Overview
- Following Saturday's 5-2 loss to Belgium, Mauricio Pochettino and players said the team must raise its defensive intensity and cut soft concessions before the World Cup.
- Pochettino, who spoke Monday, said he has had no talks with Tottenham or Real Madrid, reaffirmed his commitment through the tournament, and left open the option of staying on afterward.
- Johnny Cardoso returned to Atlético Madrid with lingering leg discomfort and will miss Portugal, and Chris Richards said he is available after knee soreness pending evaluation.
- Pochettino said he is weighing tweaks to move Christian Pulisic closer to goal to help end his scoring drought for the national team.
- The preparation plan features top-tier friendlies — Portugal on Tuesday, then Senegal and Germany — to stress-test the group before settling at Great Park in Irvine for the tournament.