For many, Mauricio Pochettino’s hiring as the new head coach of the United States men’s national team (USMNT) was a long-needed change at the wheel ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
In the past, the US Soccer has opted for coaches who have either played, coached, or been part of the USMNT.
Gregg Berhalter, the previous head coach of the team, was capped 44 times by the national team during his playing career. Of the last six coaches to manage a game for the side, all six were Americans.
The Pochettino hire signals a change in the US Soccer Federation’s mentality, as it confirms the high expectations ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Pochettino comes to the team with perhaps the best resume of any current international head coach. Having
coached teams such as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Tottenham Hotspurs, and most recently Chelsea. For USMNT technical director Matt Crocker, this was a slam dunk hire.
“I had the easy bit of it was to identify the best coach that can take the program forward,” Crocker said. “Once I did that, you know, obviously I’ve got some relationships with Chelsea, some of the sporting directors there… they were really helpful and supportive. But we always knew it was going to be a very, very complex process.”
Crocker and Pochettino have a relationship that dates back over a decade, as both men worked together with English club Southampton from 2013 to 2014. Crocker spoke very highly of not only the coach Pochettino is but also the great person he remembers him as.
“I think Mauricio’s impact when I was at Southampton many, many years ago, when he came in,” Crocker said. “The biggest thing everybody remembers about Mauricio is not only is he a great coach, but he’s what I call a connector of people.”
JT Batson, the US Soccer CEO, was responsible for signing the contract. Batson, who was appointed to his position two years ago, was clear about the importance of making sure the process got done in the right way.
“So I think you know at the outset, Matt had outlined a process to be very intentional about making sure we got the right person and that we spent a lot of time together to make sure that everyone knew what everyone was signing up for,” Batson said. “And so I think some of that time was, and to Mauricio’s point, when the first press reports came out about this, we were still in that phase of making sure that, you know, we all are excited about this, and we all are setting ourselves up for success. And we wanted to be collectively thorough.”
It was first announced by Fabrizio Romano that Pochettino would be taking the USMNT job pack nearly a month ago on Aug. 15. Although the wait to make it official was nearly a month, US Soccer and its fans are hopeful that the wait was well worth it.
