Herc Gomez on Pochettino’s USMNT Legacy, Who Should Replace Him and Previewing USMNT vs. Haiti: Men in Blazers 11/13/26

Roger Bennett (0:00)

You're listening to the Men In Blazers media network, Suboptimal Radio.

Herc Gomez (0:38)

If you don't get Pep Guardiola, and that's a very long shot, what's the drop off? We went for Pep Guardiola and we got who? They're setting themselves up for failure, and that's the stupidest thing you can do. Why not go get Thierry Henry, even though he doesn't have a body of work to speak of if you're going from Pep Guardiola to the next? And I say this respectfully to Thierry Henry, who I am a fan of.

Roger Bennett (0:57)

Legend.

Herc Gomez (0:57)

Legend. He's coached a U23 team and the Montreal Impact.

Roger Bennett (1:01)

But with Michael Richards by the side.

Herc Gomez (1:03)

Will he be there? Can you guarantee Michael Richards will be there?

Roger Bennett (1:06)

Unstoppable. On the day Mauricio Pochettino has been announced as the new manager of Manchester United. He leaves the United States men's national team just over 100 days after signing a new contract. He's just this second tiered up in his pre-match press conference, saying it was the most difficult decision of his career. To talk about all of this lame Kiffin-esque madness, I wonder who will be the next US coach. First up, Hercules Gomez. When Poch was crying today in his farewell press conference, was it about leaving the United States or was it about the prospect of having to start Diego Dallo at fullback against Liverpool?

Herc Gomez (1:43)

Oh, that would hurt. That's too personal, Rog. I do feel part of him is going to miss the American culture, but those tiers are like, I'm going to coach Manchester United. Maybe for most, that doesn't mean something today, but that is a storied club. And to a lot of people around the world, that means something.

Roger Bennett (2:00)

I think it's about, oh crap, I am going to have to deal with the reality, not the idea of Manchester United. Those are tiers of fears. But as US coach, if you had two words to describe Mauricio Pochettino's legacy, what would they be?

Herc Gomez (2:15)

Smoking mirrors. Listen, Rog, I don't want people to think there's going to be a negative rant. Here we go again.

Mauricio Pochettino is very charismatic. He made you feel a type of way. Some of those highs felt very good. Some of those lows were very low, and we're going to get into it.

Roger Bennett (2:30)

Those are actually three words, but I'm going to give you, you can use the American, un, like smoke and mirrors, and you've dealt with it. My two words will probably be dictator shirt. It is how I remember him fondly. He had just unleashed his new look, the sweater tied around the neck, that we'll know that would be now with Manchester United crest.

Herc Gomez (2:52)

Are you wearing that shirt right now?

Roger Bennett (2:54)

I think it's the last day I'm legally allowed to wear it before I can sign it into the Greg Burr Haulter big box and Nike sneakers. Look, there is a real diverse take from the fans. It is fascinating watching the emotional outpouring in this moment. I think the minority position is great coach. We were lucky to have him. And judging by the comments on the US Soccer's tweets, there's a lot of, this was a pit stop.

Guy was barely here. There's two very different ways of reflecting upon the emotional tenement in the last two years.

Herc Gomez (3:26)

There really is. It almost feels like an emotional roller coaster that we've been on in these two plus years, where he comes in being labeled as a serial winner. So you expect, hey, I mean, more trophies here with that beautiful play, with the ultimate goal being doing something historic at the World Cup and not just in wins, in where you end up with this golden generation.

And yet there were good vibes, but the outcome was very much the same.

Roger Bennett (3:52)

So let's get into it, Herc, because today's press conference was emotional and Poch may have felt a lot of emotion. This jump to United, which has been super accelerated, said today, it really started Sunday. It's happened so fast. He must be just like a bag of emotional nerves, but this journey you've hinted on it, it's been a complex one. Poch arrived as a symbol of such incredible hope, massive name on a massive historic contract with a reputation of lesser winner. It was like brilliant culture builder. We're like, we need that. This is the missing piece. Our team, they're good, but they need that winning culture, that confidence, and he'll bring it with his very presence on the sideline. I actually had the honor of doing the first interview that Poch did on American Shores. He was great. He urged us and watched it last night and made him move me. He said, dream big dreams. The truth is, he came, he saw, and he kind of realized he wanted to get back to England almost immediately. We've talked about this, Poch briefs English journalists off the record a lot. He's very good at it. He talked to him very honestly the first year about his desire to return back to England. Rumors of his interview for Brentford were never knocked back. That AC Milan interview on the eve of the World Cup. So let's not kid ourselves. It was simply the allure, the Manchester United job, and that one only that led to this moment on the field. Poch won no trophies, lost to Mexico quickly. There was a real nosedive in 2025 Those losses, Panama, Canada, Turkey, Switzerland. Things got dark. There was the, I'm the head coach, I am not a mannequin. That public feuding with Christian Pulisic the summer before last. However, it was clear to everybody because we didn't have to qualify for the World Cup. The steady diet of friendlies meant all that mattered was tournament results. And while we all shared the joy, I mean, it was. Herc, it was ecstatic memory making. Those first three wins, one of the bloated extra knockout round, Pochettino recorded the most World Cup wins of any head coach in the program's history. We ended up the same as it ever was. We were spat out in that round of 16, the Balagan affair shame. If you strip away the emotion right now and the emotion of today's press conference, Herc, Poch is a passionate man. But how will his two year tenure be remembered?