"Me ya sa ba mu ba?" Waɗannan kalmomi uku, da aka ɗinke a bango na ofishin Mauricio Pochettino na wucin gadi a cikin ɗakin kwana na ƙungiyar, sun sami nauyin saƙon da ba na yau da kullun ba a wannan FIFA World Cup 2026.

A watan Maris, lokacin da Pochettino ya bayyana cewa United States na iya ɗaukar kofin duniya, an karɓi kalaminsa da shakka sosai. Ko da yake USA sun kai matakin knock-out sau tara cikin Kofuna na Duniya goma na ƙarshe, sun wuce zagaye na 16 sau ɗaya kawai — lokacin da suka kai zagaye na kusa da ƙarshe a 2002. Babban nasararsu ita ce kai zagaye na ƙarshe huɗu a Kofin Duniya na farko ƙwarai a 1930, ƙwaƙƙwaran tuna da ke nesa.

A wannan mahallin ne canje-canjen da Pochettino ya kawo ke da muhimmanci sosai. USA sun yi nasara a wasanninsu biyu na farko na Ƙungiya D — nasara mai ƙarfi 4-1 akan Paraguay, sannan nasara 2-0 akan Australia a Seattle — suna wasa ƙwallon ƙafa mai tashin hankali wanda ya hargitsa dukan ƙasa. Magoya bayan ƙwallon ƙafa da waɗanda ba su kai gaba ba sun fara maimaita kalmomin da ke kan wannan bango.

Sabbin sifofin ƙungiyar a ƙarƙashin Pochettino

Tsohon koci na Tottenham Hotspur ya hada hazakar matasa masu ban sha'awa da 'yan wasa masu kwarewa daga manyan gasar Turai, yana farkar da tunanin kananan masu fafatawa wanda ya taɓa mamaye ƙwallon ƙafa na Amurka. Tare da "me ya sa ba mu ba?", bangen ofishinsa kuma suna ɗauke da kalmomi irin su "yi imani, yi aiki, yi gasa" da "yanzu shine lokacinmu!" — kuma waɗannan saƙonnin sun shiga zukatan 'yan wasa.

"Ina tsammanin ya kawo wannan ruhun Kudancin Amurka da muke rasa," in ji dan wasan gaba Tim Weah. "Kullum mun kasance 'yan kirki, don haka yanzu yana da daɗi kasancewa a gefen ɗayan kuma kamar masu farmakin kaɗan. Yana da daɗi. Coach Poch babban koci ne mai ban sha'awa."

Bayan nasara akan Australia a Seattle Stadium, Pochettino da 'yan wasansa sun yi tafiyar filin duka, suna tacawa wa masu kallo waɗanda suka mayar da martani da waƙar Take Me Home, Country Roads ta John Denver mai ƙarfi. Dubun-dubatar magoya baya sun cika tituna na cibiyar Seattle, suna ihu sunan ɗan ƙasar Argentina.

Magoya baya sun haɗu bayan kocin su

"Shi ne Braveheart namu," in ji wani magoya baya. "Shi ne jagora wanda ke shirye ya kai mu ta hanyar gwagwarmaya da zafi har ƙarshe. Bai rikitar da komai ba kuma yana ba mu wasan kai tsaye mai sauƙin kallo."

Wani magoya bayan Tottenham Hotspur na shekaru 16 ya ce a taƙaice: "Ranar da ya karɓi mulkin USA ya kasance mafarki da ya cika a gare ni — kuma duba inda muke yanzu — yana son lashe ta!"

A Los Angeles, inda USA za su buga da Turkey a ƙarshen wasanninsu na Ƙungiya D ranar Juma'a, farin cikin ya yi daidai. "Yana da alama har mutanen da ba manyan magoya bayan ƙwallon ƙafa ba a nan yanzu suna goyon bayan ƙungiyar," in ji wani magoya baya. "Me ya sa ba za mu iya lashe ta ba? Me ya sa ba mu ba?"

Shin Pochettino zai zauna bayan Kofin Duniya?

Kwangilar Pochettino za ta ƙare a ƙarshen gasar, kuma an yi tsammanin da yawa cewa zai tafi yawon sarrafa kulob a Turai. Duk da haka, alaƙar da ya ƙulla da magoya bayan Amurka na iya canza lissafin.

"Yanzu muna mai da hankali kan Kofin Duniya," ya gaya wa manema labarai. "Sa'annan, idan muna son zama, muna da watanni don tattaunawa — ko kwanaki ko makonni. Domin sai bayan shekaru huɗu kafin Kofin Duniya na gaba."

Ya ƙara da cewa: "A gare ni, wannan shi ne gado mafi muhimmanci — alaƙar da ke tsakanin ƙungiyar ƙasa da magoya baya. Ba shakka, muna son lashe. Amma wannan shi ne gado da muke buƙata. Me ya sa kada mu zama wani ɓangare na wannan?"

Pochettino har ya yi kwatankwacin abin ban sha'awa bayan nasarar akan Australia: "Argentina suna da manyan magoya baya, amma ina tsammanin muna daidaita da Argentina." Daga wani ɗan ƙasar Argentina mai alfahari, wannan ba ƙaramin magana ba ne.