Mauricio Pochettino is leaving the United States Men's National Team just three months after signing a contract extension through 2030.He'll join embattled Premier League club Manchester United in time for its upcoming match against Liverpool and will replace outgoing manager Michael Carrick.Pochettino will remain in charge of the USMNT for its remaining November fixtures against Haiti on Saturday, Nov.
14 and Tuesday, Nov. 17, but those will be the final matches of his two-year stint with the team.The United States Soccer Federation will now begin its search for Pochettino's successor in earnest.
U23 coach Steve Cherundolo will lead the team through its upcoming December camp; he, Nashville SC coach BJ Callaghan and former Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola are thought to be the organization's top targets to replace Pochettino in the future.Pochettino, meanwhile, is expected to be in Manchester in time for the team's upcoming Premier League fixture against Liverpool on Sunday, Nov.
22.A mixed record in America ...On the surface, Pochettino's USMNT tenure has been a smashing success. He became the team's breakout star during the 2026 World Cup and earned the respect and adoration of many casual fans. Pochettino's team cleaned house, refusing to work with USMNT players who weren't fully committed to the cause, and dedicated serious resources toward identifying the next generation of USMNT heroes.
That one-two punch of abandoning restless stars and supporting unsung prospects turned the USMNT into more of a meritocracy than it's been in years. The breadth and depth of the cultural shift that Pochettino led in his two-year tenure should not be underestimated.For all of that goodwill, though, Pochettino's USMNT largely failed to deliver on the field.
He closes out his tenure with a record of 21 wins, 12 losses and two draws. Pochettino's USMNT never delivered a "signature" win — its recent 3-0 victory over Mexico might be the closest it got — and crashed out of the World Cup in the same round it did in 2022 and 2014. Pochettino is also the only USMNT coach this century to fail to lift a trophy of any stripe.
Previous coach Gregg Berhalter won three trophies (the 2021 Nations League, the 2021 Gold Cup and the 2023/4 Nations League) in six attempts; Pochettino won zero in three.... and a mixed record in the Premier LeaguePochettino is no stranger to the Premier League. While he began his coaching career with Espanyol in La Liga, he broke through on the global circuit with then-Premier League side Southampton in 2013.
His work with the Saints earned him a five-year stint with Tottenham Hotspur in which he took the club all the way to the UEFA Champions League final.Pochettino was eventually sacked by Spurs on account of his team's poor league performance, but he returned to the Premier League in 2023 to take the reins at struggling club Chelsea.
The Blues were in a surprisingly similar situation to Manchester United today: floundering under unpopular owners and struggling to make a nonsensical roster come together on the field. Pochettino lasted just one year in the role and was unable to fix Chelsea's broken culture."My responsibility is that the team performs.
But the club is designing and planning a structure that you need to prove works," he said."I don't take all the decisions here. That is to be made clear."Next steps for Pochettino and the USMNTPochettino will lead the USMNT through its upcoming fixtures against Haiti, then take charge of Manchester United.
He'll be tasked with pulling the club out of the relegation zone and getting its underperforming players back to their Premier League best.The USMNT, meanwhile, will soon kick off its manager search in earnest.
The timing is good: with an unofficial camp on the books in December, the senior USMNT won't regroup for official matches until at least March of 2027 and has plenty of time to evaluate its candidate pool.Want more articles like this?
Follow Yardbarker on MSN to see more of our exclusive soccer content.More must-reads:'We are not happy': What happened when Mauricio Pochettino last joined an embattled Premier League club?USMNT stars react to Mauricio Pochettino departure: 'I can't thank him enough'The '2024-25 goal scoring leaders by English Premier League team' quiz
