Gary Neville Claims Mauricio Pochettino Wouldn’t Be USMNT Manager if Not for the World Cup in 2026

"The energy, the passion, and the hunger to achieve something truly historic here." This is how Mauricio Pochettino described his decision to join the USMNT. Fully aware of the pressure that comes with managing the Stars and Stripes as one of the host nations for the 2026 World Cup, the Argentine coach anyway decided to fervently embrace the challenge. For Gary Neville, however, the prestigious tournament is exactly the reason why Pochettino decided to take up this 'huge opportunity.'

The real reason why Mauricio Pochettino decided to take up the USMNT job! The eyebrow-raising revelation came in the debut episodeThe Overlap US' on It's Called Soccer podcast. During the segment, USA icon Tim Howard was called up for a brief interview to comment on Pochettino's arrival. Interestingly, the former goalkeeper somehow mentioned that the USMNT job is among the top 5 managerial jobs in the world.

This take, however, didn't settle among the eyes of pundit duo, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, who shared their contrary thoughts to renowned TV presenter Rebecca Lowe. The soccer icons agreed that managing national teams like Brazil, England, Germany, France, and Spain are in reality the top 5 jobs on the international front.

Further extending the debate, Neville even admitted that Pochettino didn't choose the US job because it comes under the top 5 umbrella, rather it's because they are hosts of the tournament.

"At the moment now, I think Mauricio Pochettino taking this job, if the World Cup wasn't in America in two years in the US, I'm not sure he would take the job. The fact that it's in the US in two years, ultimately is the reason that he sees this as a huge challenge and huge opportunity," said Neville.

If one were to agree with the former England right-back's theory, it may surely connect the dots. After sacking Gregg Berhalter, USMNT put a 'We're hiring' label on the vacant managerial chair. Of course, just like every other recruiter, the USSF had to mention the kind of perks they were offering to manage their Golden Generation. Guess the most attractive bonus of all? Yes, the 2026 World Cup.

It's not like the USMNT managerial position doesn't have anything to offer to big-name managers like Mauricio. Look how it turned out for the WNT with Emma Hayes. Still, USSF perfectly used the tag of 'WC hosts' to win the confidence of someone like Poch. This should also explain why they were even ready to go big for other top names like Jurgen Klopp and Gareth Southgate.

Also, if USMNT weren't hosting the tournament and they had to qualify the old-school way, then some other name would have been imprinted on the chair. Even Pochettino might have chosen a different nation to coach if he really wanted to test the waters on the international front. On the contrary though, even if it's for hosting reasons, it seemed to have worked out quite well in favor of both parties.

But as USMNT looks serious about making an impact as one of the host nations in the tournament they are hosting, there shouldn't be any doubts about why Pochettino was signed. Regardless, we would like to know your views on Gary Neville's take.