After an intense week of training, the USMNT will finally showcase their new look under their new coach

AUSTIN, TEXAS – There was one word repeated by just about everyone around U.S. men's national team camp this week: intensity. That's the entire vibe. Last month, multiple U.S. players bemoaned the lack of effort and fiery instinct in a loss to Canada and a draw with New Zealand.

That hasn't been on display this time around.

That, of course, is all centered around one big change, and it goes by the name of Mauricio Pochettino. The new coach is finally in place, and the difference is immediately being felt. Everyone has to be on, everyone has to focused, everyone has to be ready.

That's in part because of Pochettino's arrival and the standards to which he he holds players. It's also partly driven by the players, all of whom are understandably eager to prove themselves to the man who is now judging them up close.

"[They] to try to show that and demonstrate because it’s new," Pochettino said of the increase in player energy. "They want to have a happy start with a new coaching staff and new people. But of course, we are going to start with that a lot, because we really believe that, if you want to compete at your best, you need to train trying to replicate intensity and competition."

How that intensity will manifest itself in Pochettino's first two matches is an open question – and more important, can it be sustained over the next 18 or so months in the lead up to the 2026 World Cup? That's why Pochettino is here, to answer those questions. And it all begins at 9 pm. EST Saturday night when the USMNT's Pochettino era officially kicks off against Panama.

Getty ImagesTraining ground intensity

For those unaware, it's hot in Texas, even in October. Temperatures have reached into the mid-90s in Austin, where the USMNT has set up a home base ahead of Pochettino's first two matches: the friendly against Panama, and then another Tuesday night against rival Mexico in Guadalajara.

The heat hasn't melted the USMNT's initial preparations under Pochettino, though. In fact, it has only turned up the temperature – literally and figuratively.

Training sessions have been grueling, as Pochettino's reputation for fitness has immediately shined through.

"It's just us kind of getting to know the whole staff," said Christian Pulisic, the USMNT's leader, "and the training has been real intense. It's been good, a lot of work, a long time on the pitch to show how we want to play and getting some ideas across. It's been good. Everyone has been really friendly, and I've enjoyed the steps."

Pochettino is quick to point out that this is all about striking a balance. He's been on the other side as a club coach and has seen players return exhausted and injured. He's also seen them return out of shape, having not trained hard enough.

"I think today, or in all these days, intensity is not only physical; it's also concentration," Pochettino said. "Always when new people arrive, you have more focus, you concentrate, you [apply yourself]… They want to show that. That’s why you spend more energy here, and that affects your body.

"That is good because, I think, in the high competitions, it's about working really hard and maybe because we have seen a percentage of players in the squad that maybe didn't play too much, we need to be responsible also to the clubs. We need to send them back the same, not worse, but for us, hopefully in better condition, if that's possible, not in worse condition."

That is a two-way street, both in how the clubs send the players to their respective national teams, and the shape in which they return.

"Sometimes, when we were on the other side, players arrived in all in different ways," Pochettino said. "The players arrived here not because we want to take risks. We also don’t want to do anything where they arrive and they come back fatter than when they arrive or with a condition that is not so good because they don't train too much. I think the balance is the best way to be responsible."

AdvertisementGettyTactical foundations

Pochettino has been around the game long enough to know when and how to implement new concepts. He has his key principles, yes, but he's also smart enough to know how to form a team around those principles. And it's not simply flipping a switch.

In many ways, that's what this camp is about: the USMNT learning how to play under Pochettino and Pochettino learning how he should guide this USMNT to play.

"People sometimes say, 'No, that is my philosophy, my idea, and I want to die [with that],' " he said. "No, I want to live! Life is amazing! I want to be clever. I want to win. I don't want to die! Sometimes we cannot play [in a certain way], so then we need to find different ways to put our players in comfortable situations, not in an uncomfortable situation."

Make no mistake: even in the brief period of this inaugural Pochettino camp, there has been a considerable volume of information for the players to take in. They're all open to it and excited about it, though, as they adjust to the new leadership.

"The trainings have been a little bit longer, I guess, but I think in a good way," Pulisic said. "I think it's trying to get a lot of information across, which is normal at the beginning.

"It's been spread quite evenly. I wouldn't say that there's one thing we've been working on this whole time. I think early on, we're trying to get kind of all the points across and do the best we can with that."

Getty Images SportFirst introductions

In Pochettino's 2018 book, he writes about the difference between being a boss and a leader. From the outset, he's been determined to show the USMNT's players the difference.

Pochettino, of course, understands what he's walking into. He and his staff are the new guys and, while it's largely on the players to impress him, it's also on him to get to know the players, both on and off the field.

"The biggest surprise? I didn't know how he was as a person," Pulisic said. "He's a person that's close to the team, likes to interact with us and tries to know us in our person as well."

Before the strategy, before the tactics, before the lineups, Pochettino was focused on the relationships.

"The first thing that we did when we arrived here on Saturday, and the players started arriving Sunday late with four or five players, was to meet with them, spend time with them, maybe a minute or half an hour," he said. "It was a very good way to know each other and to share ideas."

GettyFirst up: Panama

Pochettino's first game is against Panama, which comes with no lack of irony. It was a shocking 2-1 loss to Panama in the group stage of the Copa America in late June that ultimately led to the USMNT's crashing out of that tournament on home soil, and foreshadowed the subsequent firing of then coach Gregg Behalter. If the U.S. wins that match, is Pochettino here?

That's unanswerable, but what is known is this: the new coach is not taking his debut lightly. Friendly, Copa, World Cup, whatever, there is only one expectation: win. Panama and stars Aníbal Godoy and Adalberto Carrasquilla will certainly look to have something to say about that, but the USMNT are favorites to win and are motivated to avenge that Copa performance – not to mention a pair of disappointing friendlies in September – and show their new coach that what's past is not prologue.

This is not the first USMNT debut that drew the nation's soccer attention. The likes of Bruce Arena, Bob Bradley and Jurgen Klinsmann, among others, all came into the program with great expectations. But other than Klinsmann, no USMNT coach could boast the resume, the name recognition or the hopes that Pochettino carries into this new assignment in America.

That all leads back to the intensity. Under Pochettino, there's no turning it off. Training sessions and games require it. Anything that falls short? Unacceptable.

Pochettino's first XI will offer a glimpse into how he sees this player pool, although it won't be a full picture. Injuries to several key starters leave this team shorthanded but, under Pochettino, that will never be an excuse. Led by veterans such as Pulisic, Antonee Robinson and Weston McKennie – not to mention a number of intriguing young players – this team wants to put first things first.

"We want to go out and get results," said Pulisic, who just last month was frustrated with the USMNT's inability to do just that. "But the main thing is getting to know each other and feeling comfortable as staff and as players, and just feeling confident moving forward for bigger events to come."

The bigger events are down the line. June 2026 is seemingly just around the corner. The road there starts against Panama, and Pochettino and the USMNT will look to make a great first impression.