Former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino is a top target to start for the U.S. men’s national team, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
As of last week, the federation was still considering multiple candidates, but Pochettino was seen by some as the frontrunner and U.S. Soccer was in talks with his camp, sources said.
U.S. Soccer declined to comment on any specific candidates for the position.
Hiring Pochettino would be seen as a huge splash, especially at a time when American fans are looking for a big-name manager. The Argentinian has never coached the national team but has enjoyed great success at club level. He led Southampton to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League in 2013, achieved record league results with Tottenham, including reaching the Champions League final in 2019, and won the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain. Most recently, Pochettino guided Chelsea to a sixth-place finish and European qualification before leaving at the end of the 2023-24 season.
US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker and Pochettino overlapped during the Argentina coach’s year at Southampton. Crocker led Southampton’s youth academy at the time, leaving in November 2013 to join the Football Association.
Pochettino coached Chelsea last season (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Argentinian media “Olé” previously reported that Pochettino is a candidate for the position.
While it’s possible that U.S. Soccer will make and announce a hire before the September transfer window, the federation is planning to have former U.S. Men’s Under-20 National Team coach and current U.S. National Team assistant coach Mikey Varas lead the charge The senior team participated in friendly matches against Canada and New England.
The U.S. national team has been without a coach since firing Gregg Berhalter after exiting the Copa America group stage this summer. Berhalter served as head coach from December 2018 to December 2022, leading the U.S. team back to the World Cup after failing to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, and then again as head coach from June 2023 to July 2024. .
The United States had a mediocre performance at the Copa America, beating Bolivia in their opening group game before losing to Panama after holding a player down for more than an hour after winger Tim Weah received a red card. The U.S. team then lost 0-1 to Uruguay in the group finals.
go deeper
Pochettino’s departure from Chelsea won’t put him on the rubbish heap
Pochettino will become the most high-profile American coach since World Cup winner Jurgen Klinsmann. Although Klinsmann coached the German national team and Bayern Munich before taking over the U.S. team, his fame comes more from his achievements as a player on the field. Pochettino is known as a coach whose teams use positional tactics to try to dominate space, but also like to press and attack opponents.
The 52-year-old is likely to command a top-tier salary, with reports suggesting he is one of the highest-paid managers in the world with PSG and Chelsea. However, Crocker said the federation would not be limited by financial constraints.
“This is a very competitive market from a salary perspective and we have to be competitive to get high-level coaches who I believe can drive the program to the results we want,” Crocker said. “This is a priority. This is what we are prepared to invest in and this is what we will invest in.
(Above: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
