Mauricio Pochettino officially leaves the USMNT for Manchester United
“The opportunity to represent the USA crest was one of the greatest honors of my career,” Pochettino said. But it was no surprise that he left three months after signing a new four-year deal.
Mauricio Pochettino’s departure from the U.S. men’s soccer team became official on Friday. He will formally step down after the upcoming Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series against Haiti to take over Manchester United, after the English Premier League club chased him so hard that it agreed to pay a reported $10 million-plus to buy out him and his staff.
“The opportunity to represent the USA crest was one of the greatest honors of my career,” Pochettino said in a statement. “We are so grateful to the players for their commitment, to the fans for their belief, and to the Federation for always supporting our staff and creating the opportunities to impact the culture of soccer in this great country. … There is tremendous talent in the U.S. player pool from the youth teams through to the senior team, and it’s one of the reasons we have so much belief for the future of U.S. Soccer.”
Pochettino’s exit comes just over three months after signing a four-year deal for a second term as U.S. manager. At the time, he said “we signed the contract because we really believe that we are going to be four years there.” But not many other people did, and he knew it.
Even during Pochettino’s first term, from the fall of 2024 through the World Cup, there were flirtations with European clubs including England’s Tottenham Hotspur — a former employer he still cherishes — and Italy’s AC Milan. This was seen for U.S. Soccer as part of the cost of hiring a famous name.
Still, he wasn’t expected to leave the post this soon into the new deal. Maybe next summer, or especially the summer of 2028, but not now.
Whether the federation wants to have that dance again remains to be seen, though its reported ambition to land Pep Guardiola next implies the leaders don’t mind.
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“What we are most proud of goes beyond the wins,” CEO JT Batson said of a manager who had 21 wins, 12 losses, and two ties in 35 games. “He and his staff raised standards, strengthened our culture and created clearer connections from the youth national teams to the senior team. Those changes are now embedded in how we operate, and we will keep building on them as we pursue sustained success on the world stage.”
Fortunately, the timing works for U.S. Soccer. After the upcoming Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal against Haiti, there isn’t anything on the program’s schedule until a prospects camp in December. Olympic team coach Steve Cherundolo will lead. The next thing from there is the Nations League final four in March, if the U.S. advances.
So there’s time for U.S. Soccer to find Pochettino’s replacement. But while Pochettino will hold his previously-scheduled news conference Friday morning, ahead of Saturday’s series opener with Haiti in Miami (4:30 p.m., TNT, Telemundo 62), there’s been no word yet about when Batson, chief operating officer Dan Helfrich, president Cindy Cone, or anyone else among the brass will take questions about their plans.
The series finale, and Pochettino’s finale, is Tuesday in Cincinnati (7 p.m., TBS, Universo).
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“I want to thank Mauricio and his staff for all their contributions over the past two years to move our men’s national team forward, and wish him all the best at Manchester United,” Cone said. “As we look ahead, we have an exciting group of players and our focus at the completion of this FIFA window is on finding the right coaching staff to help us build on the progress we’ve built and lead this team to even more success on the world stage.”
U.S. Soccer’s announcement said the search for the next manager will be led by a committee of Batson, Helfrich, and “the soccer leadership team” that includes vice president of the sporting division Oguchi Onyewu and women’s team manager Emma Hayes, “drawing on input from leaders across U.S. Soccer and the global soccer landscape.”
There was no mention of who else is on that leadership team, or whether the big-money donors who helped fund Pochettino’s salary will get to influence this hire.
“We are looking for a leader with the talent, experience and belief to match our ambition, build on the culture and pathway now in place and help the USMNT take the next step,” Batson said.
