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Mauricio Pochettino Agrees To Become USMNT Head Coach
Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to take over as the head coach of the United States men’s national team, according to multiple reports.
The 52-year-old is currently without a job following a year-long tenure at Chelsea, where he parted ways with the club after a tumultuous 2023/24 at Stamford Bridge.
But the 52-year-old is instead now set to lead the USA into a home World Cup in 2026 when they will co-host the tournament along with Mexico and Canada.
Pochettino’s reputation is strong following his successful leadership of Chelsea to a sixth-place finish and European qualification with a robust finish to last season.
He would have been in a favorable to secure another Premier League role if any mid-season dismissals occurred.
He was linked with Manchester United soon after he left Chelsea, but new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe decided to stick with Erik ten Hag, who secured a new contract at Old Trafford.
U.S Soccer now appears to have secured Pochettino, per reports from The Athletic, with sporting director Matt Crocker, who crossed paths with the Argentine during their time at Southampton, previously disclosing that there was a willingness to invest in a top-tier coach.
“It’s a 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 proclaimed.
“It’s a priority. It’s something we’re prepared to invest in and something that we will be investing in.”
Pochettino managerial career
Pochettino started his managerial career with Espanyol where he spent three years in Spain before moving to the Premier League to take over at Southampton.
Following a 16-month tenure there, he was appointed as the new head coach of Tottenham Hotspur and tasked with pushing the club towards regular Champions League qualification.
He oversaw three consecutive Premier League top-three finishes. Spurs finished as runners-up to Chelsea in the 2016-17 season and the club famously reached the Champions League final in 2019.
Pochettino was also seen as a key figure in the development of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Dele Alli, and many other players.
Pochettino later led Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title in 2022, before heading back to the Premier League to take over at Spurs’ bitter rivals Chelsea. After a slow start, they eventually hit their stride toward the end of the 2023/24 season, securing a place in the Europa League and a runners-up finish success in the Carabao Cup.
It wasn’t enough to persuade Pochettino to stay though, with his tenure at Chelsea dogged by off-field problems and a struggle to assert control behind the scenes.
