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22 hours ago
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US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino has had talks with Serie A side Milan about taking over as manager next season, the Guardian can confirm.
Italian journalist Nicolò Schira was first to report news of Pochettino’s talks with Milan.
Pochettino’s status was the hot talking point as the US opened training camp at the US Soccer Federation’s new national training center in Fayetteville, Georgia, on Wednesday, but most have expected that his run at the World Cup will be his last games with the team before a return to European club football.
Speaking to reporters, US Soccer CEO JT Batson said Pochettino and the organization are focused on the World Cup, declining to confirm specifically that Pochettino and Milan had held talks. However, he added that Pochettino and his staff “have been transparent about club interest for the last couple of years”, adding that “there’s been a longer list of outreach than what has even been reported.”
Batson also declined to say whether US Soccer was engaged in extension discussions with Pochettino, and similarly deferred comment when asked if another big-name manager such as Jürgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola could be next, saying the organization is “focused on this summer”.
Asked when the federation intends to begin succession planning, Batson said that the organization has monthly succession planning meetings for all of the national teams and high-level executive roles.
“As a part of that, we have plans for renewals, we have plans for interims, and we have plans for replacements because you never know what’s going to happen,” he said.
The players, at least, are taking the news in stride. Asked whether Pochettino’s status would create a distraction for players just as camp opens ahead of an all-important home World Cup, midfielder Tyler Adams said it’s done nothing of the sort – likening the situation to any of the players present who are coming up on the end of their respective contracts with their clubs.
“I think as any manager or player, like there’s guys in contract situations right now that have to figure out what to do either before the World Cup, after the World Cup. It’s gonna be the same deal with coaches,” he said. “[Pochettino is], you know, fully present with us every single day, finding ways to make us better, focusing on the trainings just as we are.”
The US play their first pre-World Cup friendly against Senegal on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina, then face Germany on 6 June in Chicago for their final test before the tournament starts. They open the World Cup on 12 June against Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California.
