4 CONCACAF teams' bosses urge to keep politics away from football

The coaches of the four teams playing for the CONCACAF Nations League title this week think soccer should remain separate from the geopolitical events currently roiling relations among their nations.

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Speaking two days before the tournament's semifinal matches at SoFi Stadium, US coach Mauricio Pochettino and Canada counterpart Jesse Marsch on Tuesday downplayed the political impact on the latest major international sporting competition to be staged amid President Donald Trump's rhetoric and policies, including his tariff war with Mexico and Canada.

"I think we can't mix political things with sport," Pochettino said. "It's not because I don't want to talk. I have my ideas. But I represent the federation, and I (don't) want to talk about politics."

The US face Panama in the first Nations League semifinal match on Thursday before Canada takes on Mexico in the nightcap. The championship match is Sunday night.

"I'm not going to get political right now," said Marsch, a Wisconsin native. "I think I've made my statements clear and known. I will say that I do think from watching the 4 Nations in hockey, you can see that the climate for sports in North America has been elevated for national teams.