Sources: Mauricio Pochettino a leading candidate to coach the USMNT
Mauricio Pochettino has emerged as a leading candidate to coach the U.S. men's national team, multiple sources with knowledge of the talks between the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham manager and U.S. Soccer confirmed to FOX Sports on Thursday.
The Athletic's Paul Tenorio was the first to report the news.
Pochettino, a 52-year-old Argentine who has also coached English Premier League side Southampton and Espanyol in Spain, is available after parting ways with Chelsea following the 2023-24 season. A U.S. Soccer Federation spokesperson declined to comment.
Pochettino's camp first met with U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker in Europe in mid-July, according to multiple sources. He was one of a number of high-profile coaches that the federation had initial conversations with either directly or through intermediaries. Others include former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp, ex-England coach Gareth Southgate, and current Hoffenheim manager Pellegrino Matarazzo. Patrick Vieira, who recently stepped down from his post with Strasbourg in France's Ligue 1, was also reportedly contacted. Vieira, who coached New York City FC from 2016-18, has since spoken to Atlanta United about their vacancy, per multiple sources.
On Sunday, after several German outlets reported that Matarazzo had been offered the job, a source told FOX Sports that the USSF was hoping to finalize a deal with the New Jersey native as early as this week. Subsequent reports indicated that Matarazzo had decided to stay with the Bundesliga club instead, which he later confirmed himself.
That apparently led Crocker back to Pochettino, who he briefly overlapped with while running Southampton's youth academy. Considered one of the best managers in the world, landing him would be a coup for the USMNT, which parted ways with Gregg Berhalter after the Americans became the first Copa América host to be eliminated in the group stage of that tournament.
Crocker said at the time that the USSF was "prepared to invest" in a "serial winning coach."
USMNT Coaching Search Heats Up! | SOTU
Crocker hired former Chelsea Women's coach Emma Hayes to lead the USWNT last fall, making her the highest paid coach in women's soccer history. Pochettino was among the highest-paid coaches in the men's game during his spells at Chelsea and PSG, with a salary in the $15-20 million range.
Pochettino led Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final and won league and cup titles during his two years in France. He took Chelsea from 12th to sixth last season, his lone campaign at Stamford Bridge.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports who has covered the United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him at @ByDougMcIntyre.
