While no one has officially confirmed that Mauricio Pochettino is departing the United States men's national team for Manchester United after Michael Carrick's sacking, the faces of Sebastian Berhalter and Folarin Balogun said everything that you needed to know at media availability on Thursday ahead of their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals match with Haiti. With a spot in the Nations League final at stake in this competition, there's a need to be professional during this, and they stressed that, but it was also hard to hide emotions when the manager under whom they experienced some of their best times as USMNT internationals and an entire World Cup is about to depart.

When asked about what he wanted to see, Balogun was succinct, saying, "If I had a vote, I would like to keep things the way they are."

He continued, saying, "I think things have been working well; we have a clear sense of identity, we have a clear playing style, and whenever you have a top coach, you'd want him to stay, as it's a no-brainer, so I think for us it's no different."

It's hard not to feel for Balogun after he became the story of the World Cup for the wrong reasons due to his red card being rescinded before playing against Belgium in the round of 16, where the USMNT suffered a 4-1 loss, crashing out of the tournament. Then things went from bad to worse with his move to Everton being called off due to a change in contract terms, and now needing to struggle for playing time at Monaco. While he still plans to depart the French club in January, the national team camp was supposed to be an escape, and instead, it has become another uncertain time as Pochettino's exit nears. Berhalter confirmed that the team haven't officially heard anything, but that their focus is still on the game at hand.

"We're focused on going against Haiti twice; they're a good team. You saw at the World Cup, they surprised people, so that's our main focus, and I think the group is ready to play these games," Berhalter said.

Berhalter made his national team debut under Pochettino and hasn't looked back, securing 22 caps for the team and making decisions hard on the Argentine on how he should set up the midfield. Because of that, it's hard not to be reflective during uncertain times such as this.

"Personally, on the field and off the field, he's done a lot for me, and from day one he's always believed in me. Before I set foot on the field, I think about the way I play and the way that I try to carry myself," Berhalter said. "He just said it doesn't matter what you're doing on the field; these are already the right things. And to be honest, I can't thank him enough, and regardless if he's coach, not the coach and, I say it every time that he's meant so much to me. And he's helped me develop as a player and as a person, and as a player, that's all you can ask for: to have that trust and have that belief in you. And for me, it's easy to go out there and just do my job so, he's meant a good deal to me for sure."

This is all tough to manage while having games to play. Sure, players will state that they're going to be professionals, and these are people who have dealt with stress and needed to maintain that professionalism while doing it, but from a human perspective, it's a well-liked coach leaving on short notice. Even if people anticipated that Pochettino may not make it through to the 2030 World Cup and his departure is a symptom of a coach who has done well at the helm, that doesn't make it any easier on the players. If they go ahead quickly against Haiti on Saturday, they could turn the match into a celebration of what has been so great while playing for Pochettino, but going behind can have a cascading impact where doubt starts to creep in. It's something that the USMNT will need to avoid, even if the future is bright for this squad, no matter who is coaching them.

Pochettino helped raise the standard, and with young players like Cavan Sullivan, Adri Mehmeti, Matias Albert, Neil Pierre and Julian Hall, the future is already here, and no one can feel complacent about their spots. These are things that the new coach can bring in, and Pochettino's leadership can set a new standard of what to look for.

"Yeah, I think the benefit and the blessing when you have a great coach is you know the standard," Balogun said. "I think Poch definitely raised the standard since he's been in charge. I think you guys have seen that, just the intensity of training, how we approach games, he's changed our way of thinking as players, from calling the friendlies that we have in certain camps official games, not official games. He wants us to just be of a mindset to go out there and win."

"He's laid the foundation, and I think we, as players, have that ownership to not just do that because Poch was in charge; I think we have the ownership as players to carry that out because we know the standard," he continued. "So yeah, I think that's the benefit of having a top coach, and I'm sure you know whether he's here or not, the US will look to replace him with another top coach."

Who succeeds Pochettino will be important, but what the players have learned from his time will be invaluable, so the standard can't slip from here. As Balogun said, it's time to take ownership of their own future because while the coaches may change, the players tasked with leading this team back to the top of Concacaf are already here and understand the task at hand.

How to watch Haiti vs. USMNT, odds

Date: Saturday, Nov. 14 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Nu Stadium -- Miami, Florida
TV: TBS | Live stream: HBO Max
Odds: Haiti +750; Draw +440; USMNT -350