Man United could decide whether Pochettino coaches the USMNT against Haiti this weekend

The USMNT play Haiti in Miami on Saturday in the first leg of a Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal, and as of Wednesday nobody could say for certain who will be on the touchline. Mauricio Pochettino is ready to accept Manchester United's offer to replace Michael Carrick, BBC Sport reported, and one source told the BBC's Sami Mokbel that if United push ahead, the club can decide whether Pochettino stays with the U.S. team for the Haiti games.

The Guardian reported on Wednesday that United have a framework agreement with Pochettino to become head coach if Carrick is fired. Sky Sports went further and described a verbal agreement with some details still to be finalized, according to the Manchester Evening News. Talks with U.S. Soccer about the logistics of the Haiti games were "accelerating," the same report said.

Carrick's future was being decided in Monaco, where chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox met co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The BBC said the recommendation was expected to be that Carrick goes, and that he could be relieved of his duties within 48 hours. Carrick still took training at Carrington on Wednesday morning. United are 18th, with one win from 10 Premier League games and none since August, their lowest position at this stage of a top-flight season since 1986-87.

Pochettino signed a contract through 2030 in August, and United would have to pay a $10 million release fee. The BBC says this is the fourth time United have spoken to him about the job, after 2018, 2022 and 2024.

The dates are what make this awkward for both sides. The U.S. host Haiti at Nu Stadium in Miami on Saturday, Nov. 14, and play the second leg at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Nov. 17. United's first game after the break is at Liverpool on Sunday, Nov. 22.

If Pochettino coaches both legs, the BBC noted, he would go from a Tuesday night game that finishes in the early hours of Wednesday in England straight to Carrington, with only a few days to prepare for Anfield. If United want him in Manchester sooner, the U.S. would play a two-legged knockout tie without the coach who picked the roster.

U.S. Soccer is not starting from zero. BBC sources say the federation expects an official approach from United and has a contingency plan that includes a succession plan. With that confidence in a successor, the BBC wrote, it is possible Pochettino will not take charge of the Haiti games at all. Pochettino himself wants to stay respectful to the federation and is waiting for United to make their approach formally.

This is the squad Pochettino picked a week ago, with his own calls on who came in and who stayed home. Cavan Sullivan and the rest of the group are in a camp where the biggest question isn't tactical. U.S. Soccer canceled planned player media this week, citing a clash with Veterans Day, though some reports claimed it was to keep players from being asked about their coach.

The unusual part isn't that a club wants a national team coach. It's that a club could end up choosing whether the national team keeps him for a quarterfinal. If United confirm Carrick's exit on Wednesday or Thursday, U.S. Soccer will have about 48 hours to say who coaches in Miami, and that answer will say a lot about how much control it kept over a contract that runs to 2030.