Coach Mauricio Pochettino of the United States said that Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Guatemala in the Concacaf Gold Cup felt a semi-final as a match on the road, adding that the spirit of the opposite fans was something that American supporters could learn.
More than 22,000 spectators attended the game in St. Louis and the majority were Guatemala supporters, who loudly supported their team during the game, even when the early brace of Diego Luna de US helped reach the final, where they meet on Mexico on Sunday.
“The fans of Guatemala, I have to say, wow, incredible. It was as if, to play there. And that was good for our players because it was an atmosphere that we did not expect,” the former manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea Pochettino told reporters.
Argentinian Pochettino said he hoped to see the same passion of American fans when the World Cup will take place in the US next year.
“An incredible energy. That is football, that is football. If we say, the connection between the team and the fans, that is the connection we would like to see during the World Cup. The connection that you let fly,” he said.
“When we talk about culture, that culture … to see (Guatemala), how they fight, how fans behave, that is an important thing that we have to learn in this country.”
Pochettino said that in many countries football matches were seen so much more than sporting glasses.
“In another country you play (to) survive. You play for food. You play for pride … it's not enjoying, going home and laughing, that's it,” he said.
“The moment we, this schedule, start to live in this way, I think we have a large space to improve.”