U.S. Soccer names Mauricio Pochettino coach of men’s national team : NPR

Mauricio Pochettino, the Argentinian soccer coach who has led some of Europe’s top club teams over the past decade, has been named to lead the U.S. men’s national soccer team through a much-anticipated run at the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

“Mauricio is a serial winner with a deep passion for player development and a proven ability to build cohesive and competitive teams,” said Matt Crocker, U.S. Soccer’s sporting director.

The selection of Pochettino is seen by many in the soccer world as a high-profile get for the U.S. national team job. Positions at top-tier European clubs, like the ones where Pochettino has coached most recently, are generally the most coveted and lucrative jobs in the sport.

After a successful career as a player, Pochettino began his coaching career in Spain. But it was in England where he rose to prominence, helping to steer Tottenham Hotspur back to relevance in the second half of the 2010s after decades of mediocrity. Pochettino then went on to short stints at two of Europe’s biggest clubs, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

All told, Pochettino has perhaps the most prestigious soccer resume of any head coach ever hired by the U.S. men’s national team, which has more often drawn its managers from Major League Soccer.

“His passion for the game, his innovative approach to coaching, and his ability to inspire and connect with players make him the perfect fit for this role. We are excited to have him leading our Men’s National Team,” said U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone.

The 16th-ranked U.S. men’s team is scheduled to play a friendly match against New Zealand on Tuesday evening, though Pochettino will not coach that game. Pochettino’s first matches will come in October, when the team plays against Mexico and Panama.

The U.S. has long punched below its weight in international men’s soccer, outdone regularly by countries where soccer is king of sports.

But hopes for the team are perennially high — especially now, with the U.S. on the cusp of co-hosting the FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada in 2026.

It was with 2026 in mind that U.S. Soccer decided to part ways with previous coach Gregg Berhalter, who was brought on six years ago after a disastrous cycle in which the men’s team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Under Berhalter’s leadership, the U.S. men did reach the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, a modest but promising sign of an upward trajectory.

But this summer, the team struggled at the Copa América tournament, where the U.S. failed to advance out of the group stage at its last consequential international event before the 2026 World Cup. He lost support of vocal fan groups and former players. Shortly afterward, Berhalter was fired.

Now, Pochettino’s hire marks what officials and fans alike hope will be a new era for the men’s team.

Pochettino has never coached a national team. But he has long held a reputation for an interest in player development and working in close coordination with youth teams. Among his laurels is the elevation of a young Harry Kane to a regular starter at Tottenham, where Kane went on to become the club’s all-time leading scorer and, eventually, captain of the English national team.

“You feel proud when you arrive and the young player starts to play and they get to the level where England or a different national team picks them,” Pochettino told The Guardian in 2015. “I think for the club, and for us and for the supporters, it is a great thing.”

Eric Dier, a defensive midfielder for the English national team who played his formative years at Tottenham, said in a 2022 podcast interview that he had been “extremely lucky” to play under Pochettino.

Mauricio Pochettino, new U.S. men’s national team coach, arrives at the stadium prior to a Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and his former club, Chelsea FC, on May 19, 2024 in London, England.

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“He instilled his faith in me. And he did that over and over again with players,” Dier told the High Performance Podcast. “If you were ready, you were ready. It didn’t matter the occasion. He was great like that.”

As a player, Pochettino played for years with La Liga’s Espanyol and later Paris Saint-Germain. He also represented Argentina at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

His managerial career began at Espanyol, then he moved to England to lead Southampton and soon Tottenham, leading Spurs to the team’s best Premier League finishes since 1990 and their first-ever appearance in the Champions League final. In a short stint at PSG, Pochettino led that squad to a Ligue 1 title and a Coupe de France win.

Most recently, he managed Chelsea but parted ways with the club after only one season amid reports of disagreements with team administrators over strategy and roster decisions.