Why Spurs’ new managerial appointment could be a disaster for the USMNT

In managerial appointment bingo, it had everything except the words that would have calmed down the 340 million souls in the US.

Normally, an appointment of a manager for a team that have won 2 trophies in 17 years would not have an effect on a national team over 3,000 miles away, but this is different.

Igor Tudor, formerly of Juventus and Olympique de Marseille, is set to take over as first team manager of Tottenham Hotspur after Thomas Frank was relieved of his duties following a poor season that sees the team threaten the relegation zone.

The club and manager have agreed a verbal deal that will see the Croatian take charge ahead of the side’s upcoming Premier League game against cross-town rivals Arsenal.

Reports emerged on the morning of Friday 13th that suggested a deal, barring the finer details, was in place for Tudor to take over, but with one caveat: it would be on a short-term deal and will not extend past the end of the season.

Will Pochettino leave the USMNT for Spurs?

This news has sent a chill through the United States. As the USMNT prepare for the upcoming World Cup, to be held on home soil as well as in Canada and Mexico, the last thing they need now is a shake-up at management level.

While any change will almost certainly not come before the tournament nor before the end of the current Premier League season, the uncertainty regarding Pochettino’s future, now heavily linked with a return to London, will not help the narrative around the side ahead of the biggest international tournament they have been a part of in decades.

Indeed, a report from Miguel Delaney at The Independent highlights that Pochettino “is among the candidates for the permanent role, following the 2026 World Cup where he will take charge of the United States."

It adds that both Marco Rose and Edin Terzic are candidates, with professional tweeter Fabrizio Romano adding Roberto De Zerbi into the mix. But should the question be posed seriously to Pochettino, where he revolutionised the team and added them into the conversation regarding the best teams in England - something they’re a world away from now - will undoubtedly pull on the heartstrings of the Argentine.

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It remains to be seen how much, if at all, it will affect the US at the World Cup, but the narrative is there already, and it’s hurting the USMNT before the tournament has begun.

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