Pochettino faces off against mentor Bielsa when US meets Uruguay in friendly

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Mauricio Pochettino gets to match up Tuesday night against Marcelo Bielsa, the coach who recruited him as a 13-year-old, when the United States plays Uruguay in a pre-World Cup friendly.

Pochettino, 53, took over the U.S. team last year while the 70-year-old Bielsa became Uruguay’s coach in 2023.

“My admiration and my respect is massive,” Pochettino said Monday. “He was key in my career (as) a player and key in – to love that game and to inspire, he inspired me to keep pushing, trying to be a coach. Yes, tomorrow for me is a thing to enjoy, to be with him very close and in the same time we are going to suffer because all the teams under Marcelo’s management are so tough to play.”

Pochettino played under Bielsa at Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina from 1990-92. Bielsa went on to coach Argentina and Chile as well as several clubs. After his playing career ended in 2006, Pochettino has coached clubs that included Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

He called Bielsa a hero of his.

“You always wait (for) him to say hello and then you say hello,” Pochettino said.

The 16th-ranked U.S. is coming off a 2-1 win over Paraguay on Saturday, the same day No. 15 Uruguay tied 0-0 at Mexico.

Pochettino plans to rotate some of his lineup, given the short turnaround and the switch from cool weather last weekend in Chester, Pennsylvania, to warmer temperatures in Florida.

“We need to think (of) the clubs that they own the players and not to take any risk because I think they are in a moment that is (a) very tough period in the competition,” he said.

The U.S. is unbeaten in four straight games, all friendlies against World Cup-bound teams. Pochettino took over the Americans in October 2024 following a first-round elimination at the Copa America and described the team’s poor results at the CONCACAF Nations League final four in March as a turning point.

“You don’t change the captain of the ship in the middle of this storm. No, you give confidence and drive,” he said. “But if something was wrong, you need to change. But when you change, you need time to build the way that you are going to operate and do the things.”

After Tuesday, the U.S. has two friendlies in March before Pochettino announces his World Cup roster.

Also Monday, the U.S. Soccer Federation said former Deloitte Consulting  CEO Dan Helfrich will become its chief operating officer on Jan. 1. Helfrich, a former Georgetown soccer player, has been a play-by-play broadcaster of the Hoyas’ men’s soccer team since 2005.