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United States men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino explained what he meant when he recently discussed that he is “missing” the Premier League.
Pochettino spent the bulk of his managerial career in the Premier League before being named the USMNT’s head coach in September 2024. He specifically made a name for himself with Tottenham, where he spent five years between 2014 and 2019, leading the club to a Champions League final appearance.
“The Premier League is the best league in the world,” Pochettino told the BBC. “Of course I am missing it. I am so happy in America, but also thinking one day to come back to the Premier League. It’s the most competitive league.”
Pochettino was asked about those comments while speaking with reporters on Thursday following the release of the Americans’ 25-player roster for two upcoming 2026 World Cup tune-up matches against Paraguay on Nov. 15 in Chester, Pennsylvania, and Uruguay on Nov. 18 in Tampa.
“For me, the Premier League is the best league in the world,” Pochettino repeated. “I was involved for 12 years in different clubs like Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea. And it’s normal to miss the good times when you spent very good times in someplace.
“Maybe if you ask me in five years, or maybe I extend the contract [with U.S. Soccer] for one more 4 years within the USA, after which after seven years or six years I transfer [to another job] and so they ask me, ‘Oh, how do you’re feeling about whenever you have been supervisor of the nationwide workforce of USA?’ [I’d say], ‘Yeah, I miss it as a result of I spent an excellent time right here.’ And whenever you spend good time [somewhere] you miss that good time.”
Mauricio Pochettino on variations between teaching a nationwide workforce vs. teaching within the Premier League
Pochettino lamented that one of many difficult components about being a global boss vs. a membership coach is the dearth of contact with gamers. His Tottenham workforce was very shut, and he’s nonetheless getting used to the truth that with the USMNT, the depth is inherently completely different as a result of he’s not with the gamers’ day in and time out.
“We’re going to be spending 10 days in Philadelphia and Tampa after which till March, you can’t be collectively,” Pochettino added. “Sure, you may have contact by telephone, [text] message or go go to, but it surely’s by no means the identical as when you’re working [every day] and that’s what you miss probably the most.
“In the way in which that we work and the way in which we wish to work, how we construct our relationship with the participant, it’s actually vital to have contact day by day. However on the similar time, we’re studying to construct and develop {our relationships} differently. It’s by no means the perfect world, however we’ll attempt to evolve as a training workers and consider a distinct technique to supply the participant the likelihood to be current even when [there is] distance, and so they’re in a distinct surroundings.”
Laken Litman covers faculty soccer, faculty basketball and soccer for FOX Sports activities. She beforehand wrote for Sports activities Illustrated, USA Right this moment and The Indianapolis Star. She is the writer of “Sturdy Like a Girl,” revealed in spring 2022 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX. Observe her at @LakenLitman.
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