Mauricio Pochettino agrees to take over as US national soccer team coach

Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the next coach of the U.S. men’s national soccer team, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The news of the expected signing of the former Tottenham and Chelsea coach is important to the American fan base, which is looking for a big-name manager after the dismissal of former US national team coach Gregg Berhalter following a group stage exit from the Copa America this summer.

The athlete Reports last week said Pochettino was a top target for the job, although sources familiar with the search said the federation was still considering several candidates at the time. However, Pochettino was seen by some as the favorite in the group, with the U.S. Soccer Federation engaging in talks with his camp.

Pochettino has never managed a national team, but the Argentine has enjoyed plenty of success at club level. He led Southampton to eighth in the Premier League in 2013, set league records with Tottenham, including an appearance in the 2019 Champions League final, and won the French league title with Paris Saint-Germain. Most recently, Pochettino led Chelsea to sixth place and European qualification before leaving at the end of the 2023-24 season.

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Pochettino was coached by US Soccer’s sporting director Matt Crocker during his year at Southampton. Crocker was leading Southampton’s academy at the time. He left in November 2013 to join the English Football Association.

Crocker previously said the US Soccer Federation would not be bound by financial restrictions when it comes to hiring a coach.

“It’s a really competitive market in terms of salaries, and we have to be competitive to get the calibre of coach that I think can move the program forward in terms of getting the results we want on the field,” Crocker said. “It’s a priority. It’s something we’re willing to invest in and something we’re going to invest in.”

Once the deal is completed, Pochettino will become the club’s most prominent coach since World Cup winner Jurgen Klinsmann. Klinsmann coached Germany and Bayern Munich before taking over the US national team, but his fame comes more from his achievements on the pitch as a player. Pochettino made his name as a manager, with teams that use positional play to try to control space, but also like to press and attack the opposition.

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(Photo: Henry Brown/Getty)