A U.S. soccer coach is defending himself to the sports press for delivering hard news in writing instead of picking up the phone. Mauricio Pochettino announced the final 26-man U.S. men’s national team roster for the 2026 World Cup this week, and the players who didn’t make it found out by email.
Emailing bad news
Former U.S. international Herculez Gomez called the move “diabolical” and said Pochettino should “face your players and give them the respect they deserve,” according to LinkedIn News. However, Pochettino pushed back. He said his approach was consistent and personal, noting that when he was cut from Argentina’s national team in 1994 and 1998, he didn’t want his coach to call him.
The Pochettino situation comes shortly after a wave of coverage about Oracle’s layoffs, in which some employees reportedly learned they’d lost their jobs via a 6 a.m. email. This puts an HR debate back on the agenda, addressing what the medium of a message communicates beyond its words.
The Oracle situation drew particular criticism because of the timing. A 6 a.m. email about job loss, before an employee’s workday begins, puts them in a position where they have no immediate access to HR, their manager or their questions.
Pochettino’s argument is not without merit, and HR practitioners who work in high-volume or geographically distributed environments often utilize similar approaches. A written message gives the recipient time to process before responding and removes the pressure of a live conversation neither party is fully ready to have.
The case for in-person communication
However, that stance contrasts with much of the expert guidance, which tends to prioritize live, person‑to‑person communication for terminations and layoffs and warns that email‑only notices can erode trust if they are perceived as cold or abrupt. When communicating with employees, avoid using email, according to Laura Hamill, chief people officer and chief science officer at Limeade, a software company that elevates the employee experience.
The counterargument, which Gomez voiced and which many HR leaders have heard from departing employees, is about dignity. A phone call signals that someone considered the news significant enough to deliver personally, while an email can feel like checking a box.
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