USMNT Coach Mauricio Pochettino Gets Extra Security After Alleged Training Spy Scare
· Yahoo Sports
For the USMNT coach, Mauricio Pochettino, prevention is always better than cure. The Argentine coach knows the history of espionage in soccer, and the USMNT believes there may have been an attempted spying incident before the Round of 32. Hence, just before the historic Round of 16 game against Belgium, the USMNT is not leaving any stone unturned. This includes installing blacked-out fences around the team’s practice ground in Seattle.
“Mauricio Pochettino has introduced extra security measures to prevent any potential repeat of a ‘Spygate’ incident before the USA’s R16 match vs. Belgium. Blacked-out fences have been installed around the USMNT’s training base at the University of Washington’s Husky Soccer Stadium. The move comes after someone was reportedly seen filming the area before the United States’ match against Australia two weeks ago,” The Touchline shared via X.
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According to a USMNT official, the precaution is taken mainly due to the ground location. Pochettino’s boys are allotted an elevated ground to the west of Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle for practice. However, the problem was the tall buildings around the ground. As per the USMNT staff, there was a risk of spying from those buildings. For example, there was an undergraduate dormitory on the University of Washington’s campus. From its top floor, the entire practice ground is clearly visible.
No one suspects that Belgium or anyone else was trying to spy on the team’s training session, a U.S. Soccer spokesman clarified. But Mauricio Pochettino has all the reasons to be careful. Soccer has its own history of spying on rival teams.
Moreover, during the group stage, one day before the USMNT’s match against Australia, the team trained at Husky Soccer Stadium. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino walked up to the small hill overlooking the field, pulled out his phone, and appeared to film a 360-degree video. A team spokesman later said he was joking. Two weeks later, back in Seattle, the screens went up on that same hill.
“I wanted to see, because we are in an era of — como se dice, ‘espías?’ — spies.” Pochettino said before their game against Australia: “It was a good opportunity to see. I was doing a video, not a picture, all around, to share later with (team security officer) Jerry (Rawlins) … to share a little bit to see things. Only I wanted that — to see how the view was from outside.”
In the ongoing World Cup, a drone was spotted hovering directly over South Korea’s closed tactical training session in Guadalajara, Mexico, just days before their critical group stage match against co-hosts Mexico. While the drone was forced away, no one has been apprehended so far. Hence, for Pochettino, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
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