Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to stay on as USMNT head coach through the next World Cup in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, turning down a widely expected return to club management after guiding the United States to the Round of 16 at this year's FIFA World Cup. But USMNT legend Tim Howard isn't convinced the Argentine will actually be around to see the deal through.
Speaking on the 'Unfiltered Soccer' podcast with Landon Donovan, Howard pointed to comments Pochettino made during a recent press conference as evidence the coach has left himself an escape route, even with the new long-term contract in hand.
Asked about the extension, Pochettino, via The Athletic, gave a notably measured response. "Now it's a four-year contract, it's different," he said. "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."
Howard: 'He Literally Left the Door Open'
Howard didn't hold back in dissecting that answer. "Pochettino is a brilliant manager," he said. "He's a globally respected football manager. He's done it 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."
He continued: "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. 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.'"
Howard also zeroed in on the hypothetical Pochettino raised about the USMNT struggling in a tournament. "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 unlocked. That's what that statement was. Otherwise, he wouldn't say it. Why would he say it?"
For Howard, the simplest response would have been an easy, unequivocal one. "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."
Whatever the long-term uncertainty, Pochettino isn't going anywhere soon. With most major leagues only weeks into their seasons, his immediate focus is on a string of USMNT friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada between September 26 and October 6.
