Brenden Aaronson: Claims that USMNT players lack motivation are false
Brenden Aaronson, a midfielder for the United States, stated that the players on the men’s national team are committed to making their country proud, in light of recent criticism regarding their performances ahead of the World Cup.
In their last matches before coach Mauricio Pochettino announces his World Cup roster, the USMNT faced significant defeats against Belgium and Portugal during home friendlies last month.
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However, Aaronson, who did not play against Belgium but participated for the last 12 minutes against Portugal, emphasized that the outcomes were not indicative of a lack of effort from the team.
“I think it’s tough because I feel like there’s this kind of stigma that people don’t think that we care and stuff like that, but we do care,” Aaronson told ESPN’s Julien Laurens in an interview on Tuesday. “I think we care a lot.”
“It’s challenging when we enter matches and experience losses like that. I believe the Belgium match was a bit unfair, as I thought we performed better for most of that game.”
The U.S., co-hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico, will begin its World Cup journey against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, on June 12. They have two final preparation matches, against Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6.
“In this camp, I noticed everyone was extremely focused. I saw a fantastic group of individuals who want to make the country proud and make everyone proud,” Aaronson added. “Now it’s up to us. We have two more matches leading into the World Cup to do what we can, and the coach is providing us with all the right guidance.”
“So, it’s just up to us. It’s our responsibility to finalize everything, and I believe everyone is prepared to give their all.”
In addition to Paraguay, the U.S. will compete against Australia and TΓΌrkiye in the group stage, with the top two teams advancing automatically to the last 32 alongside the eight best third-placed teams.
Pochettino’s squad faced all three opponents in friendlies last year, achieving victories over Paraguay and Australia but losing to TΓΌrkiye.
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“We played Belgium and Portugal in our last two matches — naturally, we wanted to perform better, but they are two of the top teams in the world, and it’s challenging. I know we could have performed better, and I think as we head into the World Cup, we will face three tough group-stage matches against very strong teams.”
“We just need to be prepared for these matches, and I believe we will be. We’ve faced most of these teams, and we’re ready to give our all and advance past the round of 16 and continue our progress.”
Before that, however, Aaronson mentioned that he is concentrating on the conclusion of the season with Leeds United.
The Yorkshire club is currently positioned 15th in the Premier League, six points above the relegation zone with six matches remaining, and also has an FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on April 26.
The 25-year-old former Philadelphia Union player expressed his desire for a successful conclusion to what he described as “definitely my best season in my career so far.”
“For us, the most important aspect was the Premier League, ensuring we stay up and having a great season, which I believe we have achieved, putting ourselves in a strong position,” he said. “And then the cherry on top is being in the FA Cup and reaching the semifinals.”
“Of course, we are focused on each game as you would expect from a footballer, but that’s in the back of your mind. It’s going to be a significant match for this club and this team.”
