US Soccer speaks out after Pochettino exit rumours grow worryingly fast

Sometimes it takes a thunderstorm to relieve the pressure that you can feel all day inside your ears; the air is as thick as soup and sludges around you before the first grunts of thunder and heavy, warm drops of rain signal an incoming flush-out.

Speaking out about the future of your manager on the eve of a World Cup on home soil is far from ideal, but US Soccer saw it as a necessary way to flush away the pressure surrounding the team as clouds swirl above the head of Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine reportedly met with the 7-time European champions last week to discuss as potential post-World Cup campaign in Italy, bringing into question his commitment to the role within the US national team setup.

With the reports came flickers on the manometer, used to measure pressure. Fans of the team questioned him, themselves, their team’s prospects both with and without Pochettino, only adding to the anxiety that comes with hosting a World Cup and expecting performances.

“There were lots of others interested in Mauricio”

And so, it took U.S. Soccer CEO J.T. Batson to come out and try his best to flush away the pressure. While he did not explicitly reveal whether or not AC Milan held talks with their manager, he was clear in getting across the demand Pochettino has across elite football.

“Even when we first met a couple summers ago, there were lots of other people interested in having Mauricio and team join,” Batson admitted.

“He had standing offers from other places to come. He wanted to be here. He’s a big believer in what we’re doing at U.S. Soccer. He’s a big believer in soccer in America and he’s a big believer in this men’s team and so, throughout this entire process, when you have top-class talent, whether it’s salespeople, whether it’s marketing people or whether it’s coaches, other organizations want them and throughout this, Mauricio and team have been incredibly transparent.

He then revealed that the list of suitors after Pochettino’s signature stretches to more than has been made public: “They’ve been great partners and are, of course, excited about the summer … There’s been a longer list of outreach than what has even been reported and so they’ve been great about that.”

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