Pochettino and the American Dream: Behind the United States' Boom Is the Support of Billionaires
Two wins in the first two games at the Mundial and growing enthusiasm around the United States national team. Behind the good start of Mauricio Pochettino there is a story of influence from some rich investors and modern technology.
Two wins in the first two games of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and interest in the United States national team is quickly rising. This successful start of the team led by Mauricio Pochettino includes a deeper story that links football, technology, and the influence of some wealthy businessmen.
As the federation searches for the right coach for the home World Cup, investor Scott Goodwin identified Pochettino as the right man to change the face of American soccer. To make this operation possible, Goodwin invited philanthropist David Griffin — known for financing the construction of soccer fields in Chicago and Miami — to support the project.
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://tmw-storage-auto.tcccdn.com/storage/tuttomercatoweb.com/img_notizie/thumb3/8f/8f7c93e3e1b339258df5b2d42e6a3c6e-14454-oooz0000.jpeg" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>Griffin also had a unique condition with Pochettino: the coach was watching the movie Miracle, about US hockey's famous victory against the USSR in 1980. The message was simple: "Why not us?" This attitude of confidence seemed to be inherited by the team, which showed a result at the beginning of the tournament — a start that had not happened since 1930.
The ambitious project was also seen off the pitch. The ticket price for the match against Turkey has risen significantly: the cheapest ticket that used to be around 1,600 euros has gone up to around 55,000 euros for some seats. Meanwhile, Pochettino continues to work with his longtime staff and is supported by advanced data systems and artificial intelligence—an image of the new course of soccer in the United States.
The combination of large funds, technology, and high coaching standards puts the United States as one of the centers of discussion in the first phase of the Mundial 2026. Until now, this experiment is yielding positive results for the team and bringing a new level of hope and commercial interest to the game within the country.
