Soccer <\/p>\n
Mauricio Pochettino tried his best to be his usual genial, charismatic self when beginning his press conference following the US men\u2019s national team<\/a>\u2019s gutting 2-1 loss<\/a> to Mexico in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup<\/a> final on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n He summoned words of optimism after his relatively inexperienced team fell agonizingly short at the final hurdle after gelling so impressively over the past month, unable to keep hold of the early lead FC Dallas<\/a> product Chris Richards and Vancouver Whitecaps<\/a> star Sebastian Berhalter<\/a> carved out via an early set-piece tally at a sold-out NRG Stadium in Houston.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a massive lesson for us, and I think it\u2019s priceless,\u201d said the Argentine coach. \u201cIt was an amazing tournament to realize in the way that we want to grow. That is in the way that I think we are going to find the way to compete better and better and better, and being very competitive and be in the place that we wanted to be.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a very, very painful night, because always when you lose a trophy or you lose a game, it’s really, really painful. But the most important thing is to have our head up because I think the tournament was fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A group without many of its most established talents, for several reasons, started this camp with back-to-back defeats to T\u00fcrkiye and Switzerland in international friendlies, prompting widespread criticism and a crisis of confidence among their fans.<\/p>\n A month later, they went toe to toe with the region\u2019s reigning champions after a five-game unbeaten run, and nearly reclaimed the title despite defending deep in their own half for long stretches. While individuals like Diego Luna<\/a>, Matt Freese<\/a> and Patrick Agyemang<\/a> couldn\u2019t find the recipe for outshining Ra\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez and the rest of El Tri\u2019s top talents, they’ve undoubtedly vaulted themselves into the conversation for a key place on the USMNT going forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a little bit of calm in some moments,\u201d veteran defender Tim Ream<\/a> told FOX\u2019s Jenny Taft postgame when asked what was missing. \u201cWe started out really well, and then they obviously get a spell in the game, and then the second part of that first half, just a little bit more of a calmness when we won the ball, to try to move them around a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps paradoxically, Pochettino said he took heart from the outpouring of grief he saw among his squad after the program\u2019s final competitive match before the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve told the players now in the locker room, it’s very important not to feel normal,\u201d he explained in Spanish. \u201cWe are very, very, very, very sad. I’ve seen players crying, and that makes me happy because that’s the way you have to feel this sport. If you lose, you have to cry, you have to cry outside and inside, because it’s emotional, and that’s what I liked.<\/p>\n \u201cThese 40 days have served for many things, and that is fundamental to continue transmitting it, even without much time and 100 official matches, but to get there by taking the friendly matches as if they were official. That’s what we’re going to try to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Still proud of the fight from our guys. ???? pic.twitter.com\/c4dh2naCeh<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Poch is also a fierce competitor, dating back to his own illustrious playing days in Argentina, Spain and France. That tenacity soon bubbled to the surface as he delved into the proceedings of a pulsatingly eventful evening, one which, despite Mexico\u2019s statistical superiority in most categories, could so easily have ended with his side hoisting Concacaf\u2019s biggest trophy, instead of watching their rivals do so.<\/p>\n His outrage was evident when asked about perhaps the night\u2019s biggest flashpoint, a moment in the 66th minute when, with the game deadlocked at 1-1, El Tri defender Jorge S\u00e1nchez placed his hand atop the ball in the Mexico penalty box after stopping Max Arfsten<\/a>\u2019s dribble. Referee Mario Escobar and his officiating team decided it was not a handball offense, due to the rule interpretation that S\u00e1nchez had touched the ball with a \u2018supporting arm\u2019 for balance as he fell to the turf.<\/p>\n \u201cFor sure it’s a penalty,\u201d declared Pochettino when asked about the play. \u201cThat was a penalty, and maybe 2-1 for us, and maybe now we are celebrating the trophy. I think that is clear, and it’s not about to cry, it’s not about to complain, it’s not about to put excuses \u2026 For me, it was embarrassing to see that situation. And it’s a shame because I understand that maybe [in front of] 70,000 people, you give this penalty, is not easy.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a decision Mexico would likely have gotten in their favor were the tables turned, Pochettino asserted, and pointed to another lesson both his side and their supporters should take away from the experience: No more \u2018Mr. Nice Guy,\u2019 even when it\u2019s time to welcome the entire planet to these shores for next summer\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cBut for us, it’s like, \u2018OK, they’re nice guys. They’re nice guys, it\u2019s not a problem,\u2019\u201d said Poch. \u201cToday we lose. Yes, we lose. We need to be critical with [ourselves], of course. But the reality is there. Everyone can see.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Should this have been called a handball? ???? pic.twitter.com\/nqlOWRI53F<\/a><\/p>\nLong journey<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\n
Was it a handball?<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\n