Mauricio Pochettino reveals what led him to joining the United States amid rumored links to England and several European clubs

Amid rumoured links to the England national team and clubs including Tottenham and Manchester United, Mauricio Pochettino will instead travel with the United States in a bid for World Cup success on home soil.

Pochettino spoke to the media for the first time as head coach of the U.S. national team on Friday at a press conference in New York City after accepting his first job as an international soccer manager.

Pochettino answered a question from DailyMail.com and explained why he chose the United States over other options presented to him.

“First of all, because of the people who are here with me,” Pochettino said – pointing to sporting director Matt Crocker, federation president Cindy Parlow Cone and CEO JT Batson, all of whom played key roles in Argentina’s arrival in the States.

‘Then, because of the challenge and the potential to do a lot of good things that make us think very seriously… It’s too much, too much, too many things.

‘I’m so excited to be here – I think [US Soccer is] perhaps the biggest challenge we will face [have].

Pochettino admitted there were more offers on the table: ‘We had another challenge, but this one is great.’

‘Then to help [the US] to evolve in football. I think I’m part of that, I think it creates the motivation in us to take on that challenge.’

Pochettino added: ‘If you were to tell me that I only have to choose one sentence or one word, it is because we believe. It is [to] believe that we can help… to work together, to try to achieve what the people and all of us want: to win and win good matches, if not to win big trophies.

‘To have the opportunity to participate in the World Cup or the Copa America or the big trophies that all the fans – and of course the players and us – want to be there for.’

Pochettino also told reporters he hopes his team will gain confidence they can win football’s biggest prize.

“I see that the players are intelligent and so talented, and we have time,” Pochettino said. “We really have to believe in big things. We have to believe that we can win, that we can win everything. [our] play, we can win the World Cup.

‘Because otherwise it’s going to be so hard to show it. And we want players who come into training camp on day one and think big. That’s the only way to really create this philosophy, this idea, to perform and really put your talent at the service of the team. That’s going to be a huge challenge.’

Pochettino joins the U.S. men’s national team at a time when fan morale — and confidence in the team — is low following a disastrous Copa America campaign under previous coach Gregg Berhalter.

That was followed by an uninspiring international window in September under interim coach Mikey Varas, which saw the USMNT lose to rivals Canada on home soil for the first time since 1957, followed by a draw with New Zealand. Both games were marked by low attendance and sloppy play from the Americans.

Pochettino believes the team is better than the performances he has delivered and is open to contributions from anyone who wants to make it into the team.

“It’s difficult because I think we can’t be unfair in the way we’re going to judge,” Pochettino explained. “The circumstances are so special after the Copa America. The situation wasn’t good for the players to manage in the last two games.

“But the most important thing is to see the potential that we have. We have very good players. I think [we can] send the message to everybody, not just the players that have been involved in the last few games – and not just the players that are playing in Europe or the players that are playing here in the US in the MLS… every single player in the world, we’re going to try to pay attention [to] and from now on they have the door open.

“It’s all about performance and showing that they are capable of joining the national team. I think that’s one of our first ideas that we want to convey to our players. They need to understand that if they perform, we will be there to watch.”

Pochettino arrives in the position with high expectations from the start. He is by far the highest-profile manager of a men’s national team ever hired by the federation, with a clear mandate for success when the United States hosts the 2026 World Cup.

Pochettino is expected to perform well during that two-year period, with reports claiming that the milestone has been reached: reaching the quarter-finals at the World Cup.

The hope is that the former Chelsea, Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain manager can take the entire federation to the next level in the process, from the level of play in the first team to player development and beyond.

According to U.S. Soccer Federation President Cindy Parlow Cone, this is already happening.

When asked by DailyMail.com what success looks like under Pochettino, Cone replied: ‘I think it has already started… I can point to so many different things, but with ’26 coming up, Poch is there now, but he is also focused on the future. He is very involved in player development. He wants to see us [not only] succeed here and now, but succeed forever.

‘By bringing him in, with his experience in player development and his experience as a coach at the highest level in the world, I think we’re going to see a lot of changes, not just from ’26 but well beyond that.’

During the press conference, Pochettino also complimented his girlfriend and former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, whom he called “the best women’s coach in the world”.

He also praised the U.S. women’s team, which won gold at the Paris Olympics, admitting, “We have to emulate you.”

“She’s great,” Pochettino explained. “Before [when we were] together in Chelsea, we were already in a relationship, we shared the training ground. She explained a few things that I need to know, but she’s smart.

He continued: ‘I think the conversation we have is always about talking. [about] how we can improve, how we can add, to help. That’s the most important thing – working together for the federation… Coming here is not just to spend time and say “Oh, what a nice place to be.” No. It’s to work, to try, to help.

After everything that has happened to this team following a summer of disappointments, Pochettino said he is focused on restoring the confidence to perform on the world stage.

“We are always positive. I think we have very talented players. Of course I think that confidence is a bit low after the Copa America. I think we are going to work on recovery,” Pochettino said.

“We have very good professionals – not only in tactics or physical fitness – but also in psychology. We are going to work with them to create the right pattern that we can follow, so that we can regain confidence and perform together.”

Pochettino’s first test match is against Panama, one of the teams the U.S. national team lost to at the Copa America, in Austin, Texas. He then flies to Mexico to face the Americans’ biggest international rivals.

With the appointment of Pochettino, US Soccer shows its intentions, after a year in which the women’s team was successful, but the men’s team only had a few strikeouts.

Now they hope to work towards a bigger goal in 2026, all with the best coach they’ve ever had at the helm.