Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was appointed on Tuesday to succeed Gregg Berhalter as coach of the United States men’s national team, 21 months before the Americans host the 2026 World Cup.
The 52-year-old Argentine Pochettino became the 10th American coach in 14 years and the first foreign-born leader since Jurgen Klinsmann from 2011-16. Pochettino managed Espanyol in Spain (2009-12), Southampton (2013-14), Tottenham (2014-19) and Chelsea (2023-24) in England and Paris Saint-Germain in France (2021-22). He left after winning a Ligue 1 title.
“It’s about the journey that this team and this country are on,” Pochettino said in a statement released by the USSF. “The energy, the passion and the hunger to achieve something truly historic here — those are the things that inspired me.”
Pochettino had been in negotiations since mid-August. Matt Crocker, the USSF sporting director in charge of the search, was Southampton’s academy director when Pochettino joined the club. While the contract term was not specified, the USSF said Pochettino will lead the team at the World Cup.
“Mauricio is a serial winner with a deep passion for player development and a proven ability to build cohesive and competitive teams,” Crocker said in a statement. “His track record speaks for itself and I am confident he is the right choice to unlock the immense potential within our talented roster.”
Pochettino was scheduled to be introduced at a news conference in New York on Friday and was scheduled to take over for friendlies against Panama on Oct. 12 in Austin, Texas, and three days later in Mexico. The next competitive matches are a two-match CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal in November.
“Mauricio is a world-class coach with a proven track record of developing players and achieving success at the highest levels,” USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “His passion for the game, innovative approach to coaching and ability to inspire and connect with players make him the perfect candidate for this role.”
He comes with high expectations from USSF management and fans, who are convinced that the group of players can do much more than the 16th place in the world rankings.
Berhalter was fired on July 10a week after the Americans eliminated in the first round of the Copa AmericaHe was hired in December 2018was was allowed to leave when his contract expired after a 3-1 loss against the Netherlands in the second round of the 2022 World Cup, when re-adopted in June 2023 to return in September.
Pochettino’s salary was not disclosed. The USSF said his appointment was supported by a leadership gift from Kenneth C. Griffin, the CEO of hedge fund Citadel, and his philanthropic entity Griffin Catalyst; with additional support from Scott Goodwin, managing partner of asset management firm Diameter Capital Partners, and USSF’s commercial partners.
Mikey Varas, an assistant to Berhalter, coached the team for Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Canada in a practice match and led the Americans into Tuesday night’s match against New Zealand.
At the World Cup, the U.S. will be a seeded team as co-host, meaning it likely won’t have any countries in the top nine of the first round of the group in a tournament that has expanded to 48 teams. If the Americans win the group, they likely won’t face a top-tier opponent in the new round of 32. The U.S. hasn’t reached the quarterfinals since 2002.
Pochettino is likely to be able to deploy his full complement of players just eight times a week during the training period, before the team comes together in the weeks leading up to the opening match of the United States World Cup on June 12, 2026.
He inherits a squad led by Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, who have performed well at European clubs. But goalkeepers Matt Turner and Ethan Horvath and midfielder Gio Reyna have failed to get playing time for First Division teams, while Chris Richards — at England’s Crystal Palace — was the only 20-something centre-back to feature regularly for a top European club before Mark McKenzie joined Toulouse last month.
Berhalter minimized the number of players from Major League Soccer and used none during the Copa America.
Discipline on the field has been a problem, with the defender Sergiño Dest two red cards in the last 13 months, and McKennie and winger Tim Weah and each received one.
“I see a group of players full of talent and potential, and together we are going to build something special that the whole nation can be proud of,” Pochettino said.
Pochettino was a central defender who played for Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina and Espanyol, PSG and Bordeaux in Europe from the late 1980s until 2006. He made 20 appearances for Argentina, including at the 1999 Copa América and the 2002 World Cup, where his foul on Michael Owen led to David Beckham’s penalty in Argentina’s 1–0 group stage defeat.
After retiring as a player, he became a coach in the Espanyol system, taking over as first-team coach in January 2009 and helping the team avoid relegation. Pochettino was sacked in November 2012 with the team in last place and was hired by English club Southampton two months later.
Pochettino moved to Tottenham in May 2014, who reached the 2015 League Cup final, losing to Chelseaand the 2019 Champions League, losing to LiverpoolHe was laid off in November 2019 with Tottenham Hotspur in 14th place and replaced by Jose Mourinho.
PSG hired Pochettino in January 2021. The team finished second in the league and lost to Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals But won the French Cupby beating Monaco 2-0 in the final. Led by Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, PSG won the 2022 Ligue 1 title with four games to go But lost to Real Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Pochettino left PSG at the end of the 2022-23 seasonwas then hired by Chelsea in June 2023 after the club finished 12th. Chelsea lost the League Cup final to Liverpool and finished sixth in the Premier League, missing out on the Champions League. Pochettino left two days after the last match.
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