Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the new head coach of the United States national team, ruling him out of the race to be Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor at England.
Former Chelsea head coach Pochettino is set to be formally appointed by the USA to lead the nation into the 2026 World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico.
It represents a huge coup for the US and a new challenge for Pochettino, who has never managed an international team before.
Pochettino has been in negotiations with US technical director Matt Crocker, whom he worked with at Southampton, and became the overwhelming choice for the role after Jurgen Klopp made it clear he was not interested in an instant return to coaching.
The news of Pochettino’s intended appointment has been welcomed in America and the fact he is a Spanish speaker makes it a particularly popular move among the country’s Latino population.
Pochettino had been considered one of the leading candidates to permanently succeed Southgate as England manager, but the Football Association have put Lee Carsley in interim charge for September’s Nations League games.
Barring any last-minute hitch, Pochettino will now be unavailable to the FA should they appoint a permanent manager other than Carsley.
The United States will not have to pay any compensation to Chelsea. The terms of Pochettino’s exit dictated that only a top-six Premier League club would have to pay a £5 million fee to appoint him within six months of his Stamford Bridge departure.
It is anticipated that Pochettino will be joined in the US role by his former Chelsea staff of assistant Jesús Pérez, coach Miguel D’Agostino, goalkeeping coach Toni Jiménez and son Sebastiano.
The US will now have two former Chelsea coaches in charge of their national teams after Emma Hayes took charge of the women’s team.
Pochettino’s US move is a win-win
England fans will be wondering why Mauricio Pochettino has not held out to ensure he would not get the permanent gig to replace Gareth Southgate. Maybe he knows which way the wind is blowing, or maybe the US job is more attractive than many will initially think.
Pochettino’s appointment is a huge coup for the US and he will be working with technical director Matt Crocker, whom he knows from his Southampton, which immediately puts the Argentine in a powerful position.
Add into the mix that, as co-hosts, the US do not have to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which gives Pochettino two years to prepare for the tournament with a squad that has underperformed recently.
There will, of course, be extra pressure not to flop on home soil, but interest levels in football are expected to go through the roof in the US when the world’s best players arrive.
Pochettino should be able to increase standards quickly and restore a feel-good factor with his infectious personality. As a Spanish speaker, he will likely get the backing of the huge Latino population in America.
While the basic salary of the US coach might not be astronomical by Premier League standards, it is thought that Pochettino will be able to earn big money from sponsorships and endorsements before and during the World Cup, should he wish.
Pochettino has never managed an international team, which adds a layer of intrigue to the appointment, but he should be able to win over the US press pretty easily and his man-management skills will quickly work on his players.
And let’s face it, international football management is a part-time job on full-time money, which is a win-win in anybody’s book.
