Pochettino is one of the leading candidates to become coach of the US national team: sources
Former Tottenham and Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino is a leading candidate to open the U.S. men’s national team, according to multiple sources familiar with the search for a new coach.
According to sources, the federation is still considering several candidates last week, but Pochettino is seen by some as the favorite in the group, and US Soccer is also in talks with his team.
US Soccer would not comment on specific candidates for the position.
Hiring Pochettino would be seen as a huge boost, especially at a time when the American fan base is looking for a big-name manager. The Argentine has never coached a national team but has enjoyed considerable success at club level. He led Southampton to an eighth-placed Premier League finish in 2013, achieved record league finishes with Spurs, including a Champions League final appearance in 2019, and secured a Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain. Pochettino most recently led 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 Argentine coach’s year at Southampton. Crocker was leading Southampton’s academy at the time and left in November 2013 to join the Football Association.
Pochettino was Chelsea manager last season (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Argentinian media Olé previously reported that Pochettino was a candidate for the position.
While it is possible that U.S. Soccer could sign a new player before the September transfer window, the league plans to name former U.S. men’s under-20 national team coach and current U.S. national team assistant Mikey Varas as captain of the senior team for friendlies against Canada and New Zealand on Sept. 7 and 10, respectively, according to sources familiar with the program’s scheduling.
The USMNT has been without a coach since Gregg Berhalter was fired following a group-stage exit from the Copa América this summer. Berhalter was manager from December 2018 to December 2022, leading the U.S. back to the World Cup after they failed to qualify for the tournament in 2018, and then again from June 2023 to July 2024.
The U.S. suffered a Copa collapse, beating Bolivia in their opening group match and losing to Panama after playing more than an hour down after winger Tim Weah was given a red card. The U.S. then lost 1-0 to Uruguay in the group final.
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Pochettino is said to be the most prominent U.S. coach since World Cup-winning Jurgen Klinsmann. Although Klinsmann coached the German national team and Bayern Munich before taking the U.S. job, his fame came more from his on-field exploits as a player. Pochettino has made his name as a manager, managing teams that use playmaking to dominate space but also like to press and attack the opposition.
The 52-year-old is likely to command a top salary, as reports have suggested he was one of the highest-paid coaches in the world at PSG and Chelsea. However, Crocker has said the federation will not be limited by financial constraints.
“It’s a very competitive market, salary-wise, and we have to be competitive to get the level of coach that I think can move the program forward in terms of getting the results that we want on the field,” Crocker said. “It’s a priority. It’s something we’re willing to invest in and something we will invest in.”
(Top photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
