USMNT lands former Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino with eyes on 2026 World Cup

Excuses will no longer be tolerated. 

The United States men’s national team certainly made the splash it wanted to make. 

After targeting some of the top names on the head-coaching market to replace Gregg Berhalter, the USMNT landed Mauricio Pochettino as its new leader, according to multiple reports. 

It finally provides the USMNT with the highly respected and accomplished head coach so many around the program have craved, one to lead arguably its most talented roster into the 2026 World Cup, which the United States will host along with Canada and Mexico. 

A young core consisting of athletes playing at the highest levels in Europe — led by Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and more — is paired with a manager who emerged as one of Europe’s best at developing young stars. 

On paper, it appears to be a strong — and ambitious — fit following the team’s disastrous exit in the group stage at the 2024 Copa America this summer, which was hosted in the U.S., and a polarizing 5 ¹/₂-year tenure for Berhalter. 

The 52-year-old Pochettino, who is Argentine, began his coaching career in 2009 with Spanish side Espanyol, for whom he also played for 10 years across two stints.

He led Espanyol for parts of five seasons after helping the squad avoid relegation his first year.

His style of play drew acclaim, despite his parting ways with the club in last place during his fifth season in charge. 

He subsequently took over English side Southampton for 1 ½ years, leading the team to an eighth-place finish — its best since 2002-03 — his only full season in charge. 

Tottenham then poached Pochettino as its new manager ahead of the 2014-15 season, and that is where he emerged as one of Europe’s most well-regarded gaffers.

Despite failing to win any major trophies with Tottenham across five-plus seasons, he led the team to four top-four finishes, including a runner-up finish in 2016-17.

He also famously brought Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2018-19.

During his tenure with the team, he helped develop Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, Christian Eriksen, Kyle Walker and others into stars. 

But with the team struggling, Tottenham fired Pochettino early into the following season, just a few months after the Champions League final appearance, and his stature has since taken a hit. 

Prestigious French power Paris Saint-Germain, where Pochettino played for two years, hired him midway through the following year.

But under Pochettino, PSG was eliminated in the Champions League semifinals and finished as runner-up in the French league.

It broke a streak of three straight league titles for PSG, which had also won the league seven of the previous eight years. 

Pochettino led PSG to the league title the following year, but after another disappointing Champions League exit, this time in the Round of 16, he and the team parted ways. 

Then came Chelsea. 

After taking a year off, Pochettino returned to England and took over Chelsea ahead of last season. Given one of the most expensively assembled teams in the sport’s history, Pochettino’s first — and only — season was a disaster, ending in a sixth-place finish in the league.

It didn’t matter that they won their last six games.

Pochettino and the club “mutually parted ways” just two days after the season, though it was obvious Chelsea would have fired him. 

So he takes over the USMNT — his first time managing at the international level — looking to reclaim some of his old magic.

There’s a reason Tottenham fans used to chant, “He’s magic, you know, Mauricio Pochettino,” to the tune of Pilot’s 1975 hit “Magic.” 

Now, it’s time for Pochettino to make music in America.