Mauricio Pochettino said that ‘American sports reward losers’ when asked about the style of play in top European nations vs. in the U.S. 😯🇺🇸 QUESTION: “We know how England, France, Spain play… Players from countries with a strong tradition have a recognizable style. What is the style of the US team? What kind of football do the Americans want to play?” ANSWER: “Their culture is playful. They want to play. We told them, “Guys, playing soccer is one thing, competing is another.” They’re two completely different sports. They grow up in a culture of playing. Why? If you start in MLS and you haven’t won a game in three months and you’re at the bottom, what’s the consequence if there’s no promotion or relegation, no international competition? American sports reward losers! But soccer is different: if you reward those who don’t win… If you don’t have goals, you don’t fight. If I lose, what happens? Nothing. They just fire the coach. Also, the American player is disciplined. But with a sense of complacency that isn’t good in soccer. It took us a year and a half to change that mentality.” [EL PAIS]