Manchester United reportedly eyeing Mauricio Pochettino, but USMNT players remain unfazed

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — U.S. players and officials have grown accustomed to breathless bulletins about their famous coach, Mauricio Pochettino, being linked with major club jobs in Europe. His name surfaced with Tottenham Hotspur in 2025, AC Milan this year and other openings overseas since he joined the U.S. two years ago. It’s business as usual in the soccer world, where fickle clubs with high expectations swap coaches at any sign of trouble. Now, amid Manchester United’s woeful start this season, Pochettino is reportedly being targeted to return to England , where he made his mark with Tottenham and later guided Chelsea. (He has also led Paris Saint-Germain, among others.) United is one of the most prestigious brands in not just soccer but all of sports, and with Michael Carrick on the searing-hot seat as the Red Devils sit in the relegation zone, the spotlight has apparently turned to Pochettino as a potential successor. Neither he nor the U.S. Soccer Federation has commented on the ESPN story. Two days into workouts at the national training center near Atlanta, the U.S. delegation is continuing regular preparations for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti. The first leg is Saturday in Miami, the second next Tuesday in Cincinnati. Mauricio Pochettino is once again being linked to a high-profile European club job, but the USMNT coach remains focused on the task at hand as his team prepares to face Haiti. Omar Vega via Getty Images Before Tuesday’s practice, veteran left back Antonee Robinson and 17-year-old forward Cavan Sullivan addressed the Pochettino reports. “That news kind of got sprung on us like the rest of the world,” said Robinson, who plays for Fulham in the Premier League. “Similar things happened in the past, after the World Cup, where huge teams lose their manager and they start looking at possible candidates. For us to have a manager who's linked with those sorts of jobs means we're very lucky we're working with a top-level manager.” Robinson added that such news “never seems to leak into the work we do, whether it's the World Cup or whether it's going to be this camp.” Robinson called it “outside noise” and “he’s very much focused on getting the best out of the team.” Pochettino, 54, re-signed with the U.S. after the summer’s World Cup, inking a deal through the 2030 tournament. Any suitor would need to pay a multimillion-dollar buyout fee to the USSF. There is no perfect time for a coaching change, but the beginning of a World Cup cycle is the best-case scenario. That would afford the U.S. replacement to forge bonds and implement plans before major competitions in the coming years. A coach change, though, close to a World Cup is problematic — and the USSF has experienced just that. Jurgen Klinsmann’s failed second term after the 2014 World Cup left Bruce Arena with less than a year to get things back on track. The U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament, ending a streak of seven consecutive appearances. Gregg Berhalter’s second stint after the 2022 World Cup came to an end following the 2024 Copa America disappointment. Pochettino then had about a year to instill a fresh culture and identify players and another six months to prepare for the World Cup on home soil last summer. Aiming for the quarterfinals, the Americans won their group but once again were ousted in the Round of 16. The USSF’s hope is that a full term under Pochettino would put the team on course to make a breakthrough at the 2030 World Cup, which will take place on three continents. His introduction of young talent, such as Sullivan and several other teenagers, has laid the groundwork for long-term success. The Manchester United news has not caused distractions, Robinson said. “As soccer players, we are pretty used to sort of fast-changing environments and games coming pretty fast,” he said. “So we're all very good at just focusing on the next task at hand, whether that's the next session or the next game coming up. I don't really look at … ‘Oh, this could be the last time he's in front of me.’ It's just focusing on we've got a game on the weekend.” Sullivan, 17, spoke highly of Pochettino, who invited him to his first senior camp earlier this fall for four friendlies. The Philadelphia Union star became the youngest goal scorer in program history. “He's taken me under his wing in the most tremendous way possible,” he said. “I was obviously a young guy coming in, and he told me to just play free and be myself, have confidence in my ability. That didn’t mean the standard was lower for me. That standard remained the same for everybody in the camp and every training and every game. I'm someone who really appreciates that – the directness on the field, but also the warmth, the hugs.”