Sports

Why USMNT coaching target Mauricio Pochettino could turn to lemons in quest for World Cup glory

Published

2 years ago

August 29, 2024

Why USMNT coaching target Mauricio Pochettino could turn to lemons in quest for World Cup glory

If and when Mauricio Pochettino moves to the United States and becomes U.S. men’s national team head coach, he’ll be in for an adjustment.

Atlanta, Georgia — the future site of U.S. Soccer’s headquarters and training center — is a far cry from Barcelona, Paris or London. Atlanta is, by most accounts, cosmopolitan, but it’s likely missing a bit of the Old World charm possessed by some of Pochettino’s previous stations in life.

Maybe he’ll work to decorate his office to give it a touch of those places. A photo of his former roommate and teammate at Newell’s Old Boys, Diego Maradona, might get thrown up on one wall. Maybe a jersey from his time at Paris Saint-Germain, or La Liga side Espanyol, the club that formed him more than any other.

And, of course, there will be lemons.

You see, in at least one sense, Pochettino is already uniquely equipped for life in America.

The 52-year-old Argentine has a bit of an obsession with the types of motivational techniques and borderline supernatural beliefs that many Americans are obsessed with.

GO DEEPER

Is becoming USMNT head coach the right move for Mauricio Pochettino?

If you’re an insomniac, you’ve probably seen the late-night infomercials. Pochettino will speak of auras, of self-determination, of bravery. He’ll walk you over hot coals, or walk you into a wall with an arrow pressed to your throat. Spend enough time around the guy and you might end up in a trust fall.

And then there are the lemons. Walk into Pochettino’s office in Atlanta once he gets settled and you’ll surely see the lemons.

“An Argentinian friend told me that lemons absorb negative energy and cleanse the air,” Pochettino writes in Brave New World, a book which documents his five years as head coach of London-based Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. “Which is why I have a tray of them in my office.

“We all have the potential to see the energy that surrounds objects and people, although not everyone has honed that sense. For whatever reason, I’ve been able to develop an ability which allows me to see others’ auras.”

Indeed, Brave New World, a breezy, 267-page read produced alongside Spanish author and journalist Guillem Balague, is full of motivational buzzwords. Search for the word “brave” and you’ll find some version of that word used on 18 different occasions. “Energy” is in there 40 times, “aura” a half-dozen. Lemons, well… they get just the one mention.

(Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Pochettino is famously thorough in how he prepares his teams for play, both from a tactical standpoint and from a fitness perspective. Equally as important, though, are his motivational beliefs and the faith he puts in his players. Those beliefs underpin everything Pochettino does as a manager. And in a way, many of those beliefs were formed with the help of Xesco Espar.

Espar first met Pochettino while the Argentine was finishing his playing career at Espanyol in the mid-2000s. A few years later, when Pochettino became that Barcelona club’s head coach during a fierce La Liga relegation battle, the two reconnected. Pochettino had read Espar’s book Jugar con el Corazon (Play from your Heart) — and felt it closely mirrored his own philosophies. Espar, a former handball player and coach who led FC Barcelona’s handball team to a European championship, was happy to help.

GO DEEPER

Who is Pochettino? Is this a coup for the USMNT? Will it help them at World Cup?

Years later, when Pochettino took over a promising Southampton side midway through the 2012-13 Premier League season, Espar remembers his friend feeling frustrated.

“The first time we talked (after he arrived) he said, ‘These players are much better than they think’,’” says Espar. “‘We have to do something to make them realize this’.”

Espar and Pochettino pulled their solution right out of an American corporate retreat.

In the following preseason, the squad went to Espar’s home base in Spain for a few days of seminars and motivational talks. And then they all filed outside, where they saw a bed of hot coals laid out in front of them. Pochettino went first, calmly and cooly traversing the briquettes without a hint of hesitation. Newcomer and current CF Montreal midfielder Victor Wanyama had a tougher time, as did 31-year-old striker Rickie Lambert, who approached with clear hesitation. In the end, they all passed over the coals, egged on by their teammates and by Pochettino himself.

“It was just a metaphor for breaking your own beliefs about yourself and what you can do,” says Espar. “And they had an amazing season. They were safe (from relegation) very quickly (and finished eighth in the 20-club English top flight, Southampton’s highest final placing for 11 years). He trusts the players. This is one of his main characteristics.”

