Hiring Pochettino would revitalize the USMNT. Is he the right fit for the job?
Credit to Author: Jeff Carlisle| Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2024 11:27:44 EST
Mark Ogden talks about Mauricio Pochettino’s imminent takeover of the USMNT head coach role and what it means for the team. (2:43)
Matt Crocker looks like he’s about to deliver in all manner of ways in hiring the next manager of the U.S. men’s national team.
The USSF sporting director said he would find a “serial winning coach.” As far as cost was concerned, he said the hiring of a new manager was “something we’re prepared to invest in, and something we will be investing in.” (ESPN previously reported that the USSF was prepared to get creative to cover the costs of landing a top manager). He added, “I just want to get the best coach possible that can help the team win and whether they’re from the U.S. or elsewhere.”
With ESPN colleague Mark Ogden confirming that terms have been agreed to with former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, Crocker appears to have hit triple-sevens on the USMNT managerial slot machine. To be clear, because financial arrangements between Pochettino and Chelsea haven’t been finalized, no contract has been signed just yet. As such, Pochettino’s hiring has yet to be approved by the USSF Board of Directors. As one source put it, “Still work to be done.”
That said, the Argentine’s proposed hiring would be a coup if the USSF can get it over the line. Pochettino, 52, has managed at the game’s highest levels and coached some of the top players in the sport, a group that includes Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane. He’s also proved to be adept at bringing along young players, whether it was Kane and Dele Alli at Spurs, or Cole Palmer at Chelsea last season. All of that counts as good news for a U.S. player pool that is talented — boasting the likes of AC Milan‘s Christian Pulisic, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie and Bournemouth‘s Tyler Adams — but in too many instances has stagnated since its solid showing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The group stage exit at last month’s Copa América — from what appeared to be a manageable group with Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia — cost Gregg Berhalter his job. The hosting of a World Cup in 2026 was an opportunity that was in danger of being squandered, and it drove home that the USMNT needed a shake-up. That is precisely what Pochettino’s arrival would achieve. And for a U.S. team that still skews younger, his ability to nurture young talent is a massive plus.
His appointment would also ease some of the pressure on Crocker, who took some heat for rehiring Berhalter 14 months ago after he himself had been on the job for just two months. That decision didn’t turn out well, and there had been some rumblings on the USSF board of directors that Crocker should have been let go too. Landing a manager with Pochettino’s reputation should mute those sentiments.
Critics might quibble whether Pochettino qualifies as the “serial winner” Crocker said he was looking for. The Argentine did manage to win three trophies during his 18-month stint at PSG, including a league title in 2021-22, but expectations were certainly higher given the high-priced roster he managed in Paris. But he also managed to steer perennial underachievers Tottenham to Champions League qualification four years in a row, including a trip to the 2019 final, where Spurs fell 2-0 to Liverpool. In a competition as cutthroat as the Premier League, that should count for something.
Pochettino’s reputation is that of a players’ coach, and given how the U.S. roster seemed a bit too comfortable toward the end of Berhalter’s reign, there is concern that he may not give the team the kick in the pants that it needs. But Pochettino’s arrival, by itself, would at least ratchet up the competitive tension that usually exists within a national team.
For a start, every player would start with a clean slate. Those players who were on the outside looking in during Berhalter’s tenure will feel the door to playing time is open again. Meanwhile, previously locked-in starters won’t be able to take anything for granted. All will be eager to impress.
Another concern regarding Pochettino’s potential hiring is that his high-pressing system — one heavily influenced by current Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa, who coached Pochettino at Newell’s Old Boys and the Argentina national team — requires time to implement. The 2026 World Cup is less than two years away, with roughly nine international windows left for Pochettino to impart his style on the U.S. players. His approach would certainly require some spoon-feeding in the beginning. The hope is that the 2025 Gold Cup will go a long way towards getting the players the time on the field needed to get up to speed, though sources tell ESPN that reports of an expanded tournament with as many as eight guest teams are off base. A more likely scenario is that Concacaf will bring in one guest team, similar to the 2023 tournament when Qatar took part.
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If there is one hole in Pochettino’s résumé, it’s his lack of international experience. International managers around the world speak of how the lack of day-to-day interaction with the players can be a challenge; that would certainly take some getting used to. Pochettino would also have to accept that his player pool is limited. There would be no going to the board if he needs an outside back or another midfielder. He would have to make do with what he has and build those players up, as well as keep an eye on those performers emerging from the youth ranks.
That said, there are some aspects of managing the USMNT that Pochettino would embrace. Crocker and Pochettino crossed paths at Southampton in 2013, where Crocker was finishing up a stint running the club’s academy while Pochettino was just starting out as first-team manager. That level of familiarity, brief as it was, could aid the working relationship. The Argentine would likely relish the ability to simply get on with the job without interference from above, something that characterized his tenures at both PSG and Chelsea.
Beyond Pochettino’s impact on the players, his potential arrival would help generate enthusiasm for the team and revenue for USSF. You’d have to go back to the Jürgen Klinsmann era to find a time when there was this much interest and excitement surrounding the USMNT. Berhalter divided opinion within the U.S. fan base, Pochettino would unite it. There will be an eagerness to see what kind of impact he could have on the team. That likely increase in interest should be felt at the gate as well, as even the most mundane of matches will likely leave fans captivated by what tactical subtleties Pochettino would implement.
All of this sounds fantastic on paper, but the reality will be something else. Whatever your feeling, if Crocker is able to complete Pochettino’s signing, the sporting director has put the USMNT in a position where it can get back on an upward trajectory.