Tim Howard Issues Foreboding Prediction About Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT | OneFootball

Tim Howard portrayed a bleak situation ahead of the Concacaf Gold Cup for the U.S. men's national team and head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Names like Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Antonee Robinson, Giovanni Reyna, Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah won't participate in the competition for different reasons, but the pressure to build confidence in this USMNT project still remains after a disheartening performance in the Concacaf Nations League.

Speaking on his Unfiltered Soccer podcast with fellow USMNT legend Landon Donovan, the goalkeeper painted a worrying picture for the team.

“My thought was, and still is but that's going to waver in the next month if things don't go well, that Mauricio Pochettino was much, much bigger that U.S. soccer. And I don't mean that negatively. He's a big name, he's coached big characters. My hope would be that there was this plan in place that says, 'This is last chance saloon to get all of my guys together to see what I have,'” Howard said in regards to multiple players including Christian Pulisic asking to be left off the Gold Cup squad.

“Hear me out, I'm going on record as fact. He will not know what his best team is made of in the most difficult moments... think about that for a second.”

Knowing his best team on paper might be easy given the crop of talent, but Howard is more concerned about what happens when push comes to shove on the biggest stage on home soil.

Howard's statement isn't just a prediction, it's a fact of the current situation. Pochettino's had four opportunities to see his squad since taking over in late 2024: two friendly camps and two gatherings for the Concacaf Nations League.

His debut was a mixed bag given USMNT were embarrassed by Mexico, the other friendly camp was primarily for Major League Soccer players given players abroad were with their clubs. Defeating Jamaica in the Nations League quarterfinals wasn't anything to write home about, but their showings against Panama and Canada underwhelmed and worried fans.

Gold Cup, no matter the importance of the trophy, is an important opportunity to restore belief. If the Argentine can pull it off, while also endearing fans to other players in the squad, it'll be a win-win.

If not, the pressure is going to be turned up a notch. Or worse, fans could just lose interest altogether.