Is Mauricio Pochettino the right man for the USMNT?

Since Gregg Berhalter was fired after the disappointing display by the USMNT at the Copa America this summer, the Stars and Stripes have been linked with a host of big-name candidates for the vacant head coach position. Some of the managers that were mentioned for example Jurgen Klopp just appeared to be unrealistic. However, U.S. Soccer has finally landed a very notable coach for the role.

ESPN has reported that, "Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the new United States coach with the responsibility of leading the team into the 2026 World Cup... Pochettino's situation with Chelsea remains unresolved. He is owed money by the Premier League club and until a resolution is found he cannot sign a contract to take over the USMNT."

It is exciting news for the USMNT to have Pochettino who has coached Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germian. However, the only trophies that he has won were Ligue 1, Coupe de France and the Trophee des Champions with PSG.

Is Mauricio Pochettino the right man for the USMNT?

Pochettino started his managerial career with Espanyol before taking over at Southampton. This is where he worked with U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker. Crocker was director of football at the Saints at the time and this connection has proved to be key.

The Argentine came into managerial prominence when he left Southampton to join Tottenham Hotspur. He turned Spurs into Premier League title contenders and got them to the Champions League final in 2019.

Following his time at Tottenham, he was at PSG where he managed Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar. The success of winning Ligue 1 is what is expected of any manager at PSG.

Pochettino was most recently the manager of Chelsea where he did well with the club in a transition period. He certainly got the best out of Cole Palmer who he signed from Manchester City. However, Pochettino did last just one year in the role.

The USMNT has a big name who will certainly add to the hype of the 2026 World Cup which they are co-hosting in Pochettino. He does lack managerial experience on the international stage but did play for Argentina 20 times with three of those appearances coming at the 2002 World Cup.

At the tournament in 2002, Pochettino fouled Michael Owen in the penalty box which led to David Beckham scoring the winner from the spot. However, hopefully, for the USMNT, he will have better luck 20 years on from this event.