Mauricio Pochettino is set to become the head coach of the United States Men's National Team (USMNT) , with U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker landing his pal after links to Jurgen Klopp.
The USMNT was chasing a big acquisition following a dismal Copa America campaign on home soil under Gregg Berhalter. The team failed to reach the knockout stages as neighbor Canada managed to reach the semifinals.
Liverpool legend Klopp was reported as a potential target this summer . The German departed the Reds following over eight successful years that produced Premier League and Champions League glory, as well as domestic cups.
In the end, the USMNT is set to land former Southampton, Tottenham, PSG, and Chelsea manager Pochettino, who has been in charge of some of this generation of soccer's best players: Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar , and Harry Kane. Sporting director Crocker worked with Pochettino at Southampton, the 52-year-old's first managerial job in England, where he cut his teeth in the big league.
Crocker led Southampton’s academy at the time before leaving in November 2013 for England’s Football Association. Pochettino will be the team’s most high-profile coach since Jurgen Klinsmann once the deal is confirmed.
The ex-player has never managed a national team and the Argentine job always failed to go away until Lionel Scaloni won the last three major international tournaments on the bounce: the 2021 Copa America, 2022 World Cup, and the 2024 Copa America.
However, Pochettino's managerial jobs, although impressive, haven't yielded many trophies. And the USMNT will be hoping he can guide the players to a deep run in the 2026 World Cup on home soil. His only three managerial trophies came with PSG. He won Ligue 1 in 2022, as well as the French Cup and the French Super Cup. Pochettino did, however, guide Spurs to finals in the Football League Cup, and the Champions League against Klopp's Liverpool in Madrid.
He also coached Chelsea to an EFL Cup final in his most recent job. Pochettino was let go this summer despite delivering Europa Conference League football for the upcoming 2024/25 season. The coach struggled to make use of a saturated squad full of talented players.
Pochettino said: "Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and Sporting Directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club's history. The club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come."
Former Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca was tapped by big-spending American owner Todd Boehly, who has splashed over $1 billion since his arrival in West London.
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