Kasey Keller exclusive: Mauricio Pochettino could quit the USMNT job tomorrow to save Tottenham Hotspur from relegation and leave Team USA in limbo

Speaking to Jackpot City Casino ahead of two key warm up games against Belgium and Portugal, the former US international backed Pochettino to take the host nation deep into the global tournament if he stays in his job.

Keller also discussed the future of Christian Pulisic as the answer to replace Mohamed Salah at Liverpool, and considered the impact Antoine Griezmann could have on Major League Soccer.

Read the full interview below including his thoughts on whether Lionel Messi’s influence could already be waning on US soccer.

Can Mauricio Pochettino shock the world by replicating Tottenham Hotspur’s run to a Champions League final this summer with the USMNT at their home tournament?

“Can Mauricio Pochettino take the USA to the final? I think there's always something similar, but I don't think anyone suspects USMNT can win the whole thing. But it's a squad Mauricio Pochettino took some time to figure out, he kind of opened it up to a bunch of people and the results didn't follow, and then you saw over the last several camps that it has come right back down to where you thought it was going to be from day one and the results have followed.

“Like any tournament, you need your stars to perform, you need your role players to do their role and then you need a handful of surprises. You need that player, like where did you come from, where did these performances come from.

“You need luck too. If you're playing against a big boy, you need them to have some sort of internal problem going on that you don't know about. Maybe you need just one of those crazy games where your goalkeeper has a great game. I think the US should do fine. I think we're just confused about how it will play out, the expanded player pool, three different countries, and there are some X-factors involved here that we haven't seen before.”

Should the USMNT be worried about losing Pochettino to Tottenham if Spurs come calling?

“Will Mauricio Pochettino leave his role as USMNT manager? I definitely see him quitting after the tournament. With Tottenham Hotspur, the problem, I think, is if they could entice Pochettino to quit the US team right now, and I could see that happening. I think they may try to hold on, but I don't think they can. I don't think they can continue down the path right now without hiring somebody and have the unthinkable happen. I think, like unfortunately, for most things - goalkeepers and managers it happens that way because there is only one with you.

“Timing is so important, I think if Spurs could get a couple of wins in the next couple of matches, obviously the Forest match what a disaster. Then you think hold off, wait until after the tournament and then have conversations. I think Spurs need to make a real serious move right now or the unthinkable is possible.”

How far can the USMNT go this summer?

“With three teams getting out of the group, or most three teams getting out the group, if the US doesn’t get out that would be a disaster. Particularly with that draw, it's a draw where you look at it and say the US should get out of the group. If we go back a few years, I never really say the US should get out the group until I see the draw. If I see our draw in Germany in 06 with a very good Czech Republic, champions Italy, and a very good Ghana, I don't look at that and say that we should get out of the group. Could we get out of the group? 100%. Should we, maybe not?

“Then I go to Brazil, and Germany, a younger Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal, and again a Ghana side, then you think maybe we shouldn't and the US did. I think they should do fine this summer. Again, go back to Qatar. Yeah they should have got out the group, they did. Should they have beaten the Dutch in the next round, probably not. Could they have beaten the Dutch, 100% but they needed to have the perfect match and they didn't. We need to be realistic on who we are and where we are.”

How big of a blow is it that Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be playing when USMNT face Portugal? Does that game lose some of its value to Pochettino and his players?

“How big of a blow is it that the USMNT won’t get to test themselves against Cristiano Ronaldo? I think it's a blow for TNT and the attention that would bring. Friendlies are friendlies and you're always searching for a hook to get everybody interested. I am sure they were extremely disappointed Ronaldo had to bow out with injury. I think it's a great test. A great win vs Uruguay in the last friendly. These kind of are the last friendlies to impress before, maybe there's a friendly at the beginning of summer, before the squad is announced but in the most part this is where you need to solidify your squad.

“In the squad, there's probably not a lot of tinkering but I am still wondering about the line-ups. Is he thinking 'hey I want to see this guy in this position against this type of opposition. Let's say I'm probably going to play him, let's say his injured, I want to see who my people are, so I'm not quite sure exactly if the line-ups will be a true reflection or if it's still that last opportunity to have a look at different things.:

Can this tournament be the launchpad for Christian Pulisic to realise his full potential and go on and challenge for the Ballon d’Or if he leaves AC Milan?

