The American European-based players had a posture of entitlement, and were treating call-ups as unimportant. One main reason is (unlike the earlier generations) they didn't/don't need the USMNT platform to get to Europe and, crazily, believed their spot on the World Cup was already secure. Nowhere else in the world is there that entitlement. "I've never heard of even Messi, Maradona, Ronaldo, saying a year before the world cup 'nah, I'm gonna rest so that I'm fresh for the WC next year.'" Even the media/fans were justifying that rationale, that culture.
6) Copy the best in the world. Don't try to invent something new.
7) The USMNT generation from the 90s, who now have media jobs, had to fight in a very different way for what they earned. The current generation is different in that respect as well.
8) Elsewhere it's team first, not player first. We've got to get to that here in the US as well. This doesn't just go for the player posture, but the media/fans as well.
9) Proper culture: Players need to take all these friendly games as if they are world cup games.
10) There are players who we [the technical staff] fell in love with, and others we became disappointed in. Every player is unique and must be analyzed as such.
11) It's silly to work for "legacy", with the exception of being remembered as a good person and good professional.
12) The goal is to WIN the World Cup. If one doesn't think that way, what's the point?
