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The USMNT found an established name to lead its 2026 World Cup push.
Former Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the next U.S. men’s soccer national team coach, according to multiple reports.
Pochettino, 52, has also led Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham, South Hampton and Espaynol during his coaching career following a successful playing career that included playing in the 2002 World Cup with Argentina.
He replaces Gregg Berhalter, who was fired after the USMNT’s Copa America debacle, in what ESPN labeled as a “major coup” for the Americans.
The USMNT had gone big-game hunting in its quest to add a respectable manager, even attempting to lure former Tottenham coach Jurgen Klopp, and found an established leader in Pochettino.
Pochettino led Chelsea to a sixth-place finish this past season before leaving the Premier League squad after just one campaign.
Matt Crocker, the U.S. Soccer Federation’s technical direction, had lengthy discussions with Pochettino with the goal of finding a coach who could lead a team capable of making a deep run in the 2026 World Cup on its home soil. The USMNT automatically qualifies as one of the host nations.
Crocker and Pochettino had worked together together during the manager’s one season with Southampton and Crocker previously said the USMNT would have the proper financial support to land a notable coach.
“It’s a really competitive market out there, salary-wise, and we have to be competitive to get the level of coach that I believe can take the program forward in terms of achieving the results that we want on the field,” Crocker said, according to The Athletic. “It’s a priority. It’s something we’re prepared to invest in and something that we will be investing in.”
This opportunity will mark Pochettino’s first time leading a national team, and he’s expected to be on the sidelines for the USMNT’s match against Canada on Sept. 7, per ESPN.
His teams “use positional play to try to dominate space, but that also like to press and attack opposition,” according to The Athletic.
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