VIDEO SHOWS: U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM TRAINING, SOUNDBITES FROM PLAYERS AND COACH/ SENDING WITH COMPLETE STORY. SHOWS: AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 2. (SOUNDBITE)(English) WESTON MCKENNIE, USMNT PLAYER, SAYING: “Texas heat is definitely different heat than anywhere else. Even me, I'm trying to sweat a little bit more, so I got a sweater on, but it's not the best idea for training. So, I would say hydrate, take a lot of sodium, and it's a good thing that the game's a little bit later in the day.” 3. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 4. (SOUNDBITE)(English) CHRISTIAN PULISIC, USMNT PLAYER, SAYING: “I've been here for quite a long time and I've had a lot of experience, you know, in Europe as well. Coming into this team, obviously being one of the more experienced guys, I think it's my job to help some of the younger players and help try to lead by example as much as I can and, yeah, do my best for this team.” 5. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 6. (SOUNDBITE)(English) CHRISTIAN PULISIC, USMNT PLAYER, SAYING: “I think we want to have this, you know, take this game seriously. I think we want to go in and find ways to win. I think that's important. I think, you know, this is a really good side as well, and… Yeah, we want to prove that we can compete and come out with a good result.” 7. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 8. (SOUNDBITE)(English) CHRIS RICHARDS, USMNT PLAYER, SAYING: “Yeah, of course, I mean, any time you step on the field, you kind of have to measure yourself to the next team. And I think there's this kind of stigma that friendlies don't mean much, but for us, it means everything going into a World Cup year. So, we're gonna use these games to be as competitive as possible and try to win.” 9. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 10. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MALIK TILLMAN, USMNT PLAYER, SAYING: “Try to give it my best, be dangerous for the opponent and fight for the team.” 11. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 12. VARIOUS OF USMNT PLAYER DIEGO LUNA HOLDING A TEAM JACKET 13. USMNT HEAD COACH MAURICIO POCHETTINO HOLDING A JERSEY WITH HIS NAME ON IT 14. USMNT HEAD COACH MAURICIO POCHETTINO ENTERING ROOM FOR NEWS CONFERENCE 15. USMNT LOGO 16. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MAURICIO POCHETTINO, USMNT HEAD COACH, SAYING: “Now, I promise you, no one is sure that he’s going to be on the roster of the World Cup 2026 here. I don't believe before that was in the same way or not. But today, I promise, all the guys feel that they need to fight for to be there. And that is priceless.” 17. MEDIA/ POCHETTINO 18. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MAURICIO POCHETTINO, USMNT HEAD COACH, SAYING: “That is the important thing. From now, it's about to talk about to improve, improve, improve, do better things. And for sure, arrive in the best condition for the World Cup, that is the reality how people are going to judge us.” 19. USMNT LOGO ON SHIRT 20. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MAURICIO POCHETTINO, USMNT HEAD COACH, SAYING: “Ecuador is going to be difficult. Ecuador was second on the qualification in South America. That is very tough when you play again Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and company, Paraguay, Chile, and to do this, Colombia. Second in the qualification is because you are doing something good and then you have very good players.” 21. POCHETTINO DURING NEWS CONFERENCE STORY: The U.S. Men’s National Team was warming up in Austin, Texas on Thursday (Oct. 9), the day before a friendly against Ecuador at Q2 Stadium. For USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino, the pressure was on players to prove themselves for a roster spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026 as the event draws closer. “Now, I promise you, no one is sure that he’s going to be on the roster of the World Cup 2026 here,” Pochettino said. “All the guys feel that they need to fight for to be there. And that is priceless.” For USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie, the sweltering Texas temperatures provided an added training challenge. “Texas heat is definitely different heat than anywhere else,” McKennie said. “I would say, hydrate, take a lot of sodium, and it's a good thing that the game's a little bit later in the day.” The United States will be the main host for the 2026 World Cup starting in the summer of 2026, with Canada and Mexico serving as auxiliary hosts. In June, Ecuador became the 13th nation to qualify for the World Cup. (Production: Evan Garcia)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
