The Big Lead

USMNT’s Top Head Coach Candidate Emerges

By Joe Lago

Jul 27, 2024; New York, NY, USA; AC Milan midfielder Christian Pulisic (11) gives an interview after the game against Manchester City at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2024; New York, NY, USA; AC Milan midfielder Christian Pulisic (11) gives an interview after the game against Manchester City at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports
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Once U.S. Soccer parted ways with Gregg Berhalter after the U.S. men's national team's disappointing Copa America, speculation over who would replace Berhalter focused on a big-name manager with success in the European leagues. Ever since ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp rejected the federation's overtures, though, any meaningful talk died down.

On Thursday, the USMNT head coaching search picked back up.

The Athletic's Paul Tenorio reported that former Tottenham, Paris-Saint Germain and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has been identified as U.S. Soccer's No. 1 candidate for the men's head coach opening.

The 52-year-old Pochettino lacks national team coaching experience, but he definitely checks the box of having managed at big clubs in Europe.

After guiding Southampton to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League, he moved to Tottenham and led Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019. At PSG, he won a Ligue 1 title but failed to deliver on the club's Champions League ambitions.

Last year, Pochettino took over a troubled Chelsea squad and surprisingly led the Blues to a sixth-place finish and European tournament qualification. However, a rift had developed between Pochettino and Chelsea leadership over the season, and the lack of a resolution ended up forcing Pochettino's exit after just one season despite his success with a young, unproven roster.

Pochettino developed talent at Tottenham and Chelsea, and it's a quality that U.S. Soccer figures to hold in high regard. How much of an impact he could have in a national team setup remains to be seen. He wouldn't have as much time with USMNT players as much as his previous club coaching experiences.

The hope would be that Pochettino could instill confidence in young American attackers, namely Gio Reyna, with the way he encouraged Chelsea's Cole Palmer to become one of the Premier League's most devastating creators and goal scorers.

Pochettino's style of play should satisfy the U.S. Soccer braintrust, too. He favors a 4-2-3-1 formation that would allow USMNT star Christian Pulisic the same free reign he gave to Palmer.

U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker hit the U.S. women's head coaching hire out of the park with Emma Hayes. With the 2026 World Cup less than two years away, Crocker must do the same with the USMNT search. Pochettino is a candidate worth taking a swing.