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Doug McIntyre Soccer Journalist
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — On Wednesday, reports overseas began to emerge that United States World Cup coach Mauricio Pochettino was interviewed by seven-time European champion AC Milan last week about their vacant managerial position.
On Thursday, Pochettino and U.S Soccer CEO JT Batson addressed the news.
"Mauricio and [his assistant coaches have] been incredibly transparent the entire process," Batson told a throng of reporters here as Pochettino — whose contract expires after the tournament — led the Americans through their paces behind him at the federation’s National Training Center outside of Atlanta.
"Even when we first met a couple summers ago, there were lots of other people interested in having Mauricio and [his] team join. He had standing offers from other places to come. He wanted to be here. He's a big believer in what we're doing in U.S. Soccer. He's a big believer in soccer in America, and he's a big believer in this men’s team."
Later in the day, Pochettino made it clear that he remains fully dedicated to the U.S.
"People that question my commitment [are] people that want to create some problem," he said. But he didn’t deny that he may have had informal conversations with suitors over the last two years, or that his representative(s) had fielded offers from interested parties.
"We’ve had so many approaches, and we always say we finish the contract in July after the World Cup," he said. Pochettino also confirmed that he turned down "bigger offers" to sign with U.S. Soccer in September 2024. "We wanted to come here," he said.
"When you have top-class talent," said Batson, "Other organizations want them."
(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
AC Milan, for whom American headliner Christian Pulisic has starred since leaving English club Chelsea for Italy in 2023, is without a manager after Maxi Allegri resigned earlier this week following the Rossoneri’s failure to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
U.S. veteran Tyler Adams said the revelation that Poch is considering his future beyond the summer isn't something he and his teammates are at all bothered by.
"Our focus has to be here, on the World Cup," said Adams. "There's [players] in contract situations right now that have to figure out what to do, either before the World Cup [or] after the World Cup — it’s gonna be the same deal with coaches. He's fully present with us every single day, finding ways to make us better, focusing on the trainings, just as we are."
(Photo by Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss reiterated that he’s open to signing an extension to remain at the helm of the USA’s men’s program.
"If the federation wants to talk with me about the future, it’s similar, no?" Pochettino said. "It’s a similar thing."
Batson insisted Thursday that an extension remains a possibility.
"We've had a number of very long discussions around what the next four years could look like," he said. "We're excited and they're excited. But, of course, we’ve got to focus on the summer, which we're doing.
The World Cup co-hosts take on Australia and Türkiye in their final two first round games.
Pochettino’s reported $6 million salary is underwritten in part by deep-pocketed U.S. Soccer donors. I asked Batson if that funding will be available over the next four-year World Cup cycle, or if it was contingent on the U.S. staging the planet’s marquee event this summer, along with North American neighbors Canada and Mexico.
"We now are able to enter in big decisions where we're able to focus on what's right for soccer, knowing that we're going to have the resources to be able to do that," he said. "Whether it's our great commercial partners, whether it's because fans have been buying a lot of tickets and a lot of jerseys, or because we've been able to get great philanthropic support.
"As we approach all these decisions, first and foremost will be what's going to drive the best soccer outcomes," he continued. "We're confident we'll have the resources to be able to do that."
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