U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino said it is very difficult to “stay on the sidelines” of political issues during a radio interview with “Radiogaceta de los Deportes” on RNE in Spain in which he was asked about the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, U.S. President Donald Trump and the actions of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Pochettino said that he empathizes “with everyone who suffers and with everything we believe is unjust.” But he reinforced his stance from earlier this month, when he admonished winger Tim Weah for speaking about high FIFA World Cup ticket prices, by saying he has to focus “on our duties.”

Citing the U.S. hockey team, the radio host asked Pochettino how the team can stay out of politics.

“It’s very difficult to stay on the sidelines, because in the end feelings and emotions are there,” Pochettino said in his native Spanish. “As human beings, we empathize with everyone who suffers and with everything we believe is unjust, right? And with all those injustices. Then we have our responsibilities, and our responsibility is to stay focused on our duties. I’m a football coach, and I have to make sure our players are fully focused on performing, on doing the best they possibly can.

“The reality is that all these situations happening around the world are situations that naturally affect you. As public figures, we are expected — or even pressured — to take a position. In this case, you’re asking me. But it’s one thing to be Mauricio Pochettino, with my ideas, my values, and my principles. Another is to be the head coach of the United States national team, where I also have responsibilities. My responsibility is to provide the structure, the federation, and the players with the best possible conditions to perform and to stay focused on that.

“But I also have to tell you that, as a human being, we are against any injustice, and of course that’s something we will always empathize with.

“Now, it would be easy to speak here, to be populist, and to say things that might sound good or to encourage certain actions beyond my role as a football coach — to say things that might sit well or not. But I believe my position does not give me the freedom to simply say what I think as just ‘Mauricio Pochettino’ without considering that I’m not only Mauricio Pochettino — and that my words could affect others.

“When you take on a role, in this case as national team coach, you also have to align yourself with that role. The same if you’re a player playing in a World Cup: you have to align yourself. If not, you have to step outside the system. If you want to speak completely freely about what’s happening, because we all have our own opinions, then you would have to step outside the system. Otherwise, to voice opinions without taking action would seem somewhat hypocritical and populist. And since I’m not that, it goes without saying that I’m against injustices and that I’m someone who, if I see something, will confront it in whatever way I can.

“But beyond that, I must align myself with what I represent and try to ensure that the players focus on what we have to do — which is play football.”

In the interview, Pochettino reiterated that the team has to go into the tournament aiming to win rather than pushing for merely reaching a certain round. He was also asked about reports linking him with the Tottenham Hotspur job — Spurs eventually hired Igor Tudor as interim manager through the end of the season — and he was quick to call them “rumors.”

“I’m always linked (to clubs),” he said. “To Tottenham, just like at one time I was linked to Espanyol, or to other clubs. In the end, especially because of my past at those clubs, when things aren’t going well, people tend to fall back on emotions and say, ‘Well, with Mauricio we played good football,’ or whatever it may be. But no. We’re focused on the World Cup, on the United States. My contract runs until after the World Cup, so after that we’ll see what might happen. Open to everything, right?”

Pochettino will select a roster in the coming weeks for March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta. It is the final camp before he is expected to pick his squad for the 2026 World Cup prior to last tune-ups against Senegal (Charlotte) and Germany (Chicago).

The U.S. opens the World Cup in Los Angeles on June 12 against Paraguay and also plays Australia (June 19) and one of Turkey, Slovakia, Romania or Kosovo (June 25) in group play.