Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the United States National Team, recently made a strong defense of the competitive level of the Major League Soccer (MLS), while also admitting that American soccer still faces certain challenges in player development. He not only affirmed the positive impact of Messi's joining Miami International, but also expressed his dissatisfaction with the outside world's long-term underestimation of MLS.

"Our image in football is actually improving very quickly," Pochettino said on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast. "We have the best player in the world, Messi, and it's not easy for him to play here because the league here is very competitive. I think the outside world sometimes underestimates MLS, but in the past year, we have been following the game closely and understanding the preparations of the teams and coaches. What I see is strength and quality."

Pochettino also pointed out that the biggest challenge facing American football is not the competitive level, but the position issue in sports culture.

"We have to be honest with ourselves: when people think of the United States, they think of the Olympics, basketball, football, ice hockey, baseball, and then soccer. With that mindset, it's hard to get attention. What we need to do is give our players the best development tools to help them improve their performance."

When talking about the impressive players in the national team, Pochettino especially praised Diego Luna, a young midfielder who plays for Real Salt Lake City. Luna broke his nose in a game, but he still insisted on playing with the injury and assisted his teammates to score, showing amazing willpower.

"It doesn't surprise me," Pochettino said. "As a coach with many years of coaching experience, you can 'smell' which players have something special. In the Orlando game, he was elbowed in the nose and bleeding, but he said to me, 'Coach, I want to play'. He continued to play, challenge, hit, steal the ball, assist, which is exactly what I want to see."

"This is the mentality I pursue - players don't play for money or fame, but for honor and the jersey. It was the same when I played football myself. I didn't rely on talent, but on love and fighting spirit."

The United States is currently preparing for the 2025 Gold Cup, where they will face Türkiye on June 7 in East Hartford, Connecticut, and Switzerland on June 10.