Credit: NBC Sports
The United States men’s national team, ever since the World Cup in 2022, has seen mixed results and outside turmoil around head coach Gregg Berhalter and player Giovanni Reyna. When the United States Soccer Federation decided to bring back Berhalter after his contract expired, many fans held high expectations for the coach entering his second cycle with the team, with this summer’s edition of the Copa America being the ultimate test for Berhalter. The U.S. national team crashed out in the tournament's group stage, which caused many fans to turn on Berhalter, questioning if he was the right man to lead the U.S. national team into World Cup 2026, where the United States is one of three host nations.
Following the disappointment in Copa America, the United States Soccer Federation officially parted ways with Gregg Berhalter. The search for a new head coach began, and fans expected a big name to take charge.
With United States Soccer Federation Technical Director Matt Crocker saying that he’s looking for a coach with a proven track record for winning, many of Europe’s top coaches were rumored to be taking charge. After a few weeks of nonstop rumors in early August, rumors that Mauricio Pochettino had accepted the job began circulating.
“ We wanted to take the program forward,” Crocker said. “ We wanted someone with a real winning mentality and reputation.”
Credit: Sky News
Pochettino has spent the last ten years coaching in two of Europe’s top leagues. Pochettino first came on the scene in 2014 after leading Southampton to their best finish ever in the Premier League. After the successful season, the Argentinian manager moved over to manage Tottenham Hotspur, where his worst finish in the league during his tenure was fifth, his first season at the club. After stopping at PSG and Chelsea, the Argentinian manager has finally decided to step into the international managing ranks to coach a top 20 team in the U.S. men’s national team.
Pochettino is known to demand a lot from his players. His style of play is described as free-flowing, attacking football. He also demands that his players show extreme effort. During his time at Tottenham, his teams were consistently ranked in the top three in distance run throughout a season.
After receiving confirmation last week that the Argentinian was to coach the US men’s national team, the US Soccer Federation held an introductory press conference on Friday introducing Pochettino. The Argentinian answered many questions, even addressing how he could help improve the culture, which caption Christian Pulisic questioned as he felt the culture around the team needed to change.
“The United States culture is already there in other sports,” said Pochettino.“ In other sports, there is already a winning culture and a winning mentality.” “ It’s us in soccer that needs to be inspired by that, especially when you look at our women’s team with Emma.”
Credit: The Mirror
Emma Hayes, the current women’s coach for the United States, is coming off a successful Olympic gold medal run. According to the official FIFA rankings, the United States women’s team is ranked number one in the world and holds the all-time World Cup record, having won the competition four times.
With less than two years to go until the 2026 World Cup, Pochettino addressed if he plans to modify his methods.
“I want to tell you that I’m on the opposite side because I believe there is enough time,” said Pochettino. “That's not an excuse, and I will not create that excuse for the players.” “ These players are smart and intelligent, and we have plenty of time to learn philosophy.”
Pochettino will debut during the October international window when the United States plays in Austin vs. Panama and Zapopan vs. rivals Mexico.
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