Mauricio Pochettino has been tasked with leading the United States men's national team through the 2026 World Cup, but former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher believes U.S. Soccer may end up looking for a new head coach if the 52-year-old is successful.
After a failed second attempt with Gregg Berhalter , U.S. Soccer set its sites on hiring the best coach available and sent proposals to both Jurgen Klopp and Pochettino . Klopp rejected the offer but Pochettino was keen to embark on a new challenge after leaving Premier League club Chelsea at the end of last season.
Due to the U.S. co-hosting the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, pressure and expectations are high, especially now that they've acquired a coach as well-respected as Pochettino. He's been set a target of reaching the quarter-finals, but Carragher believes it could backfire on the U.S.
In an exclusive interview with Mirror U.S. Sports , Carragher said: "I think the problem is you want him to be successful, but the more successful he is, I would say the less chance he is of being there for another two years, if I'm being totally honest. So I think he's come away from the club game, and he's going to international football, if he does a great job in that World Cup and gets to the quarters or gets to the semis, everyone thinks he's amazing. Everyone's talking about him.
"Then before you know it, a big team in the Premier League or a big team in Spain wants him to manage them. And it's not easy then. Now, maybe the emotional attachment he may have grew over those couple of years and he feels a real sort of connection with the country, with the World Cup being in the home country which always helps of course.
"And that may be something to entice him, but I think if it goes really well, I would imagine some of the biggest clubs in Europe will be back on the radar again." Reaching the quarter-finals isn't unthinkable for the USMNT, especially as they reached the Round of 16 stage at the 2022 World Cup.
Berhalter fielded the youngest starting line-up in the competition, and the U.S. has some exciting young prospects ready to shine on the world stage. USMNT captain Christian Pulisic is also in the form of his life, scoring five goals in six games for AC Milan this season.
"I think America with Pochettino is more than capable of getting to the quarter-finals. I do believe that," Carragher said. "I think you need a little bit of luck in any knockout competition with the draw. I mean sometimes, you know what it's like when the draw comes out you say, 'Okay, we'll finish top of our group and we'll play the second in this group.'
"But there's always a few fun results where a big team finishes second or you think you're gonna finish second, but you actually finish first in your group and you get someone else that you're not quite expecting and sometimes that can fall for you and sometimes it can go against you. And I think that's the little bit of luck that you need that.
"You know, actually, the U.S. in the last World Cup I thought they did pretty well. Obviously you're up against the Netherlands and that's always a game where probably seven or eight times out of 10 the Netherlands are gonna beat the U.S. Unfortunately for the US public and the players and coaches."
"But if you get a more favorable draw there then you get to the quarter-final. I think that's what it all rides up. And then when you get to the quarter-final, who knows what could happen? You take someone to the wire, you maybe go through on a penalty shootout, something like that.
"Once you get to the last eight the quality will definitely be upper level." Pochettino has made a difference at each team throughout his coaching career, starting at Espanyol where he is considered a club legend. He then was rewarded with a Premier League job, taking over at Southampton and leaving a huge impression on his peers.
Pochettino's greatest story came at Tottenham Hotspur, where he turned them into Premier League title contenders and even reached the final of the Champions League. Pochettino then had short stints at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, coaching some of the finest players in world soccer before accepting the USMNT role.
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