NEW YORK-. Mauricio Pochettinothe Argentine who managed the English clubs Tottenham and Chelseawas hired Tuesday to succeed Gregg Berhalter as coach of the national team. USA21 months away from hosting the 2026 World Cup.
Pochettino, 52, is the 10th U.S. national team coach in the past 14 years. He also became the first foreigner to take charge of the team since German Jurgen Klinsmann from 2011-16.
A defender who played for Argentina at the 2002 World Cup and was a teammate of Diego Maradona at Newell’s Old Boys in the 1990s, Pochettino embarked on a coaching career with Espanyol in 2009.
After leaving the Catalan club in 2012, Pochettino went on to manage Southampton (2013–14), Tottenham (2014–19) and Chelsea (2023–24) in England. He also took charge of Paris Saint-Germain (2021–22), managing Lionel Messi, stepping aside after a season in which they won the French league title.
“What’s important is the journey that this team and this country are on,” Pochettino said in a statement released by the U.S. Soccer Federation. “The energy, the passion and the hunger to achieve something truly historic here are the things that inspired me.”
Matt Crocker, the US Soccer Federation sporting director who led the search for the coach, was Southampton’s academy director when Pochettino began his time with the club.
Pochettino held an initial meeting with Crocker and USSF CEO JT Batson in Barcelona. The parties held talks for five hours and had been in negotiations since mid-August.
Although the duration of the agreement was not specified, the USSF indicated that Pochettino will lead the team at the World Cup.
“Mauricio is a serial winner with a passion for player development and a proven ability to build cohesive, competitive teams,” Crocker said in a statement. “I am confident he is the right choice to fulfill the immense potential within our talented roster.”
Pochettino is expected to arrive in the United States on Wednesday, two days before a news conference in New York. He will lead the team in friendlies on Oct. 12 against Panama in Austin and three days later against Mexico in Guadalajara.
In November, they will play their first official matches against the United States, the first and second legs of the CONCACAF Nations League.
“The only thing I found a little funny was the statement that we brought in a guy who basically wins everything,” said Kasey Keller, a former goalkeeper for the national team and now a commentator for ESPN. “It’s not that Pochettino has the track record of Jose Mourinho, but he obviously achieved good results, particularly at clubs like Southampton, Tottenham, clubs without the big budgets to buy the top players they wanted.”
“He knows how to work with a group that might have a particular limitation,” Keller added. “We have to admit that we are not yet France, Brazil, Germany, Argentina.”
No details were provided on the salary figures for Pochettino. The USSF said an injection of money from Kenneth C. Griffin, the CEO of the hedge fund Citadel, and his philanthropic organization Griffin Catalyst, helped in the hiring. Support was also received from Scott Goodwin, the managing partner of the asset management firm Diameter Capital Partners, and other USSF business partners.
A native of Murphy, a small farming town in the Santa Fe province, Pochettino takes over amid high expectations. Federation officials and American fans are clamoring for better results from a roster packed with players who play for European clubs, including Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest, Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie.
Berhalter was fired on July 10, a week after the United States was eliminated in the first round at a Copa America on home soil. Berhalter was first hired in December 2018, then was let go after a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the 2022 round of 16, before eventually returning to the dugout in September 2023.
