U.S. Soccer focuses on Mauricio Pochettino as next coach of men’s team
Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentine who has led major clubs in Europe and guided some of soccer’s most famous players, is deep in talks about becoming the U.S. men’s national soccer team coach as it prepares for the 2026 World Cup, people familiar with the situation said Thursday.
The deal has not been finalized and requires approval from the U.S. Soccer Federation’s board of directors. The USSF is “leaning in on him but still has got to get there,” said one person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely on the matter.
Several outlets, citing anonymous sources, reported Pochettino has agreed to the job.
USSF officials declined to comment.
Pochettino, 52, would replace Gregg Berhalter, who was fired this summer following the U.S. team’s poor performance in Copa América, a major tuneup for the sport’s quadrennial spectacle – the World Cup – to take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
If a deal is struck, Pochettino would debut against Panama in an Oct. 12 friendly in Austin. To allow the new coach time to get acquainted with the organization and build his staff, the USSF plans to assign Mikey Varas, the U.S. under-20 national team coach, to friendlies against Canada on Sept. 7 in Kansas City, Kan., and New Zealand on Sept. 10 in Cincinnati.
The USSF’s initial interest in former Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp never materialized into substantial talks (Klopp had no intention of leaving Europe). Luis de la Fuente, who guided Spain to the European Championship this summer, expressed interest in the job but was never contacted by the USSF, his representatives said. Potential domestic-based candidates have included Los Angeles FC’s Steve Cherundolo and the Columbus Crew’s Wilfried Nancy.
Pochettino’s hiring would reunite him with USSF sporting director Matt Crocker, who oversaw the coaching search. Pochettino and Crocker worked together at English club Southampton in 2013.
Pochettino would be tasked with getting the most out of a young core of U.S. players competing in major European leagues. With the youngest lineup at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Americans advanced to the round of 16 before losing to the Netherlands. U.S. officials are emphasizing the importance of a deeper run in 2026, when there is a golden opportunity to grow the sport in this country. The United States will host the majority of the 104 matches, including all games after the round of 16.
Pressure on Crocker to get this coaching decision right intensified this summer after last year’s decision to rehire Berhalter backfired. Among the other candidates at that time was Jesse Marsch, an American who this summer guided Canada to the Copa América semifinals.
Crocker, who joined the USSF early last year, did get it right on the women’s side, hiring Emma Hayes, who led the national team to the Olympic gold medal last week.
Pochettino has never coached a national team but has 15 years’ experience on the European club level. He started with Spanish club Espanyol before moving to Southampton for 1½ seasons.
Between 2014 and ’19, Pochettino rose to prominence with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, which advanced to the 2019 UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool. He later moved to Paris Saint-Germain for an 18-month spell featuring a French Ligue 1 title with a front line of Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Pochettino’s most recent stint was last season in the Premier League with Chelsea for a sixth-place finish in league play (rising from 12th the year prior), runner-up in the League Cup and a semifinal appearance in the FA Cup. With his relationship with the front office souring, the sides agreed to part ways in late May.