What USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino said about Brentford job rumors
"His answer was 'absolutely no'... And he was careful to even want to address it with me because there is no truth to this report."@JennyTaft sat down with USMNT HC Mauricio Pochettino earlier today to ask him about the reports around the Brentford job interview ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MwsfYxDk2G
The U.S. men's national team overcame off-the-field drama about player absences to emerge from its CONCACAF Gold Cup group with three straight wins. But in true USMNT fashion, the drama doesn't stop — even when it's not their fault.
As the USMNT was preparing for Sunday's Gold Cup quarterfinal match against Costa Rica, a report from the Irish outlet The 42 claimed that USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino had interviewed for the Brentford job in the Premier League. That opening ultimately went to Keith Andrews. But the notion that Pochettino could be looking at other jobs a year out of the World Cup made waves throughout U.S. soccer circles.
Pochettino was vocal about certain USMNT stars like Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah skipping the Gold Cup, so it would not have looked good for him to criticize players while simultaneously looking elsewhere.
On Saturday, Pochettino was asked about the report, and the U.S. coach issued a strong denial. He said via Fox Sports:
"This club never contacted me," Pochettino said. "I never talked to them,"
It's also important to note that Brentford would have needed to go through the U.S. Soccer Federation in order to interview Pochettino and avoid tampering charges. There wasn't any indication from U.S. Soccer that Brentford reached out.
Several sources I spoke with today indicated there was nothing to the Mauricio Pochettino / Brentford rumor… and @ByDougMcIntyre gets it from the man himself: Pochettino denies any contact with Brentford. https://t.co/7sMgu1MHJy
Pochettino also publicly turned down Tottenham — a club he previously coached for that is playing in the Champions League next season. It wouldn't make much sense for Pochettino to turn down Spurs but entertain interest from Brentford if he truly wanted to leave.
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