Mauricio Pochettino said the USMNT coaching staff has added country music to its match-night routine, gathering the night before games and playing songs by Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley. The coach said he likes the music himself, turning an unusual habit into part of the team’s build-up.
The timing matters because the USMNT were preparing on Thursday, June 25, for Turkey in Inglewood, Los Angeles, with a chance to finish top of Group D. Pochettino said the team were 2 for 2 after two victories against Australia and Paraguay, but he still made clear the group wants more than form alone when the next match arrives.
His comments also offered a rare look at how the staff is trying to shape the atmosphere around the team. The country-music choice does not appear to be random. It is a shared ritual, repeated the night before games, with the playlist built from artists the coach named himself. In plain terms, the staff are using familiarity and repetition to set a tone before kickoff.
Pochettino also suggested the routine is tied to the wider mood around the USMNT in Los Angeles. He said artists are welcome at matches and asked for everyone’s energy, a sign that the build-up is not meant to stay inside the locker room. That matters because the team has won twice already, yet still seems to be asking for something extra as the pressure rises.
Country music has already been threaded into the 2026 FIFA World Cup picture in more than one way. John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads has resurfaced as the USMNT’s unofficial anthem, while other players and fans around the event have gravitated toward the same sound. For Pochettino, though, the point is simpler: the night before a match, the staff gathers, the music goes on, and the team tries to carry that rhythm into the next game.
What happens next is straightforward. The USMNT move into Turkey with the chance to close the group stage on top, and Pochettino has made it clear that the final push will be made with the same offbeat soundtrack already in place.
