At the helm of the U.S. Men’s National Team since the fall of 2024, Mauricio Pochettino may have yet to lead his side to silverware, but their FIFA World Cup run to the Round of 16 was enough to convince U.S. Soccer to extend his stay for another four years.
The Argentine coach opted to remain with the USMNT, committing his services to U.S. Soccer through the next World Cup in Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, instead of returning to domestic management as had been widely expected for the ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss.
That being said, USMNT legend turned analyst Tim Howard remains unconvinced that Pochettino will actually be in the dugout leading the Stars and Stripes come to the quadrennial tournament, given comments recently made by the ex-Argentina international during a recent press conference.
USMNT legend Tim Howard has questioned whether or not Pochettino will still be with U.S. Soccer come the next FIFA World Cup -Credit:Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
“Now it’s a four-year contract, it’s different,” Pochettino said, via The Athletic. “We can next season lose the Copa América, or the Gold Cup, and they’re not happy with us, they can sack us. Or we can say, ‘OK, it’s not the way that we think.’
“Four years is different. Maybe now if someone calls in the future, it’s a different type (of situation). We are excited, we are thinking to spend four years, to the next World Cup. But now it’s a long period.”
Pochettino’s seemingly non-committal tone was subsequently picked apart by Howard on his and Landon Donovan’s ‘Unfiltered Soccer‘ podcast, with the longtime Everton shot stopper saying, “Pochettino is a brilliant manager.
“He’s a globally respected football manager. He’s done at the highest level with the best players in the world. Every top-10 job that becomes available between now and the first ball that’s kicked in 2030 at the World Cup, he will be on the short list. Without doubt.
“So, does he leave after the first offer? No, he doesn’t. But do you know the turnover rate of the highest teams in the world over four years? There’s going to be a lot of vacancies.
To listen to the latest episode of ‘All Out Soccer’ – Tim Howard makes Mauricio Pochettino tenure
“So teams are going to kick the tires, test the water. His agent is going to be making phone calls behind the scenes. Sorry, people, that’s what happens. Okay? And he can turn down the first $30 million offer, and he can turn down the second and the third $40 million offer.
“At some point, somebody is going to be desperate enough and go, ‘Okay, he’s not coming for 30 or 40, but here’s 50. Come coach this team. By the way, we’re the best team in the Champions League or in world football or whatever we are.’
“And, oh, by the way, I mean, he just said it…Maybe whatever competition the U.S. team is in didn’t go well. Maybe the Nations League didn’t go well. Maybe Copa América, whatever. He literally just left the door open. Anybody who thinks that signing that contract means he deadbolted the door and put the chain on. He literally kept the hinge un unlocked. That’s what that statement was. Otherwise, he wouldn’t say it. Why would he say it?
“I mean, the easiest answer to whatever question he was asked was, ‘I’m so excited for the next four years. Just earned a long-term contract. Cannot wait to get started.’ That’s the easiest answer, LD. He didn’t do that. He did the opposite of that.”
While Pochettino’s long-term future as USMNT head coach may be in question, it seems unlikely he’ll be waving farewell in the short term, with most major leagues currently mere weeks into their new campaigns. As such, his focus will now be solely set upon the USMNT’s upcoming friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada between September 26 and October 6.
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