 Pochettino scored his first goal on 17 November 1999 in another friendly, a 2–0 win over Spain.He was a participant at the 1999 Copa América and the 2002 FIFA World Cup under Bielsa, appearing in three complete matches as the nation were unsuccessful in progressing from the group stage in the latter tournament.Pochettino's most newsworthy highlight to the competition came during the second group stage match against England, when Italian referee Pierluigi Collina awarded Argentina's opponents a penalty, after the defender brought down Michael Owen in the box.