Doug McIntyre
Soccer Journalist
Pochettino is taken into account one of many high coaches within the international sport — and possibly one of the best obtainable supervisor on the open market after former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp rebuffed an preliminary strategy from U.S. Soccer. Touchdown the 52-year-old is a big coup for the united states. The affable Pochettino, who's fluent in each English and Spanish, will instantly turn out to be the face of the boys's program upon his arrival.
With the 2026 World Cup co-hosted stateside (and in Canada and Mexico), Crocker had set his sights on recruiting an elite coach to steer the boys's staff. The Welshman has already achieved that on the ladies's aspect; final weekend, former Chelsea Girls supervisor Emma Hayes gained the nation's fifth Olympic gold medal in simply her tenth sport on the helm of the USWNT.
Crocker and Pochettino have historical past. They beforehand labored collectively at English membership Southampton when Crocker oversaw the Saints' youth academy. The latter took humble Southampton to an eighth place end within the Premier League in his lone season in 2023-24 earlier than transferring on to a profitable five-year run at Tottenham Hotspur. Pochettino led Spurs to their highest Prem factors totals ever and a Champions League runner-up medal in 2019.
He then gained the French Cup and Ligue 1 in his two seasons at PSG earlier than returning to London final summer season with Chelsea. Pochettino took the Blues from twelfth to sixth in England's high flight earlier than leaving, to the shock of many, after the 2023-24 marketing campaign.
Pochettino started his teaching profession with Spanish aspect Espanyol in 2009. As a participant, the previous central defender amassed 20 caps for Argentina and took part within the 2002 World Cup. He has just a few ties to American soccer, having coached present USMNT heart again Cameron Carter-Vickers and former U.S. World Cup gamers Brad Friedel and DeAndre Yedlin throughout his time at Tottenham.
Pochettino was considered one of a number of high-profile coaches that the federation had preliminary conversations with both instantly or by intermediaries. Others embody Klopp, former England coach Gareth Southgate and Hoffenheim supervisor Pellegrino Matarazzo, the one American head coach working in considered one of Europe's high 4 leagues.
Pochettino was one of many highest-paid coaches within the membership sport at Chelsea and PSG, and can nearly actually turn out to be the best-compensated nationwide staff boss on this planet as soon as he formally indicators on with the U.S. Hayes is the highest earner on the ladies's aspect.
The USMNT's subsequent match is a Sept. 7 pleasant in opposition to Canada in Kansas Metropolis.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports activities. A former workers author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports activities, he has lined U.S. males's and ladies's nationwide groups at FIFA World Cups on 5 continents. Comply with him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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