Pochettino chides press for questions after 3-2 loss to Turkey: ‘We won the group’

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Mauricio Pochettino defended his team's performance despite a 3-2 loss to Turkey, emphasizing the US's success in winning Group D. His remarks addressed the media's focus, positioning the loss as inconsequential given earlier victories that momentarily set World Cup records.

Mauricio Pochettino criticized questions over his team’s performance in a 3-2 loss to Turkey on Thursday, telling journalists he expected to be congratulated for leading the US to a first-place finish in the group and found their questions about the dead-rubber loss “weird”. The US had secured top spot in Group D on the back of two historic performances – a 4-1 opening win against Paraguay in which the team scored more goals in a World Cup match than ever before, and a 2-0 victory over Australia that secured a first six-point opening to a World Cup. Much of the discussion going into the match against Turkey centered on whether the US would be able to maintain the considerable momentum gained through those results and performances.