“Can Christian Pulisic go on and win the Ballon d’Or at a club like Barcelona or Real Madrid? At times, Christian was asked too much. I think he almost felt he needed to do everything in these matches. I think he has enough supporting cast members now to play his game.

“Do I think Christian Pulisic is good enough to replace Mohamed Salah at Liverpool or play for Barcelona or Real Madrid? I do. Talent wise, 100%. The US has made huge strides from the early nineties when a couple of us started coming over. I still feel, not much, there's a little bit where a player from a more recognised country, footballing country, gets that little more benefit of doubt if things aren't going perfectly well. The problem is when you get to a Barca, Madrid or Liverpool, do you get the benefit of doubt that every player needs when things don't go quite the way everyone hopes they should go?

“I love the situation Christian is in right now at AC Milan, being a marquee player for a big club - granted it's not the AC Milan we remember from the 90s. But it's still a great historical club. Does he maybe have some business he wants to fix coming back to England. If you look at his numbers at Chelsea, injury hurt him a couple of times, the transfer fee.

“Also let's be honest, Chelsea in that time period wasn't the stable Chelsea that it was in the past. But remember that's also the Chelsea of the past when we're talking about the stable Chelsea, where De Bruyne and Salah couldn't get a game and left. Obviously they came back with unfinished business and had unbelievable success in England. Could I see something similar with Christian, 100%”

What could Weston McKennie or Tyler Adams offer to Manchester United in midfield this summer as they look to replace Casemiro?

“Could Weston McKennie or Tyler Adams offer what Manchester United need this summer? Yes and no. Sometimes it's really difficult. Tyler - I'd love to see him for one year at Bournemouth where he is fit for 95% of the matches. He has had injury issues which has been frustrating. Weston has just signed a new contract at Juve. I said something to Weston a couple of years ago when I ran into him, and said ‘you know I always have a lot of respect for somebody who is able to change minds’. Juve have a new manager come in every season, saying ‘I'm leaving him out of pre-season, I'm leaving him out of this’ and by 5 or 6 games into the season - he starts the rest of the year.

“You're doing something right when you're able to do that. I know things didn't go well for him at Leeds, I don't know if that would follow him but right now in a situation where you have proven yourself at a club like Juve and you're proving people wrong multiple times, it's not a bad place to stay.”

Given the way Manchester United play, would they be the ideal club for Sergino Dest to raise his game and replace Diogo Dalot next season?

“Would Sergino Dest be an upgrade at right-back for Manchester United this summer? That is a good question. I like Sergino a lot. I see him more as a wing-back then I do as a defender. I don't know how Michael Carrick is going to set up when he is going to have more time in the transfer market. If you play to his strengths, and then if you ask him to play as a defending right back - you're putting him in a poor position, and you're putting yourself in a poor position. It's like you're asking Trent Alexander-Arnold to not go forward and just be a defender, that's just not going to happen. I feel that way with Sergino as well. He’d be a success at Utd if they play to his strengths.

Noahkai Banks is a bit torn over his international allegiance. If you were Pochettino, would you say I want to focus on my players and not include him going forward?

“Should Mauricio Pochettino move on from Noahkai Banks? 100% - I don't believe there's anything torn. You either are or you aren't. If there's a question mark, there's your answer. Sometimes you have a horrible qualifying schedule and you have to fly from Europe, come from America and you've got to train in 90 degree Salvador, wherever, to get a result and if you're 'maybe I'll play for this other country' - yeah no thanks. Thanks for coming.

“Make the connection and are you in or out and you're not sure then you're out, thanks for coming. We don't need it. There's chats like we need the best players possible, well is he the best player possible if he doesn't know if he wants to play for the country or not? I mean give me a break.”

How many Premier League goals can a striker with Haji Wright’s profile score next season?

“How big of an impact will Haji Wright have on the Premier League next season? That is always the question. The question is when someone has success in the Championship, does their game translate to the Premier League. We've seen it with players in the past that will score 20/30 goals and get their team promoted, and then score 3/4 in the Premier League next year - and the team gets relegated. Does he have the strength, the size, the power, 100%. You still have to do it, and even through transfer or promotion, he has put himself in a position to be given the opportunity to see if he can do it.”

is football's governing body in danger of pricing out fans from their own home tournament this summer?

