Mauricio Pochettino’s impending exit from the USMNT has always been a question of when, not if
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Three months after signing a contract to remain the United States’ coach through the 2030 World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino appears almost certain to leave for Manchester United.
All indications are that the 54-year-old Argentine will replace Michael Carrick, whose disastrous start to the Premier League season has left the English giants desperate to find a new direction.
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Pochettino’s farewell to the United States will likely take place in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti on Saturday in Miami and Tuesday in Cincinnati.
Pochettino’s departure should come as no surprise to disappointed American fans. It was inevitable. To believe that he would fulfill his contract for four years was naive.
At heart, Pochettino is a club coach. The U.S. gig was his first with a national team, and while he cherished the 2026 World Cup experience and the opportunity to shape the sport here, his DNA always seemed to pull him back across the Atlantic.
Pochettino began his head coaching career in 2009 at Espanyol in Barcelona, a city he loves and where he still has a home. He then moved to England to guide Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. London also became his home country, and even after taking charge of the United States two years ago, he continued to live abroad and travel to the United States when necessary.
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And then this week came Manchester United, the greatest of all English clubs and an organization which, three times in 10 years, has spoken to him about a vacant coaching position.
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino may be signed until 2030, but his attraction to club soccer has never gone away.
(AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Even with all of United’s problems – both on the pitch and in the boardroom – it remains one of the most coveted jobs in world sport. In terms of brands, turning down United would be like a baseball manager turning down the Yankees’ offer.
But if it hadn’t been for United today, Pochettino would surely have been approached by another esteemed club in the long run-up to the 2030 World Cup.
Over the past 18 months, preparations for the World Cup have failed to shield him from reported interest from Tottenham and AC Milan, among others. Given his history with the north London club – a 5½-year run that included a Champions League runner-up medal in 2019 – Spurs will likely become a potential destination again one day.
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Pochettino also coached in France at Paris Saint-Germain in 2021-22 with one of the greatest trios in football history: Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar.
Moving to the American program two years ago was an important step in the club’s journey. This was not a World Cup contender like Argentina or Spain; he was tasked, on relatively short notice, with shaping a U.S. team that had lost its way in the 2024 Copa America, a performance that ended Gregg Berhalter’s second term prematurely.
It was also a different pace and a new way of doing things. In a club, he was always listening. With some breaks, the training and playing schedule spans the fall, winter and spring. Throughout the year, there is strong involvement in the transfer market.
With a national team, he only spends a handful of periods a year with the players, and while he is able to promote and demote within the country’s talent pool, he cannot seek out new faces in the transfer market. What you see is essentially what you get.
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Nevertheless, the United States found their man – a top coach with on-field success and charm. He hasn’t been cheap: At about $6 million a year, he’s the highest-paid coach in program history. The price was so high that U.S. officials turned to outside benefactors.
After a slow start, the team responded to Pochettino’s ways. Last fall, during a series of friendly matches, the players began to take the lead. And at the home World Cup, they played with style and passion to win their group. America applauded them like never before.
The round of 16 victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina was followed by a heavy defeat against Belgium, leaving the United States far from its realistic goal: the quarterfinals.
Even before the World Cup, Pochettino and the USSF were discussing a possible extension. He embraced the idea of having a full four-year cycle to prepare the team for the sport’s ultimate competition.
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With 2030 in mind, he used his first post-World Cup camp to introduce a dozen young players to the senior national team. Of different ages, the Americans swept four friendly matches in September and October. Pochettino has held out several hopes for the current camp, leading into the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals against Haiti.
While inside the camp preparations remained as usual, United’s scenario changed the narrative outside.
Since Pochettino is under contract, USSF would collect a $10 million fee from United. If he had left after the World Cup, when his first contract expired, the governing body would have received nothing.
Although Pochettino’s departure would disrupt the USSF’s immediate plans, the timing would not be catastrophic. Aside from a minor camp featuring MLS players in December, the United States is away until a late March window for the Nations League final four or two friendlies.
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U.S. officials would like to find a permanent replacement as soon as possible, but no later than next summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. The qualifying schedule for the 2030 World Cup will not begin until next fall, at the earliest.
Possible candidates could include U.S. under-23 coach Steve Cherundolo, the former Los Angeles FC boss who was hired by the USSF last summer to prepare for the 2028 Olympics; former American assistant BJ Callaghan, who this year led Nashville SC to the most points in MLS regular season history; Roberto Martinez, former coach of Belgium and Portugal for the World Cup; and, if the United States is truly bold, Pep Guardiola, the architect of excellence at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City for 18 years.
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Like Pochettino, Guardiola would arrive with only club credentials. He rose to the top, however, winning not only 12 domestic crowns but also three Champions League trophies.
Who’s to say that Guardiola wouldn’t also be brought back to the club scene – and at a much worse time in the World Cup cycle? U.S. officials should be grateful that Pochettino is likely to leave now. Because make no mistake, at some point he was probably going to leave.
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