United States men`s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino has refuted a report claiming he interviewed with Premier League club Brentford for their recent head coach vacancy, according to Fox Sports.
Pochettino addressed the claim on Saturday, following an Irish report suggesting he was a candidate prior to the Gold Cup quarterfinals against Costa Rica. Although Pochettino has a successful history managing Premier League clubs like Southampton, Tottenham, and Chelsea, his contract with the USMNT runs until the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup. He was appointed in September 2024, succeeding Gregg Berhalter.
Brentford was the last Premier League team to appoint a new head coach, ultimately selecting Keith Andrews to take over from Thomas Frank.
“This club never contacted me,” Pochettino stated, according to the report. “I never talked to them.”
While this doesn`t rule out Pochettino being on Brentford`s initial list, any approach would necessitate contacting U.S. Soccer first due to his current contract. Given he`s currently managing the team in a tournament aimed at assessing player depth for the 2026 World Cup, such a rumor is an unwelcome distraction from his crucial focus on the squad and maximizing the available talent.
For the USMNT, despite results under Pochettino perhaps not meeting initial expectations, he represents the most promising option for the upcoming World Cup. Replacing him now would leave insufficient time for a new manager to implement a system. Winning the Gold Cup, despite missing key players, would significantly improve sentiment around the team approximately a year before what is arguably the most important World Cup in the program`s history.