Pochettino used motivational techniques on his Southampton players (AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)

Espar picked up the hot-coals trick from Tony Robbins, who is maybe the poster child of self-help and motivational techniques in the United States. Pochettino also had his players do something a little bit more terrifying — place the shaft of an arrow on the soft tissue around their throat and lean against a board until it snapped.

His motivational beliefs, though, extend well beyond the Robbins-inspired team-building exercises. There’s his belief in the power of a handshake — at Spurs, Pochettino required players to shake his hand every morning as they entered the team cafeteria, and do the same with each other as well.

“When you touch some people, you feel the energy,” Pochettino once said in a podcast appearance. “You feel if it’s good, if they need love, if they’re upset, if they sleep well. You can have a lot of information that is so important afterwards to manage — you are not managing a robot, you are managing a person that you’re going to ask for the best form. You are going to try to get the best to try to achieve all that you want.”

Instituting mandatory handshakes was likely just a bonding exercise at Spurs, but to Pochettino, he may have been after something more. While the Argentine relies on sports scientists and analysts for performance data, he relies on personal contact with players to gauge another metric: their aura.

GO DEEPER

Pochettino’s tactics: How he can energise the USMNT ahead of the 2026 World Cup

“I believe nothing happens by chance,” Pochettino writes in Brave New World. “There is a reason for everything.

“Since those early days, I’ve had the ability to notice something powerful that you can’t see, but that does exist. A vital force, an energy field that makes the world go round, an aura that accompanies people, which gives lots of information about them. It’s in my skin, I feel it. (Wife) Karina and I call it ‘universal energy’. My wife helped me get to grips with it and gain a more in-depth understanding. Others helped me explore those feelings further. It isn’t superstition or black magic. I believe there is science behind it.”

American soccer fans are not unfamiliar with team-building or motivational quackery.

Previous USMNT boss Jurgen Klinsmann is German but was as close to a native Californian as he could be by the time he took the head coaching job in 2011, having lived there for the preceding 13 years, and it often felt like a lot of his remarks about players and his coaching philosophy felt steeped in West Coast self-help jargon.

If Pochettino’s trip over the hot coals feels like a scene out of The Office, Klinsmann took things a step further by having his players watch a 55-year-old dude in a tracksuit tear up a few phonebooks and bend a frying pan in half.

USMNT legend Tim Howard spoke about Klinsmann’s approach recently. He did not hold back.

“I don’t remember a time when there was a bigger disconnect between the players and the manager than under Jurgen,” former goalkeeper Howard wrote in the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper. “He organized a lot of team excursions. He specialized in fluff and philosophical rhetoric. But there was zero soccer.”

Such is not the case with Pochettino, of course, who would bring an extensive coaching resume with him and a reputation not only for man-managing but also managing the game itself. “He uses very advanced analytical techniques as well,” adds Espar. “He is not just a ‘motivational guru’ or something like that. He has a strong playbook, a strong model and methodology of the game and training and physical conditioning. It’s not just motivational stuff.”

The Argentine is explicit with players about positioning, almost micromanaging that aspect of the game, and about building play from the back. He also puts an extreme emphasis on trust and relationship building. Pochettino, famously, does not fine players for minor infractions and he never enters the changing room at the training facility. In many ways, he delegates much of the responsibility for leadership to the players themselves.

“He balances leadership and management,” says Espar. “Management is talking to the player’s head, leadership is talking to the player’s heart. He is very good at balancing those things. He has a strong structure in training, with practices, assistants, all of that work. And then he also trusts the players more than most other coaches. He gives the power to the players. He gives recognition to players, but he also gives accountability to them.

“For both of us, the difference between a championship team and a team that wins multiple championships is who holds the accountability. In a championship team, the coach holds the accountability. But in a multi-championship team, it is the players who hold each other accountable. That is one of the main philosophies for Pochettino. He sees the players better than what they already are.”

But let’s not forget about the lemons.

Because after all of this work, after forming a deep well of knowledge and crafting his own unique vision for his team, Pochettino still relies on a citrus fruit — at least a little bit — to turn the ship around.

The USMNT is in a bit of a low moment right now after having crashed out of this summer’s Copa America on home soil and is seeking a turnaround ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which they’ll co-host with Canada and Mexico. If Pochettino has anything to say about it, the lemons will probably play a part in that.

