Pochettino hails team effort after USA victory
United States coach Mauricio Pochettino refused to single out any individual player for praise following the co-hosts' dream World Cup opening win, insisting Friday's 4-1 victory over Paraguay was a collective effort.
The USA cruised past Paraguay on an electric night in Los Angeles, with Folarin Balogun scoring twice, Giovanni Reyna adding a late stunner and Paraguay contributing an early own goal.
"It's not only to talk about some names, it's about the collective," Pochettino said.
"It's not only Balo or different players that performed. I think the team was amazing. Not only the starting 11 but all the players around and on the bench."
Pressed by a reporter after the match about the performance of USA talisman Christian Pulisic, Pochettino again stressed the importance of the team effort.
"You push me to talk about names, and it's about the team, it's a collective performance. Of course, he was amazing," the Argentine said.
He then proceeded to praise almost every member of the starting lineup, describing each as "amazing".
Pochettino was also effusive in his praise for the crowd of more than 70,000 in Los Angeles.
Despite some reports suggesting the American public is less invested in the tournament than supporters in other host nations — particularly with the NBA Finals competing for attention — the atmosphere was raucous throughout the match.
"On behalf of the whole team, massive thank you to the fans, because the energy that they relate to the team was amazing, and we can do amazing things if the fans are in this way," Pochettino said.
The United States are in a strong position in Group D, which also includes Australia and Turkey.
"We are so happy, but this is only the start," Pochettino said.
"It's still two games to play. We need to enjoy this start to the tournament, but know that we need to keep going and try to improve and try to do better in the next game, because all the games are very competitive."
