Top coach dismisses rumors linking him to Real Madrid or Tottenham, saying he is currently focused solely on his national team, which will participate in the World Cup.
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said he has not had conversations with either Tottenham Hotspur or Real Madrid, adding that his focus is on Tuesday’s friendly against Portugal and the World Cup.
When asked later if he would be open to continuing as U.S. men’s national team coach after the World Cup concludes, Pochettino replied: “Never say never. In football, anything can happen.”
Pochettino’s name has been linked to both clubs in recent weeks — coinciding with Tottenham’s departure of their manager, Igor Tudor, on Sunday — however, he was firm when asked whether any contact had taken place.
“No. At the moment, no,” he said during Monday’s news conference. “I think we are very, very focused here on the World Cup. I think everyone knows that I am committed to the national team in this project. I think this is not the right time to talk about the future.”
The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain coach later added, “Who knows what the future holds? As I said, we are open to possibilities. We don’t have a contract signed for the future. But why not? If we are happy — and the federation is too — we’ll see what happens. I think the most important thing now is to stay focused (on Tuesday’s match) and on the World Cup, as well as to work hard to keep improving.
Action Images via Reuters“Our goal is to work on improving the team. Of course, the rumors are there, but they are part of our profession, and we accept them as such.”
Regarding the squad situation, Pochettino reported that midfielder Johnny Cardoso will not play against Portugal and has been sent back to his club, Atletico Madrid, after lingering leg discomfort with which he arrived at camp.
Meanwhile, defender Chris Richards — who missed the 5-2 loss to Belgium on Saturday due to knee discomfort — said he is available for Tuesday’s match, though Pochettino indicated his fitness would be evaluated again throughout Monday.
“I feel good. I took a hard tackle in my last game with Palace, so I have a little bit of pain and discomfort in my knee,” Richards said before Monday’s training session. “But I’ve been training all week individually, and yeah, I’m available.”
Richards’ absence was felt strongly in the loss to Belgium, as the U.S. national team lacked his leadership, positioning, and athletic ability. Richards said that despite the lopsided final score, the U.S. defense is not far from reaching the necessary level of performance. He pointed to the team’s strong first half as proof of what can be achieved.
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