The United States men’s national team (USMNT) will appoint Mauricio Pochettino as its new head coach, according to sources reported by The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
Pochettino, a former manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, has agreed to lead the team through the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Pochettino is expected to commence his role on September 7 against Canada, as noted by ESPN FC’s Mark Ogden. However, he cannot officially sign with U.S. Soccer until he finalizes a severance agreement with Chelsea, where he departed in May with one year remaining on his contract.
This role will mark Pochettino’s first experience in international management. His previous coaching achievements include guiding Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final, securing a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and leading Chelsea to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, thereby returning them to European competition.
Pochettino also had a stint with Southampton, where he met Matt Crocker, who is overseeing the search for the new USMNT head coach. Crocker and Pochettino were together at Southampton during the 2013 season when the team finished eighth.
Crocker, who served as England’s technical director from 2013 to 2020 before joining U.S. Soccer as sporting director, is responsible for the coaching search. Pochettino was a leading candidate to replace Gregg Berhalter, who was recently dismissed from his position.
Despite Pochettino being a high-profile target, Crocker confirmed that U.S. Soccer is prepared to offer a top-level salary to attract a coach of Pochettino’s caliber. For context, U.S. Soccer paid Berhalter $2.3 million for his services during the 2022 World Cup cycle, including a $900,000 bonus for qualifying.
Crocker commented, “I know 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 need to do on the field. But I’m also really conscious that we need to continue to drive for higher standards and equality. I don’t think that’s going to be a stumbling block in terms of our investment. Our national team is a priority. It’s something we’re prepared to invest in and something that we will be investing in.”
