United States

Grading the USMNT's expected hire of Mauricio Pochettino

Updated Aug. 15, 2024 7:04 p.m. ET

The United States men's national team has found its next coach.

Sources within U.S. Soccer confirmed to FOX Sports' Doug McIntyre on Thursday that Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to take over the USMNT. This comes five weeks after the federation dismissed Gregg Berhalter following a disastrous Copa América group stage exit on home soil. The deal has not been fully finalized yet, but Pochettino is expected to eventually sign a contract to become the USMNT's new leader.

[Mauricio Pochettini expected to be named USMNT coach]

In the wake of Berhalter's dismissal, U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker vowed to target a "serial winning coach." He's delivered a coach that is among the most well-regarded at the European club level, with successful stints as manager at Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea.

How should U.S. Soccer fans feel about their team's new leader? On a special emergency edition of "Alexi Lalas' State of the Union," Lalas and co-host David Mosse were joined by fellow FOX Soccer analyst Stu Holden — live from his vacation in Mexico — to break down the hiring of Pochettino.

Initial reaction to the news

Stu Holden

"I'm excited. I think there was a list of a couple of people when [the job opened up]. Jürgen Klopp was on there. Then Pochettino and various different names were on there. He was one that excited me because of the pedigree that he has, the teams he's coached, he's a guy that's done well in cup competitions historically. People are going to sit there and poke holes in some of that.

"Look, this is an A-level coach that has coached multiple top teams in the Premier League and has coached PSG in France with some of the biggest superstars in the world — and now he'll be coaching the U.S. men's national team. In terms of the names that were out there and the type of coach that we could have realistically gone for, this is up there with the best of the best, and I think U.S. fans should be excited."

David Mosse

"We wanted U.S. Soccer to do something bold, and they did. It's a splashy hire, a big name. This is making headlines all across the world, and [Pochettino] is a guy who was also linked to the England job, and nobody would have batted an eye had he gotten that job. That's a top-five national team that's reached the final of the last two Euros, and they wanted Pochettino, evidently. So I agree, hats off to Matt Crocker. He did the job here. This is a very good appointment."

Alexi Lalas

"It's hard not to like this. Yes, you can poke some holes, but I think it's even hard to poke holes at this. I think this is great. Pochettino checks the big-name foreign and elite European club pedigree boxes that I know many crave and want … But keep in mind that no coach is perfect. I'm glad that this has finally happened and we can move forward, and hopefully Pochettino makes us believe that we are heading in the right direction towards 2026.

"This will be his first international gig. When you look at Pochettino, and what has given him this caché and this respect and the success that he's had, it's an attention to detail. It's a philosophy of pressing and possession, but it's also a day-in and day-out implementation of a structure that has resulted in, again, the little things and the details making a difference. He is going to be put into a situation that he has no experience in, in terms of an international coaching job, and he is going to have to — in very short order and very quickly, and unlike anything he's done in the past — be able to impart his style and his information.

"He's going to have to get pragmatic. I think he's also going to have to get very clear and concise with these players, because he's only going to have a certain amount of days with them. This isn't a day-to-day type of existence like it is in a club situation, and I think that that's going to be a challenge. If he takes too long, I think that that could be a problem. So hopefully, he hits the ground running.

"I will say this — it doesn't matter who you hire, [the coach] needs to understand what the situation is that they're coming into. I hope that Pochettino understands the realities — the good, the bad and the ugly that exist in terms of the team that he's taking over, in terms of the federation, in terms of American soccer — all those different things. I don't need him figuring that out later on."

Grading the hire

Stu Holden: A-

"We get caught up in this "serial winner" thing, and I do think Matt Crocker boxed himself in a little bit when he talked about a "serial winner," because the reality is, there are very few coaches at the international and club levels that have consistently won trophies. But Pochettino has made every team that he's taken over better in my eyes. So I think I define that as a serial winner when I'm considering this USMNT role. What I like about Pochettino is that he's coached teams at a very, very high level. He's experienced a lot. He's done well in cup competitions with what he's got. He's not rolling into tournaments with the best of the best — sure, PSG, but PSG have yet to win a Champions League with or without Pochettino.