“They started to work after two years at Tottenham,” he said during his tenure at Spurs’ London rivals Chelsea last season. “Give time to the lemons. It is a thing that we all believe… They need a long time, they are not magic, but more than ever, I still believe in them.”

(Top photo: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty; additional photo credit to iStock; Design: Dan Goldfarb)

Click to comment

Sports

AJ Brown trade outcome: Dianna Russini paid a heavy price while Mike Vrabel emerged unscathed

Published

6 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

AJ Brown trade outcome: Dianna Russini paid a heavy price while Mike Vrabel emerged unscathed

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Mike Vrabel and A.J. Brown were winning on Tuesday because the long-rumored trade that reunited them was finally complete. Brown was free of his recent unhappiness with the Philadelphia Eagles, while Vrabel spoke easily and smartly about how his Super Bowl team was getting better.

It was one lovely victory lap for everybody.

Except for Dianna Russini.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel celebrates after the AFC championship game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High in Denver, Colo., on Jan. 25, 2026. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

MIKE VRABEL BREAKS HIS SILENCE ON DIANNA RUSSINI CONTROVERSY

Yes, this is about her as much as Vrabel and Brown. Those three names will be linked for a long time in NFL circles based on what happened going back as far as September of 2025, and then definitely through this offseason that was about, well, the relationship between the coach and the reporter.

If you aren’t up to speed on that relationship, you’ve got homework. And you will probably catch up easily because the reference material is everywhere — the photos of Russini and Vrabel together, the denials of anything untoward between two married people, the collapse of the professional friendship narrative, and everything after.

So, to the uninitiated, you’re excused. Go now and read the soap opera’s opening chapters. Because this might be the saga’s end, barring a major surprise.

And let me cut to that end:

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown walks on the field during an NFL training camp in Philadelphia on July 29, 2025. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

Brown wins. He’s wholly unscathed, in fact, and happy as a clam with a new team he grew up adoring.

Vrabel wins, too. Yes, he took some lumps, suffered some humiliating moments in front of reporters and had some family conversations he termed “very difficult,” but he’s ultimately none the worse for wear.

And then there’s Russini. She lost. Big time.

FORMER NFL REPORTER MICHELE TAFOYA WEIGHS IN ON WHY RUSSINI’S CREDIBILITY IS GONE

It was saddening to watch Vrabel’s presser because it was Russini who first reported teams were calling the Eagles about Brown back in September of 2025. She first reported the Eagles weren’t interested in trading Brown.

Russini called it when she told everyone the Patriots were interested (so were the Los Angeles Rams, by the way). And she was right again when she said earlier this year that Brown wouldn’t be traded around the start of the league year in March but watch out for June.

She was dead-on accurate with practically all of it.

Dianna Russini, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, are shown in a split composite image featuring Russini with an ESPN microphone and Vrabel on the Titans sideline wearing a headset. (Imagn Images)

But everyone has surmised all that information came out of her relationship with Vrabel. All that insider work came from other alleged inside work.

Russini’s information was great but how she seemingly attained it eventually led to her resigning from The Athletic. And sullying her professional reputation.

Losses.

MIKE VRABEL STEPS AWAY INDEFINITELY TO SEEK COUNSELING

Vrabel? He seemed just fine on Tuesday.

About the hardest thing he had to do was answer a question about Brown’s obvious displeasure last year in Philly.

“I don’t know what happened,” Vrabel said. “I’m not trying to figure out what happened in Philadelphia. I’m trying to focus on what’s going to happen here and trying to get him acclimated to what we do and how we do it.”

Vrabel, during this press conference, congratulated a reporter for winning a marathon. He thanked Executive Vice President for Player Personnel Eliot Wolf for making the trade happen. And he took a bunch of football questions.

Dianna Russini attends the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Pier 48 in San Francisco, California, on Feb. 7, 2026. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

There was not one question about whether he indeed for months leaked to Russini details of where the Patriots and Eagles talks were. Not one question about how his family “counseling” sessions are going or if his marriage is certain to survive.

There was nothing uncomfortable because it seems the local media lost interest or its curiosity on a day the story that Russini beat them on for months was laid bare before them.

And, the thing is, if Vrabel didn’t have to sweat this occasion, he’s probably in the clear. He’s not likely to get tough questions about the whole affair (pardon the pun) again unless more facts come out that raise the issue from the grave.

So, yeah, Mike Vrabel has survived. He’s won.

FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO

Armando Salguero is OutKick’s Senior NFL Writer.

Sports

Nelly Korda, Michelle Wie West and more: Who to watch at U.S. Women’s Open

Published

6 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Nelly Korda, Michelle Wie West and more: Who to watch at U.S. Women’s Open

Reaching the summit is a dream. But staying there? That’s an altogether different challenge.

Maja Stark has a special appreciation for that now, a year after winning the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills and feeling the hefty weight of expectation that came along with it.

For her, the aftermath of that victory brought heightened anxiety, and searing criticism from outsiders when the Swedish professional’s play took a dip.

“You get comments and stuff saying, ‘What happened? You just won a major; why do you suck all of a sudden?‘” Stark said at the Chevron Championship in April. “That does take some energy and just makes you focus on the wrong things. Then I got even more stressed and anxious.”

Maja Stark plays a shot from a bunker on the 17th hole during the third round of the Chevron Championship on April 25.

(Alex Slitz / Getty Images)

Stark said she sought professional help in the form of a mental coach, sports psychologist and therapist and now believes she’s better able to withstand the scrutiny that comes with winning at the highest tier.

That career-shaping pressure will be on display again this week when the USGA brings the U.S. Women’s Open to Riviera Country Club for the first time, merging the game’s most prestigious women’s championship with a historic venue celebrating its centennial year. The tournament takes place Thursday through Sunday.

Riviera is a theater, sitting low beneath high hillsides that almost serve as balconies. Players have described the course as a stage because it can feel as if you’re being watched even when you’re alone.

“I think there’s something very nostalgic about the facility,” said Jim Richerson, Riviera’s general manager. “The golf course has never had any major renovations or changes. The clubhouse is the exact same footprint today as it was when it was built in the 1920s.”

The U.S. Women’s Open is the oldest of the LPGA Tour’s five majors, and has long served as the standard by which women’s golf measures itself. It’s open to professionals and elite amateurs through a qualifying process, and the tournament is known for identifying the player who can withstand the most pressure under the most demanding conditions.

NBC will televise the championship and although Mike Tirico will not call the event, he knows the significance of holding it at Riviera.

“Without there being a Masters for women’s golf, that tournament really is the crown jewel of the sport,” Tirico said. “It has become the event people dream of winning. … It’s just appropriate that it’s contested at a place like Riviera that for so many generations has come to define a great championship test of golf.”

A look at some of the players to watch:

Nelly Korda

The world’s No. 1 player is a major needle mover for women’s golf and is a significant source of ratings when she’s in contention. She had a record five consecutive victories last season and seven overall. Her missing major is the U.S. Women’s Open. She finished in a runner-up spot last year and left Erin Hills firmly believing a win was within reach.

Jeeno Thitikul

The former World No. 1 is still in pursuit of her first major championship. She’s a big question mark in the field.

Lydia Ko

This Hall of Fame player is the only golfer in modern Olympic history to win a complete set of medals — gold, silver and bronze — across three different Olympic Games. She’s still looking for her first U.S. Women’s Open win.

Charley Hull

A colorful character who went viral during the 2024 Open for smoking a cigarette while signing autographs and playing. She was among a cluster who finished second in that tournament. She has three victories on the LPGA Tour but has yet to win a major.

Rose Zhang

Zhang, who has been splitting time between Stanford and the LPGA, amassed a remarkable collection of victories as an amateur and three years ago, became the first player in 72 years to win an LPGA Tour event in her professional debut.

Minjee Lee

Lee, an Australian star, has won three majors including the U.S. Women’s Open in 2022. Her younger brother, Min Woo, won the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, making them the first brother-sister tandem to win the USGA’s junior championships.

Yuka Saso

She is the anomaly of anomalies, with zero wins on the LPGA Tour with the exception of two U.S. Women’s Open victories. She won the first of those at 19 years, 11 months and seven days — astoundingly tying her for the youngest player to win the Open with Inbee Park, who was precisely that old when she won in 2008.

Lilia Vu

Vu grew up in Fountain Valley and was a standout at UCLA. She won two majors in 2023 but lately has been battling back problems.

Michelle Wie West

Wie West retired three years ago after the Open at Pebble Beach, but is coming out of retirement to use her last year of exemption to play at Riviera. Her husband, Jonnie West, son of late NBA icon Jerry West, will be caddying for her.

