Trump wishes US football team luck ahead of FIFA WC opener against Paraguay
Inglewood, June 13
US President Donald Trump extended his wishes to the national football side ahead of their FIFA World Cup campaign opener against Paraguay on Friday.
The official X handle of the US football team posted a video of the manager, Mauricio Pochettino, receiving a phone call from Trump. The post was captioned, "Last night, we received a message of support from POTUS ahead of our World Cup journey."
Trump said to the coach on the phone, "I just called to say you are a fantastic guy, a fantastic coach. I know all about your record and your success. I think you have got a really good chance of going all the way. I just want to wish you a lot of luck."
In return, Pochettino thanked Trump and vowed to make the US proud with his team's performances.
The US is in Group D with Paraguay, Australia and Turkiye. After this match against Paraguay on Friday, they will play Australia in Seattle on June 19 and Turkiye on June 25 at Inglewood.
FIFA World Cup 2026 - USA full squad-Goalkeepers: Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire)
-Defenders: Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Sergino Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Auston Trusty (Celtic), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach)
-Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Monchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps)
-Forwards: Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Tim Weah (Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Alex Zendejas (Club America).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Trump calling the manager a "fantastic guy" is so on-brand for him 😂 But honestly, this is quite a nice gesture. Shows how much the World Cup means to everyone, even leaders. Good luck to USA! 🎉
As an Indian who follows world football, I find it amusing that Americans still call it 'soccer' and now their President is giving motivational calls. But Pochettino is a top coach, and with Pulisic, Balogun, and McKennie, they have a real chance to make the knockouts. My pick: USA and Turkiye to go through from this group. Let's see!
Nice to see a politician supporting sports without controversy for once. But can we talk about how strong the US squad looks? Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie... that's a solid spine. 🇺🇸⚽
Trump wishing luck is fine, but I hope the team focuses on the game and not the politics around it. Pochettino should keep the players grounded. Paraguay is a tricky opponent, and you can't underestimate Australia either. Wishing USA all the best from India! 🇮🇳🤝🇺🇸
Wait, Trump actually watches football (soccer)? I thought he only liked golf and rallies! 😂 But props to him for the call. The US team has a good mix of young talent and experience under Pochettino. Hope they go far! Let's go USA! 🏆
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