"I like it because we have a group of players that are talented, but that we need to get a little bit more out of. They need to be a little bit more savvy in the tactical end of the game. I also like that we've got an Argentine that can teach this team a little bit of the "dark arts," which I also think that we were missing in the Copa América, we were one of the lowest teams in yellow cards conceded. And boy, we all watched a lot of [Argentina in] that tournament, right? The most fouls, the most yellow cards, the most breaking up of play, but just finding a way to win. I want that from this team. I want us to find a way to win hard games against good teams."

USMNT expected to hire Mauricio Pochettino as new manager, Alexi Lalas and Colin Cowherd react

Mosse: A-

"I agree with Stu. It's a bit of a paradox — if a guy is a serial winner, it probably means he was coaching a caliber of player where, again, he would raise your point of would that translate to the U.S. national team? So I would actually rather a coach who maybe hasn't won that many trophies, but has demonstrated an ability to get lesser talented teams to punch above their weight … His reputation mostly comes from the amazing job that he did at Tottenham."

Lalas: B+

"There are reports that Pochettino will continue to live in Europe. We know that the vast majority of players on the national team are also playing for European clubs and based over there, and we've seen this in the past with coaches of national teams. … I don't think it should be a dealbreaker by any stretch, but 2026 is unique, and why can't I have it all? Why can't I have a coach that not only gets the wins on the field, but inspires and promotes and markets and sells this team to fans off the field? If you're not going to do that, who is going to? Matt Crocker is not going to do it. Who is going to barnstorm around and get people excited about what is going on?

"I do think that U.S. Soccer has to figure out who that person is or who those people are that are going to go around and get people excited. … If Pochettino comes in and this team plays better, and this team wins games starting this fall and then obviously next summer with the gold cup and that kind of stuff, that's all fine and well. If there's somebody else at U.S. Soccer that's going to be the hype person, fine, but it does need to happen. You do have to get people excited in all these days and weeks and months when the U.S. team is actually playing."

Which USMNT players will benefit most from this?

Holden: Johnny Cardoso, Weston McKennie and the strikers

"One of the things I do love about a new coach situation is that it's a blank slate for everybody. … On Day 1, boy, I would love to be watching that first training session, because every single player will be running 150% to make an impression on the new coach to prove that they should be in the picture. One player in particular that jumps right out to me is a guy like Johnny Cardoso, who for whatever reason never felt like Gregg Berhalter's guy. He came off a good season in La Liga and then just couldn't get in during the Copa América.

"I actually think in a weird way, this is going to really benefit a guy like Weston McKennie, who had to really fight for a little bit last year at club level to prove himself again at Juventus, and we saw a lift from him. But I just felt really the last year or so in the USMNT pool that he was coasting. So I think he's going to have to work and really earn and prove that he's going to be a guy in the midfield so we might get a lift from him.

"I think it also benefits everybody in the striker pool — Folarin Balogun, Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright. These guys are going to be motivated to prove that they can be starting in that position. And [Pochettino is] going to have a decision to make on a goalkeeper. Who's the starting goalkeeper going to be now? Is it Matt Turner, is it Gaga Slonina, is it Patrick Schulte? I just want somebody to emerge in that position that we know is going to be the starter in two years."

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Mosse: Gio Reyna and the midfield

"I was kind of playing around with the 2019 Tottenham team that Pochettino got to the Champions League final. Christian Pulisic would be Hueng-Min Son. Balogun would be Harry Kane. Timothy Weah would be Lucas Moura. Weston McKennie would be Dele Alli. Gio Reyna would be Christian Eriksen. So there are some parallels there. I did whoever this new coach coming in was, he's gonna have to deal with that Gio Reyna conundrum.

"If everybody's healthy, do you want a more energetic midfield with Tyler Adams, McKennie and Yunus Musah, and then maybe Gio Reyna gets squeezed out? Or are you gonna find a place for that luxury player like Gio at the 10? So that is gonna be an interesting dilemma for Pochettino right off the bat."

Lalas: Whoever wants to be challenged

"We heard Tyler Adams recently lamenting the fact that they're not pushed more. I do think not only do these U.S. players need, but maybe even want, their a-- kicked, and to have someone who doesn't suffer fools. And I do think that Pochettino is like that."

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