Mauricio Pochettino has formally been confirmed as the brand new head coach of the USA males’s nationwide workforce.
Virtually a month after it emerged that the previous Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea boss had agreed to take the job, Pochettino’s appointment was lastly made official on Tuesday.Â
He takes over from Gregg Berhalter, who was fired after a disastrous Copa America marketing campaign that noticed the USA change into the primary host nation in historical past to be eradicated within the group phases.
Pochettino has labored at a few of Europe’s greatest golf equipment however this marks the primary time he can be working in worldwide soccer.
With Pochettino employed to run the USMNT, it means each Chelsea’s males’s and ladies’s first-team managers from final season would now be on the helm of the senior US nationwide groups with Emma Hayes’ employed to the US girls’s nationwide workforce.
Mauricio Pochettino has formally agreed to change into supervisor of the USA
He takes over from Gregg Berhalter, whose lack of success led to his downfall atop the USMNT
Pochettino’s hiring is an announcement of intent by US Soccer to attempt to provoke the lads’s nationwide workforce to win its first World Cup when the nation hosts FIFA’s marquee match in 2026.
The USA has not regarded like a contender in latest video games, having misplaced a house match to Canada 2-1 on Saturday – falling to their northerly neighbors on dwelling soil for the primary time since 1957.
He’ll take over a squad of gamers that haven’t totally lived as much as their potential, however competed properly on the world stage on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
There, beneath Berhalter, the USA drew matches towards Wales and England earlier than knocking off political rivals Iran to advance to the knockout phases. There, they misplaced to The Netherlands.
Since then, and all through Berhalter’s tenure, the USA was unable to get a ‘signature win’ towards prime opposition – shedding 3-1 to Germany in East Hartford, Connecticut in 2023 and 5-1 to Colombia in Washington, DC this previous summer time earlier than eeking out a 1-1 draw towards Brazil in Orlando.
Nonetheless, all through Berhalter’s tenure, the USA has been by far probably the most dominant aspect in CONCACAF – profitable the Gold Cup as soon as and the Nations League twice.
Pochettino can be anticipated to information the US to success once they host the 2026 World Cup
On the Copa America, the workforce began on the suitable course with a 2-0 win over Bolivia in Dallas earlier than falling 2-1 to CONCACAF rivals Panama in Atlanta.
The demise knell to their hopes of constructing it to the group stage got here with a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay that signified the top of the Berhalter period.
Now, with Pochettino on the helm, the USA is hoping he can reinvigorate an apathetic fanbase which believes they haven’t seen the very best that this nation can supply.
All eyes are actually set on the 2026 FIFA World Cup – with the USA set to play their group stage matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.Â