“It will be interesting to see if the tickets sell, and if the matches are sold out, then the organizers got it right. If they don't, then I'm sure what will happen is that tickets will be on the secondary market and where people can maybe hopefully get to some matches they felt they couldn't beforehand. This is nothing new from any major sporting event - any major Champions League final. It's always for the big events, there is always a huge price tag that comes with it and at times, unfortunately, it excludes a group of people which is a shame.”

Who are you backing, and how far will Portugal go? Can you see Cristiano Ronaldo winning it?

“Can Cristinao Ronaldo lift the cup this summer? I don't see Portugal winning it. I think they're good. I look at a few teams. We look at the squad France have, if they get it together then look out. Obviously Spain is very strong. I really like England's squad - they have to be one of the favourites.

“How difficult it is to repeat, I don't see Argentina being able to repeat their success. With no expectation, can Brazil show up when they haven't necessarily been any good. I look at Spain, France and England personally. I just hope with this expectation, it doesn't become too much. We know the English fans get a little excited when they start to have a little success.”

Has the Lionel Messi effect peaked or can he take MLS to new heights again?

“Has the Lionel Messi effect on US soccer peaked? It has definitely peaked to a point, because there was a situation where nobody knew how long he was going to be playing in the league. I knew a lot of people who were wealthy enough to be able to do it to take their kids to an Inter Miami game, because you don't know if you're able to see Messi again. They're not doing that every week. When Messi comes into town, some of the MLS teams are moving to a football stadium to capitalise off of being able to sell three times as many tickets, look I get that.

“Messi, if it hadn't been for Ronaldo, he would have been a generational player. Obviously these are two generational players. The other hard part is, yes you want people to watch MLS, are they watching MLS for the right reasons? Is it sustainable? Are they supporting their team or just looking for the one player? We have those in America - it's like when WWE comes into town, or Supercross comes into town - it's like are you building something for a fanbase that is week in week out? And can you do that with that model?”

Antoine Griezmann is moving to Orlando City. How big of a move is that for MLS and are there any other European players you could see following suit in 2026?

“Am I excited to see Antoine Griezmann in MLS? Look, you hear the tag 'retirement league'. To a degree, there's some truth to that. There's a responsibility on those guys when they come over with the amount of money that they're making compared to everyone else that they need to perform, that they need to put the effort in.

“One thing that MLS has is athletes. If you come over trying to play at 50%, you'll be embarrassed. If you put the effort in, you'll be successful. Obviously this Griezmann thing has been on and off again for months, if this does happen and he is in Orlando in the summer - he is going to understand it's different. If he is a leader, and leads by example, he'll be successful.”

What would you do to improve MLS as a product? Do you agree with Messi about getting rid of salary caps?

“What would I change about MLS to improve it as a competition? What I would do, I wouldn't necessarily get rid of a cap. The way MLS works now, is you have these designated players, you have these target allocation players. What that really does, when you get somebody that you're paying, there's really no other competition in the squad. The problem then is you say OK ‘this guy is making $250k and this guy is making $2.5million, and there's really no way in the cap for me to reward the guy that is making $250k when he beats out the guy who is making $2.5m. I just can't let the guy beat him out, because I'll look like an idiot to my owner if I'm not playing the guy I'm not paying 10 times the salary to.

“So there is no internal, or very little internal competition - so that is where I really want to see the league go to. There are mechanisms in place where if you're better, you're better and we will find a way to pay you and we will reward you for being better. You see a few clubs that don't spend money on big names, they’re the ones that give the kids chances too, and the other clubs kids don't get a chance.

“One of the other issues with MLS, and it's not necessarily MLS, it's more American emigration - is if you have a green card you're considered a non-foreigner. So there's very little protection for the American player in MLS. I kind of like what Germany did. Germany said like in a 26-man squad, 13 had to be German. You can start 11 big foreign players, but those 13 kids are getting chances. I would love to see a little more opportunity for the development of the American player at home, and that's a little tricky at times.?

Would you like to see relegation and promotion brought to MLS? And what about the idea of an all-star match vs the best of the Premier League each year?

