IRVINE, Calif. — Sunday just so happens to be an off day for the U.S. national team, their second of the World Cup. A perk of an expanded tournament with more time between games, and a neat one for a team that’s off to a perfect start and has already clinched first place in Group D.Midfielder Tyler Adams joked last week he didn’t want to see anybody from the squad on his day off, a sentiment some teammates shared. It’s a long camp. With Sunday being Father’s Day, it’s even more likely players and staff will get away from the group to be with their families.Two coaches, though, will undoubtedly be together: Head coach Mauricio Pochettino and sports scientist Sebastiano Pochettino.“For me, it’s truly wonderful to spend the time together,” Sebastiano, Mauricio’s son, told The Athletic.Sebastiano officially joined the USMNT staff a few days before his father’s first game in charge in October 2024. He started working in Mauricio’s inner circle in 2016 at Tottenham, when he was one of the Premier League’s youngest sports scientists. He followed his dad to Chelsea and PSG, joining a tight-knit staff that includes assistant Jesús Pérez, who has been with him for nearly two decades.For the Pochettinos, being together on Father’s Day — which it is in their native Argentina on Sunday, as well — as coaches leading a home nation at a World Cup, that’s new. Even for them and a new member of the family.“This father’s day might be different,” Sebastiano said. “I didn’t get to spend my first Father’s Day last year with my own daughter! I’m curious to see how we all do it together as a grandfather, father, daughter. See what new experiences and new memories we can build.”Sports scientist Sebastiano Pochettino and his father, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino. (John Dorton / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)Mauricio has two sons: Sebastiano and Maurizio, the latter a current professional player for Andorran club Inter Club d’Escaldes.On Saturday, before the team went their separate ways for a day off, the United States hosted a barbecue with players, staff and their families. They did so last weekend after the Paraguay win too, but this weekend was special on the eve of Father’s Day.Family ties, community and deep connections is something the program wants to strengthen. The U.S. hosted players’ families for a training session last week, as players’ parents, partners and kids all mingled feet away from the team going through a typical practice. Kids played duck-duck-goose, running and laughing, from teens to toddlers and babies in strollers.“It’s a tremendous honor to share this experience with my family,” goalkeeper Matt Turner said. “One of the reasons I liked having kids a little bit younger was so I could share these experiences with them. My son is at an age where he might remember some of this. It’s lifelong memories.”Father’s Day provides another marker point for the group to reflect how far they have come together. The U.S. was the second-youngest team at the 2022 World Cup. Four years later feels like an eternity in these players’ maturation.