Mauricio Pochettino turned down the heat a little bit in a 5-0 thrashing of Trinidad and Tobago to open up the Gold Cup, but the temperature could be turned right back up on the United States manager with a slip-up on Thursday night.

The USMNT meets guest competitors Saudi Arabia in Austin. Both teams can earn passage to the knockout round on Thursday night if things break their way.

Watch Gold Cup: Saudi Arabia vs. United States LIVE tonight at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on TSN2, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.

The victory over Panama on Sunday snapped a four-game losing streak for the United States, having dropped friendlies to Switzerland and Turkey, as well as CONCACAF Nations League matches to Canada and Panama. PSV's Malik Tillman had a first-half brace in the win.

After the win, Pochettino insisted he wasn't using the tournament to prove his critics wrong ahead of next summer's World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

"We're not here, in the case of losing and now winning, to be vengeful," the former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea boss said. "I think what's normal in soccer is that when you win, everything is fine, and when you lose, it's normal to have criticism."

While the heat on Pochettino is real, the likelihood of U.S. Soccer making a managerial change within a year of the World Cup is highly unlikely. Aside from the logistical aspect, the 53-year-old Argentine is one of the better compensated managers in world football and would cost a considerable sum to dismiss at this point. Still, that doesn't mean the critics won't get any quieter if poor performances continue.

With injuries and the Club World Cup ongoing, Pochettino's squad isn't filled with some of his regulars. The likes of Antonee Robinson, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Yunus Musah and "Captain America" himself, Christian Pulisic, aren't in the team. Newer faces like Charlotte forward Patrick Agyemang, who scored against Trinidad and Tobago, 21-year-old Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna and midfielder Jack McGlynn of the Houston Dynamo are being offered the chance to shine and force themselves into Pochettino's thinking for next summer.

“The coaching staff has really been honest and direct with me about what their expectations are with me and what they want,” Luna told The Athletic. “For me, it’s continuing to do what I do: create and score goals and get assists. I think it’s pretty simple for me. And to continue to work both sides of the ball.”

The Green Falcons were also winners on Matchday 1 with a 1-0 victory over Haiti, the other team in Group D. Al-Ittihad's Saleh Al-Shehri scored a 21st-minute penalty in the win.

This is Saudi Arabia's first Gold Cup. While invited guest participants were commonplace in the early days of the competition when it began in 1991 with the likes of Brazil, Colombia and South Korea taking part, the practice had dwindled in recent years. It was revived in the last two editions with 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar participating.

Thursday's match will mark the eighth meeting between the two teams and the third in a competitive fixture with the previous two coming in FIFA Confederations Cups in 1992 and 1999. The last meeting between the USMNT and Saudi Arabia came in a scoreless draw in a 2022 friendly in Murcia, Spain. The USMNT holds the all-time edge at 3-2-2.

Whether or not either team advances to the knockouts is dependent on what happens in the other game between Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago set for earlier on Thursday evening in Houston. Should Trinidad and Tobago win or draw, a USMNT victory would secure passage to the knockouts. If Haiti wins or draws, then a Saudi Arabia win would put the Green Falcons into the knockout round.

The USMNT has never failed to reach the Gold Cup knockouts in the previous 17 tournaments. Group D will see its final matchday on Sunday with the United States taking on Haiti in Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia taking on Trinidad & Tobago in Arlington, TX.