“Would I like to see relegation and promotion in MLS? It will be interesting when MLS moves to the European calendar. Because then pre-season will really be pre-season for both teams. If I am playing for Chelsea or Man Utd while they're in pre-season, and then we have to stop our season in the middle to play a game that doesn't mean anything, it was always a little awkward. So this aligns much better with those types of tours.

“Relegation I just don't see happening simply because... you tell an American owner you go pay half a billion dollars for a franchise fee, spend another half a billion dollars to build a stadium and now you're no longer in MLS, yeah good luck with that. When American owners have gone in and bought Bournemouth for example, you’re not buying Bournemouth for half a billion dollars, you're buying Bournemouth for 15 million pounds, 30 million pounds, right. Granted, you have a little bit different financial responsibility because you could get relegated, but you don't have that massive outlay.

“They're talking right now of the Seahawks being sold for 8 to 10 billion dollars, and then what - you relegate them? It just doesn't work that way. So that's the one part that would be tricky. I like what relegation does for the player, particularly for preparing for something like qualifying and the pressure it puts on the player to grow, but for an ownership standpoint, it's impossible.”

There has been talk of Cristiano Ronaldo moving to Hollywood once he finally hangs up his boots. Do you see him moving to MLS and playing in LA as a route into Hollywood?

“Will Cristiano Ronaldo be thinking about a career in Hollywood when he comes to the USA this summer? I don't think Ronaldo is too worried about that. If he was going to do that, he would have done that instead of going to Saudi. Look I get it, Saudi was crazy, you know and it has worked out really well for him. I think he is really one injury away from retiring honestly. Yes he wants to score 1000 goals, of course he does. But I don't know if he wants to go into an MLS system at 41 or42, travel all around the country, just for what. It's Cristiano Ronaldo, if he wants to jump into a movie, he'll jump into a movie.

“Could Cristiano Ronaldo make a Netflix documentary with Georgina Rodriguez? He definitely could do that. Clearly he'll have options to do different things. If you look at the personalities between Ronaldo and Messi, Messi was more behind the scenes and Ronaldp was front and centre. I'll be interested to see what he does in Portuguese, in English, what kind of role he takes. Because he also doesn't seem to have that personality where he'll just go and hang out somewhere. Doesn't he feel like that person that still wants to be doing something? What that role is, when you're that big and that massive, I don't see him coaching, I don't see him being a General Manager or being a Sport Director.”

Would getting involved with Wrexham offer Ronaldo another route into Hollywood given the club’s owners and connections?

“Could Cristiano Ronaldo become involved with Wrexham as an investor? I can see him being courted by a lot of people to invest in a lot of things. What his passion is, I think it will come to the forefront. He is such a singular point of focus. Talk about the dedication, staying at the top for as long as you definitely can, the fitness that he puts on himself, yeah I'll be interested to see when he realises it's over and he makes that decision - does he take a breath or does he not have that in his DNA? When he takes a breath, does he say I don't want to do that anymore? I don't know if he can.

“Then he has to figure out what makes the most sense for his time as money won't be an issue. Then it's about how do you dedicate the commitment of time to make it worth your while. What that is, is a big question - because what is that? What do you do? I can see Messi doing some work with the team in Argentina and staying in Miami, doing stuff. He is not a big enough media presence, he does his stuff, but I don't see him being like I need a huge Netflix documentary following me around. That's a crazy one - you're so big and then it's not like you're going to then be an analyst for matches. It's crazy.”

Have Christian Romero and Micky Van De Ven hampered their chances of getting a move to a club like Liverpool, Manchester United or Atletico Madrid due to their recent form and ill-discipline?

“Have Micky Ven De Ven and Christian Romero hurt their chances of a move to a Champions League club from what we’ve seen this season? Absolutely. When you're talking about these teams, you're talking about teams you need to go into with a particular mentality. We have seen that over the last couple of years with Man Utd, it hasn't been the mentality you expected at those clubs. Let's say Michael Carrick right now is starting to change that mentality at Utd, do you bring in somebody with the mentality of I'm not going to listen to this, I'm not going to that, and I'm more important - that would be a fear.”

What’s next for Dejan Kulusevski after this difficult period at Tottenham Hotspur?

