He’s got taste.
Country music seems to be a secret weapon for Team USA during the World Cup, as Team USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentina native, has gotten really into country since being in the states to coach the team. He is a highly respected manager who had stops at Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea previously was tasked with taking the reigns of the struggling Team USA soccer squad in 2024 and getting them ready to compete with the rest of the world in the World Cup.
Of course, football stadiums across the country – like in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area – have been transformed into football stadiums for the 2026 World Cup. Teams and their fans are spread out all across the country, and up in Boston, Scottish fans are having such a good time that they’ve drained the city’s bars and liquors stores of almost all of their booze.
Pochettino recently let the world in on what could be one of his secrets of preparation, as eh shared a video listening to Lainey Wilson. while preparing for a match, sharing a video listening to her duet with Miranda Lambert, “Good Horses Come Home”:
“Training prep with American vibes – Lainey Wilson.”
Like I said, the man has taste:
And apparently, the whole team and coaching staff loves country, as the USMNT social media accounts shared a video of an interview with coach Pochettino, where he explained that the coaching staff gets together on nights before games and listens to country together, naming off Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley as some of their favorites.
He added that he would love to have them out to a game, saying the need their energy and they are “very, very welcome” anytime they want to come:
“I like country music. The night before games, the coaching staff gets together, and we play country music. Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley. We need them to, they are very, very welcome here. Very welcome. We are here in Los Angeles, and they are welcome. Please, we need everyone’s energy.”
Luke saw the video and it sounds like he’s ready to go:
“PUT ME IN COACH!!!!”
Someone get this man to a match… and get coach Pochettino to a country concert as soon as possible. That’s the content we need.
It just goes to show that even though country music is a uniquely American genre of music, it stretches way beyond the borders of the United States, and it’s really cool to see people from all over the world enjoying country and relating to it because that’s really what it’s all about.
And if Team USA goes all the way, or even deep into the tournament, I think it’s safe to say country music played a big part in it.
