"People that question my commitment are people that want to create some problem." That's Mauricio Pochettino, and he's not wrong — but the question still hangs in the air heading into a World Cup on home soil.
The USMNT head coach was asked directly in a post-practice press conference about reports from The Athletic linking him to AC Milan. His personal denial was clean and immediate: a flat "No" when asked about direct meetings. What followed was more nuanced.
"My representatives may be possible, because they need to do their jobs." Translation: his camp is talking to Milan even if he isn't sitting at the table himself. That's how football works, and Pochettino wasn't pretending otherwise.
The contract situation in the background
Pochettino is simultaneously in discussions with the US Soccer Federation about extending his current deal — the richest in USMNT history at $6 million per year. So the picture isn't as simple as 'one foot out the door.' It's a coach keeping his options open while genuinely managing a team through its biggest tournament in decades. Both things can be true.
The timing still creates friction. A squad already navigating a significant injury list and sky-high expectations doesn't need a distraction circus around the dugout. And the win over Senegal, while welcome, hasn't quieted the skeptics who've been circling Pochettino since he took the job. A former Chelsea and Tottenham manager earning $6 million to coach a team that hasn't won a World Cup since 1930 will always draw scrutiny.
What it means for the tournament picture
Whether Pochettino stays or leaves after 2026 is genuinely irrelevant to punters pricing up the USMNT's World Cup chances — what matters is whether he's fully switched on for the next few weeks. His track record at club level suggests he is. But if results wobble early in the group stage, this story will be dragged back to the front page fast.
For now, his words will have to do: "Our commitment is the World Cup, and we are focused on the World Cup." Milan can wait. The tournament can't.