“What next for Dejan Kulusevski? I can see him going back to Italy. Maybe to another Premier League club. Spurs have been looking to offload their higher salaries and make some money in the transfer market with guys they're not sure they'll recoup their money from. It's just even harder to fathom you go from winning the UEFA Cup, to obviously last season wasn't good, to getting as far as they did to getting knocked out of the Champions League to Atletico Madrid, to now a point outside the relegation zone, it's wild.”

Would you like to see an American star at Wrexham and who would that be?

“Would I love to see a USMNT star playing for Wrexham? Only if it's right for Wrexham, that's all. I don't look at it from an American or non-American. I look at it like I want the American guys to go places that are right for them and the club. If there's a player that makes sense for Wrexham and he happens to be American, then brilliant.

There's no question that with the 'Welcome to Wrexham' series, Wrexham has tremendous and crazy support in America that you wouldn't have imagined four or five years ago. If then an American player went to Wrexham and was really successful, I think that would be brilliant. But it would have to be right for both parties. Not just stick an American there for the sake of sticking an American there.”

What did you make of Josh Sargent’s exit from Norwich to Toronto FC?

“What did I make of Josh Sargent’s departure from Norwich City? I thought it was embarrassing personally. I thought it was handled very poorly. And I don't know how much of it was Josh, how much of it was his management, but I didn't think it was a good look. And any time it is not a good look for an American, that means Norwich now might think I'm never signing another American.

“So yeah in the end, look, two things worked out well. With the decision that Norwich made, they went on a great run and got themselves out of any relegation trouble, and then because of that, then said ‘OK now we can make this happen, make money, sell this guy that clearly didn't want to be here’. So in the end it worked out great for both. But it's just not the way it should have been done.”

Is Tom Brady doing enough to drive Birmingham City back into the Premier League?

“Do we need to see more from Tom Brady to get Birmingham City into the Premier League? I don't really know how involved Tom Brady is with Birmingham. I think he consults, he obviously has a tremendous background of what it takes to be a pro. You know we talked about Ronaldo's longevity, obviously Tom had that as well. But obviously he is contracted with Fox, he is not running Birmingham day to day. I think the best thing Tom Brady can do is do whatever he can to help Birmingham out and bring in the right people to help that club and their potential to get back to the Premier League.”

Is it looking inevitable that Cole Palmer will force his way out at Chelsea to join Manchester United given the different trajectories of the two clubs at present?

“Could I see Cole Palmer push his way out of Chelsea to join Manchester United? Yes and no. Can Chelsea get back to where they were? Challenging for winning titles, winning in Europe, and if you're going to do that, do you do that by selling your star young players? Let's go back to Tottenham. Here's a young Gareth Bale, do you win a title or two and then sell him before you win something? Here's a Luka Modric, here's a Michael Carrick. Carrick came to Spurs from West Ham when I was there and was there for six months and then went to Man Utd. It wasn't a case of win titles with Cristiano Ronaldo and then sell him to Real Madrid. It was no, let's sell him to Real Madrid before we win titles. So if I'm Chelsea and I have to look at what my ambition is now. Do you say 'can we sell Palmer, reinvest that money and win titles' but what is the goal? Is the goal to balance the books or win titles?”

Can Declan Rice win the Ballon d'Or?

“Can Declan Rice win the Ballon d’Or? No. To win the Ballon d'Or, it's really really difficult as that kind of non-super marquee 40 goals a season type player. So let's say, Bayern Munich - either gets to the Champions League final. Obviously they are going to win the league, they'll win the Pokal Cup, and get to a final and Harry Kane has scored 45/50 goals in all competitions, then you have Mbappe scoring 40 goals for Real Madrid, but Declan Rice is going to win the Ballon d'Or.”

Is Bruno Fernandes the player who should be winning the Premier League player of the season awards over someone like Declan Rice?

“Is Bruno Fernandes more deserving of being named Premier League player of the season than Declan Rice? Well I like Declan Rice. If Arsenal win the title, then brilliant, but I'm just saying to go to that level you're going to be competing against guys that are doing remarkable things number wise. And to do that as a midfielder, it's tough, it's real real tough. Look at the years when Messi and Ronaldo every year were scoring 50 goals and winning Champions Leagues, and then asking a guy in midfield to compete with that, good luck!”

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