4 games, 3 wins, 1 loss—this is what the USMNT has experienced under Mauricio Pochettino in just a couple of months. One cannot question their performance, but many are still second-guessing how things will turn out for them in the 2026 World Cup under the Argentinian tactician. However, star player Mark McKenzie has stepped in to offer reassurance, stating ‘how grueling’ it has been under Pochettino, subtly responding to iconic forward Landon Donovan.

Ever since the former Tottenham boss came to the States, almost every player has noticed a significant change in the atmosphere surrounding the national camp. There’s no doubt that Poch hasn’t been stressing enough about building a character for his team that is actually worthy enough to give their best in the prestigious tournament. To build that composure, playing with a strong mentality is key—whether it’s against fellow CONCACAF countries or in mere friendlies.

“Playing in CONCACAF countries, there’s the grind of it and how grueling it is,” said McKenzie during an interview. “How sometimes it’s not even about football at all and just simply about mentality, about the desire to win the game and play for the guys on the pitch next to you. We had moments where we played well and we had moments where we had to suffer a bit, but in the end, we were there for one another and did what we had to do to get the win,” concluded the Toulouse defender.

Notably, in the recent CONCACAF Nations League doubleheader semifinal clash vs Jamaica, while the ‘Golden Generation’ struggled in the opening leg, securing a narrow win, the latter leg saw them secure a convincing 4-2 win, sending fans into a frenzy. However, that hadn’t settled in the eyes of Donovan earlier, who urged everyone not to count chickens before they hatch. “On Twitter, everyone would be talking about how we’re the best team in the world; we’re going to win the World Cup, etc. Settle down,” he stated.

Such admission is for the sake of fans so that they don’t end up expecting far greater realities from the Stars and Stripes. Even though this promising admission from Mark McKenzie does give reassurance over Pochettino’s methods of instilling a strong mentality, Donovan still has an unaddressed major concern.

Lack of competition is still a major concern for Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT

The harsh reality is that the Stars and Stripes have secured their spot in the 2026 World Cup as hosts, a point of contention for Tim Howard and Landon Donovan. In their own hosted podcast, the USMNT icons argued that the team hasn’t faced enough adversity together, despite Mauricio Pochettino’s claims about the challenges of friendlies and CONCACAF Nations League matches.

That’s not all as fingers were also raised over their lack of seriousness, evidently when Christian Pulisic had left the camp early just before a tough away defeat to Mexico. Likewise, Donovan pointed out that had the USMNT been forced to go through the qualifying process, the American boys would have witnessed a completely different level of pressure and challenge. “I’m worried about the makeup of the team,” said Howard.

Clearly, there are doubts about how the USMNT will do against all the European giants while they’re busy paying friendlies with familiar foes. Perhaps that’s something even Pochettino must have in his mind, that led him to start building such a strong mentality in players from scratch.

There are doubts about how the USMNT will fare against European giants while they focus on playing friendlies with familiar foes. Perhaps this is something even Pochettino has considered, prompting him to start building a strong mentality in the players from the ground up.