Fans of the United States men’s national team on the internet have noticed some awkward body language between coach Mauricio Pochettino and captain Christian Pulisic. A video surfaced from a training session on Friday in Fayetteville, Georgia, where Pochettino warmly hugs the other players, but his interaction with 28-year-old star player Pulisic looks quite brief and cold, with Pulisic only giving a one-handed hug while standing in the drill line.
Football fans spoke up
Football fans noticed the awkward body language between Pochettino and Pulisic and started talking about it, “Mauricio Pochettino making the rounds prior to USMNT training, shared a warm embrace with many players. And then also this, with Christian Pulisic,” an X user wrote.
Mauricio Pochettino making the rounds prior to USMNT training, shared a warm embrace with many players. And then also this, with Christian Pulisic. 🙃 https://t.co/fKwnTRyU3E
— Pablo Iglesias Maurer (@MLSist) November 13, 2026
Another fan reacted, “A two-armed hug would’ve been too much effort. He needs to rest for his club.”
@MLSist A two-armed hug would’ve been too much effort. He needs to rest for his club.
— Bryan Dee (@BryanJDee) November 13, 2026
One fan commented, “Pulisic didn’t perform well under Poch. I don’t think there’s any bad blood but there wasn’t a real connection either.”
@MLSist Pulisic didn’t perform well under Poch. I don’t think there’s any bad blood but there wasn’t a real connection either
— Re2pect Sports ☘️ (@Re2pectsport) November 13, 2026
Other fans wrote:
“The most awkward body language haha,” one commented.
“People are overreacting with this and it’s hilarious,” another commented.
Why awkward body language between Pochettino and Pulisic?
The tension between Pochettino and Pulisic has been going on for quite a while. Actually, it started last June when Pulisic decided to skip the 2025 Gold Cup after playing a long season of 3,500+ minutes with AC Milan, which led to a war of words between the two. Pulisic wanted to just play the June friendlies and rest during the summer, but coach Pochettino clearly said ‘no’ to that and dropped him from the entire squad.
After that came the 2026 World Cup, where Pulisic had already missed a group game due to a calf injury and couldn’t score a single goal in the whole tournament (0 goals in 4 matches). Then, on July 6 in the Round of 16 game against Belgium, he completely struggled, and after colliding with Youri Tielemans in the 52nd minute, he got a microfracture in his right leg, had to come off in the 59th minute, and the USA got knocked out after losing the game4-1.
The two might not be very close, even though Pulisic said this last year:
“We have good conversations. Honestly. Probably what you guys experience and what the media sees is a bit not exactly what we experience. Things are good. We spoke. We had a normal camp, and everything is good between us, good between the team. There’s probably not as much drama as you guys think there is.”
All this is happening at a time when 54-year-old Pochettino is ready to leave his USMNT contract, which runs until 2030, to join Manchester United. The English club has finalized a 2.5-year deal to pay his £7.4 million release clause, along with around £1.5 million extra for his staff, per reports.
For Pochettino, who has recorded 21 wins in 35 matches, Friday’s session was the last team training before Saturday’s CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final against Haiti at Miami’s new Nu Stadium. After that, he will return to England on Nov. 18-19 to take charge of his first game against Liverpool on Nov. 22.
Pochettino announced that he is leaving the U.S. team after 2 years to become the new manager of Manchester United, but he will stay with the team for the upcoming Nations League games against Haiti. His eyes welled up with tears while talking about leaving the U.S. team for his dream job at a press conference in Fayetteville, Georgia, on Friday.
The U.S. Soccer Federation had extended his contract only three months ago through the 2030 World Cup, but now he’ll leave the team next week to go to Old Trafford. He’s signed a deal with Manchester United and will start work next Wednesday, making him United’s 8th permanent manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. His appointment comes a day after Michael Carrick was let go, with the club in the relegation zone after one league win in 10 matches, the worst start to a Premier League season.
During the press conference, Pochettino gave a candid explanation about his exit.
“I would like to thank the fans for their support,” Pochettino said. “It has been a difficult time, and the decision was not easy, quite the opposite.”
“It is extremely complicated, but at the same time, I am excited about this new step,” He added. “Right now, I am focusing on the next game because it is important for the federation. Football develops very quickly, and we have to move forward, but I will always cherish the memories we shared. A lot has happened over these two years. You will always remain in my heart. It is hard to find people who are as transparent as you. The federation is in safe hands.”
Speaking about the size of the opportunity, Pochettino continued:
“It’s a really difficult decision, but we need to move forward,” Pochettino said. “We need to move forward, but a big thank you from my heart and my people because you were always transparent and you always put in front the interest of the federation, but always trying to build something together, and we really enjoyed it. We learned a lot from you, from you all, from this country. I think it was one of the most difficult decisions in our career.”
In the 2026-27 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, there will be two games between the USMNT and Haiti, with the USMNT playing for their 4th title and not having lost a single game to Haiti since 1973. The first ‘away’ game of this series will be played on Saturday in Miami.
Originally, the game was supposed to be in Kingston, Jamaica, but due to bad security conditions in Haiti, under a special agreement between CONCACAF and the Haitian Football Federation, the game has been moved to America.
Ticket prices for this game range from $158 to $1,200. The whole series will be decided on the total goals scenario (the goals from both games will be added to determine the winner), and if the score is tied, there will be 30 minutes of extra time and, if needed, a penalty shootout. The US team will play the second game on Tuesday at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati after playing in Miami on Saturday.
The team’s top players, Pulisic (26 goals), Folarin Balogun, and Weston McKennie, are back for the Stars and Stripes, making the squad with the new young players even stronger. ‘Captain America’ is coming back in amazing form, having scored in three of his last four games for AC Milan. The overall winner of this two-leg tie will advance to the semifinals in March, to be played at SoFi Stadium.
