The Overlap has gone stateside as Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher crossed the Atlantic for the first episode of The Overlap US’ ‘It’s Called Soccer’ show.
In the first episode, Neville was on hand to meet the new US men’s national team (USMNT) Head Coach, Mauricio Pochettino, who has been brought in following a disappointing Copa America campaign for the US side.
Pocchettino will be charged with preparing the US team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – which will be played in the US, Mexico and Canada.
Speaking to Neville after he was announced, the former Chelsea, Paris St Germain and Tottenham Hotspur manager confirmed he and US Soccer are targeting advancing to at least the quarter-finals of the tournament.
“The truth? A quarterfinal, it’s the target, no? [US Soccer] were very clear and I am very honest to you,” Pochettinho told Neville.
“I think that was the idea and the challenge. They know that it is going to be difficult. We are people that really believe we can. We think this talented group can perform better. So we accept the challenge.
Pochettino also spoke about the people he consulted before taking up the challenge, including the US women’s national team manager Emma Hayes and his old teammate, and now Inter Miami coach, Tata Martino.
On what they told him, he said: “Emma and Tata said to me that the potential is there if you are capable of providing them with the possibility to compete better. I think they’re great athletes, the discipline is there so it’s only about competing better.”
Will Pochettino crack the code for US soccer?
Following his interview, the show returned to New York where Neville discussed Pochettino’s chances of being successful alongside Carragher and host Rebecca Lowe.
Pochettino is known for a high-energy style of football that requires his players to press up the pitch. Neville questioned if the new manager will be able to implement his specific style of play with the USMNT, given that he only has limited periods of time with players during international breaks.
Responding to this, Carragher said: “I do believe that players are more important at an international level than the manager.
“At club level, I think the manager’s the most important person at the club, but at an international level, I agree with Gary that you can have all the ideas that you want, but you need to put your best players on the pitch and then play a style that suits that group of players.”
Despite his reservations over how the Argentine can implement his style of play, Neville was more positive about the changes Pochettino can make to the culture of the USMNT due to his experience of working with some of the best teams and players in the world during his club management career.
“I do think you can have a big influence on a team as an international coach,” he explained.
“I think he could have a massive influence on a team as an international coach, and I think that he could have a massive influence on the culture of the group, the way in which they play. For many of [the players], he’s going to be the best coach they’ve ever worked with.
“Players playing for France, England or Germany, usually they will have played for club managers who are better [than their international manager]. This is going to be a complete flip for the US players. A lot of them won’t have worked with a coach anywhere near as good as this guy, he’s one of the best in Europe.”
