Mauricio Pochettino named new USA men’s head coach

Mauricio Pochettino is the brand new supervisor of the USA males’s nationwide staff, the U.S. Soccer Federation introduced Tuesday.

Pochettino, 52, signed a two-year contract that can take him via the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico. He succeeds Gregg Berhalter, who was fired after the USMNT’s poor displaying at this summer season’s Copa América.

Pochettino might be launched Friday in New York.

“Mauricio is a serial winner with a deep ardour for participant improvement and a confirmed capability to construct cohesive and aggressive groups,” USSF sporting director Matt Crocker mentioned in an announcement. “His monitor report speaks for itself, and I’m assured that he’s the fitting option to harness the immense potential inside our proficient squad. We’re thrilled to have Mauricio on board as we embark on this thrilling journey to realize success on the worldwide stage.”

ESPN reported final month the previous Argentina worldwide had agreed to take the job after prolonged discussions with Crocker. Crocker, who beforehand labored with Pochettino at Premier League staff Southampton, had been charged with recruiting a world-class coach to make sure the USMNT goes into the 2026 World Cup as a aggressive nation, able to reaching the latter phases of the competitors.

Pochettino actually brings with him a training pedigree that’s unmatched within the historical past of the USMNT. The Argentine has coached at a number of the greatest golf equipment on the planet, together with Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. In that point, he has coached a number of the prime gamers within the sport, together with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Harry Kane. Along with Southampton, he has managed Spanish facet Espanyol, the place he additionally spent appreciable time as a participant.

“The choice to affix U.S. Soccer wasn’t nearly soccer for me; it is in regards to the journey that this staff and this nation are on,” Pochettino mentioned in an announcement. “The vitality, the eagerness, and the starvation to realize one thing really historic right here — these are the issues that impressed me. The chance to guide the U.S. Males’s Nationwide Workforce, in entrance of followers who’re simply as passionate because the gamers, is one thing I could not move up.

“I see a bunch of gamers filled with expertise and potential, and collectively, we’ll construct one thing particular that the entire nation might be happy with.”

Sources informed ESPN that Pochettino could be paid a wage of $6 million per yr. Although it is a pay lower from his earlier job with Chelsea, it’s going to make him the highest-paid coach in USMNT historical past.

Berhalter earned $2,291,136 in 2022, together with $900,000 in bonuses when the Individuals certified for the World Cup and reached the second spherical, in keeping with the united states’s 2022 tax submitting.

In its announcement, the united states famous Pochettino’s appointment was supported in important half by a philanthropic management reward from Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and chief govt of Citadel and founding father of Griffin Catalyst. Further help has been offered by Scott Goodwin, co-founder and managing accomplice of Diameter, and a number of other business companions.

A message from Mauricio 🇺🇸

🗣️ ENG ➡️ 🗣️ ESP

— U.S. Soccer Males’s Nationwide Workforce (@USMNT) September 10, 2024

The announcement completes a courtship that had dragged on in latest weeks. At problem was the quantity of compensation Chelsea would proceed to pay Pochettino and his employees. The actual fact the discussions with Chelsea happened across the shut of the summer season switch window in Europe brought about additional delay.

Efforts to recruit Jürgen Klopp following his summer season exit from Liverpool did not get off the bottom, and at one stage Hoffenheim supervisor Pellegrino Matarazzo was regarded as the main candidate. However the federation ultimately put its give attention to Pochettino, and his willingness to tackle the function is a significant coup.

Pochettino is predicted to deliver on board longtime assistant coaches Jesús Pérez, Miguel d’Agostino and goalkeeper coach Toni Jiménez. He’ll take cost of the USMNT for this primary time on Oct. 12 in a pleasant in opposition to Panama in Austin, Texas, adopted by a gathering with Mexico in Guadalajara three days later.

“Hiring Mauricio is a step ahead in our mission to compete on the highest stage and make a long-lasting mark on the worldwide soccer panorama,” mentioned U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson. “His deep information of the sport, his dedication to creating expertise, and his relentless drive for excellence are precisely what we’d like as we put together for the 2026 World Cup.

“Mauricio understands the distinctive potential of this staff and this nation, and he shares our perception that U.S. Soccer is on the cusp of one thing really particular.”

Pochettino takes over a staff that’s clearly at a low ebb. The USMNT was regarded as on an upward trajectory after its respectable round-of-16 displaying on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The U.S. has since claimed two subsequent Concacaf Nations League crowns.

However the 2024 Copa América was all the time seen as a harder take a look at, and the U.S. underachieved, failing to get out of a bunch comprising Bolivia, Panama and Uruguay. The U.S. additionally suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Colombia in a pre-tournament pleasant.

The USMNT’s type hasn’t improved since, with the U.S. struggling a 2-1 defeat to Canada Saturday in Kansas Metropolis, Kansas, with the staff being led in an interim capability by former assistant coach Mikey Varas. In that match, the U.S. was clearly second greatest in all phases, and was outshot within the first half 11-1. The U.S. drew 1-1 with New Zealand in Cincinnati in its second pleasant of the worldwide break in a while Tuesday.

Pochettino may have a proficient group of gamers with which to work, a staff that features AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic, the Juventus duo of Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, in addition to Monaco ahead Folarin Balogun. Pochettino will not have a lot time to work with the gamers on condition that there are simply eight home windows left earlier than the 2026 World Cup, together with the 2025 Gold Cup subsequent summer season.

A local of Murphy, Argentina, Pochettino made 20 worldwide appearances with two objectives, and was a part of the Argentina facet that competed on the 2002 World Cup. At membership stage, he started his skilled profession with Argentine facet Newell’s Previous Boys, earlier than shifting to Espanyol, Paris-Saint-Germain and Bordeaux, making over 500 appearances.