Sports

Tomas Hertl scores game-winner as Golden Knights rally to beat Hurricanes in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final

Published

16 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Press Room

Tomas Hertl scores game-winner as Golden Knights rally to beat Hurricanes in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The Vegas Golden Knights have taken Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, erasing the Carolina Hurricanes’ early 2-0 lead to win a thrilling 5-4 game in Raleigh and set the tone for this best-of-seven series.

It’s a seven-game win streak for Vegas now, as they haven’t lost since Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Anaheim Ducks. They surprisingly swept the Colorado Avalanche to win the West, and they kept that momentum going on the road.

Tomas Hertl was the hero for the Golden Knights in Game 1, as he scored the game-winning goal on a snipe with 3:25 left in the third period.

Tomas Hertl of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates a goal during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game One of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on June 2, 2026. (Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)

But it wasn’t easy for Vegas in the first period when the Hurricanes were quick to assert their home-ice advantage just 25 seconds into the game.

It was the first shot on goal for either side when Nikolaj Ehlers poked a puck past an aggressive Shea Theodore for Vegas, and he sprinted down ice toward Carter Hart, who mans the Golden Knights’ net. Ehlers, though, had the perfect shot, ringing the post and sending the Hurricanes faithful into a frenzy with the 1-0 lead before some could even get to their seats.

DESPITE POTENTIAL RATINGS NIGHTMARE FOR NHL, VEGAS-CAROLINA STANLEY CUP FINAL STILL HAS PLENTY OF INTRIGUE

Then, midway through the period, Ehlers found himself in yet another breakaway scenario, and he didn’t squander the opportunity to take advantage. He put a nifty move on Hart, and his backhand found the net to make it 2-0.

Jalen Chatfield also had his eye down ice, recognizing that Ehlers was uncovered and quickly turned Jack Eichel’s turnover into the opportunity.

But if there’s anything the Golden Knights have proved in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s to never count them out. Another example of that was seen on Tuesday night.

Theodore made up for his mishap to start the game with an absolute rocket off his stick on a one-timer that saw its way through traffic and past Frederik Anderson in net to get Vegas on the board shortly after Ehlers’ second goal.

Then, as the second period got underway, it was Ivan Barbashev who decided to return the favor of scoring in 30 seconds or less. As Vegas entered the offensive zone with speed, the puck found Jack Eichel’s stick. He quickly spotted Ivan Barbashev cutting through the slot, and Barbashev fired a shot over Frederik Andersen’s right shoulder before the goalie could react.

Nikolaj Ehlers of the Carolina Hurricanes scores his second goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in Game One of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., on June 2, 2026. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

With that, the Golden Knights tied this game up, but they didn’t let the momentum go. William Karlsson, who already has a cup under his belt for Vegas, did his part in seeking the next trophy. Mitch Marner had a tremendous backhand pass from behind the net that found Karlsson’s stick all alone out in front, and Anderson had no chance as Vegas took a 3-2 lead.

At that moment, the air in the Lenovo Center was taken right out of the fans’ sails, but a trusty veteran restored that later in the period. Jordan Staal, who watched his brother and 2006 Stanley Cup champion with the Hurricanes, Eric Staal, get the crowd going with the siren at puck drop, potted his third goal of these playoffs.

Jordan Staal snapped a wrister past Hart thanks to a heads-up play by K’Andre Miller to keep the puck onside and find his teammate fast for the grade-A chance.

The bleeding was stopped, but the third period was bound to be a thriller based on how these two teams were finding clear chances to score. Who broke the tie first was the major question, and Brett Howden had the answer just 1:21 into the period.

The playoff leader in goals, Howden had a beautiful tip on a shot by Theodore for his 11th of the playoffs and perhaps his most important in Game 1. The scoreboard remained silent for some time after that, with both teams trying to set up solid forechecks, but to no avail. The Hurricanes even had a power play, but they couldn’t find the back of the net.

William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period of Game One of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., on June 2, 2026. (Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Then, with 8:41 left, some puck luck found the Hurricanes, as defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere saw an offensive zone face-off biscuit fall right into his lap with no one around. He secured the puck on his stick blade and wristed it past Hart for the 4-4 tie.

However, the rollercoaster ride for the Hurricanes didn’t have a happy ending when they got off, with Hertl’s goal, assisted on a crafty Sissons’ pass following a face-off, being the final say in this one.

Game 2 of this series will be played once more in Raleigh on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.