All the U.S. men’s national team might need on Sunday night in the Gold Cup Final can come from another legendary American athlete.
“Pressure is a privilege.”
The famous phrase comes from one of the greatest tennis players, Billie Jean King, who won 12 Grand Slam titles and broke barriers in sport. For the U.S. men, it’s a similar case as they look for an eighth Gold Cup title against Mexico.
Sunday’s match will be the final time the Stars and Stripes hit the pitch in a competitive game ahead of next year’s co-hosted FIFA World Cup, and another time where El Tri supporters will likely outnumber their fans.
For one last time, there’s pressure.
Think back to all the issues the USMNT have tackled over the last two months, from crushing losses in two friendlies against UEFA opponents, or the struggles to get Christian Pulisic and others to commit. None of that matters much now; it’s all on the privilege of playing for a title in what would become an undefeated run.
“The team is going to be ready to fight on the pitch again, not only against the players from Mexico, but with the difficult atmosphere and the crowd,” head coach Mauricio Pochettino told reporters Saturday. “It's good for us. It's good because I think it's going to be the last game that we are going to play under pressure, and to play under pressure is what we need and this team needs.”
After Sunday’s match, the USMNT will have to rely on friendlies for preparation, a tough stage to turn any narratives surrounding the team, even if they have their top European-based players.
“It's important that we have that difficult scenario to feel the pressure, and to feel the stress, because the World Cup is going to be about feeling the pressure, the stress,” Pochettino added. “I think it's going to be great to have this opportunity to see ourselves and how we deal with it.”
