USMNT Manager Mauricio Pochettino praised his team's performance in a challenging 1-0 victory against Jamaica, acknowledging the need for improvement. He emphasized the importance of learning from tough matches and preparing for the next leg in St. Louis, while recognizing Jamaica's quality as a team.
Question: “You came in an arena packed with a lot of eager and excited Jamaica fans. How will you manage to silence the noise and stick to the objectives and get a crucial goal and a win heading into the second?"
Pochettino's Answer: "I think the first step is done. I want to congratulate my players because in a difficult situation, they competed really well. We competed really well, and I am so pleased. Of course, we need to improve in all areas; that is logical because it's only one month that we are working, and it is only our second camp. But I think to come here and face and play against Jamaica, a very good player, was tough for us. I think we defended well in the second half. We conceded some chances that maybe Jamaica could score, but overall I am happy with the way the team competed. We didn't concede, and now we need to prepare for the second leg in St. Louis. It's going to be tough because Jamaica, like today, showed that they are a very good team and they have very good players."
Question: “Also in the second half, we saw that the Jamaicans actually came back and applied a lot of pressure. How were you able to kind of handle that pressure and still maintain the score at the end?"
Pochettino's Answer: "I think for us it is really good to have this type of opponent like Jamaica to make us realize that we need to fight to match the aggressivity of the opponent. It's true that it's not easy competition, but we learn. We need to learn, and today is another step. Learning is easier when you win games; you can learn fast. But I think yes, it was a tough game. We need to be pleased and now try to design all the strategy to recover and be ready for Monday."