USA football legend Clint Dempsey has voiced his concerns over Mauricio Pochettino's tenure as the head coach of the national team. Having taken on the role since last summer, Pochettino made a hopeful start with five victories in his first six matches, but the tide has since turned.
The recent setback at the Concacaf Nations League semi-finals saw the US beaten by Panama, marking their exit from the competition without the coveted trophy for the first time. A subsequent 2-1 defeat to Canada in the third-place play-off solidified the notion that progress has stalled.
Speaking on commentary, Dempsey said: “I mean the thing that is frustrating for me is that we haven't progressed as a team since 2022. It was looking like we were going on and build from there and we haven't. Especially considering going into a World Cup in 2026. It's not looking good for the US.”
Pochettino, on the other hand, is trying to calm concerns around his team ahead of the World Cup. He has stated his belief that there is ample time left to identify and resolve the issues before the global event kicks off.
After a disappointing loss to Canada, the US coach remained optimistic about the future. "It's better [to lose] now because I think we have time," he reflected post-match, reports the Mirror.
"Because if we will be in this situation in one year time, for sure. I will tell you, 'Houston, we have a problem. SOS.'
"We are all [disappointed] and the fans need to feel the disappointment that we didn't win. But I'm not going to allow [us] to feel pessimistic because I think we have good players. We are going to find a way to perform and for sure we are going to compete in a different way."
It comes after Pochettino, whose contract with the US team runs until the end of the World Cup, openly shared his ambition to return to Tottenham Hotspur, where he previously managed. Speaking to Mirror Football, Pochettino said: “I am going to repeat. In the bottom of my heart I still feel the same. I would like one day to come back. Not because of my ego it's because my feeling is I would like one day to win with Tottenham.
“I think now Tottenham is a club with an expectation to win because if you see the facilities – training ground or stadium – now you can see it is about winning trophies. That is why I would like one day to come back.
“But if that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. With all the possibilities again to build something special, that is my feeling and it didn’t change. It's six years since we left and it's always going to be a special club for me.”