Why Mauricio Pochettino's résumé is better than any USMNT manager ever
According to reports that have been confirmed by FOX Sports' Doug McIntyre, Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be the new coach of the U.S. men's national team.
The 52-year-old most recently led Chelsea to a sixth place finish in the English Premier League, and formerly was the manager at Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham, Southampton, and Espanyol. Pochettino has been a head coach since 2009, but this will be his first chance to lead a national team.
FOX Sports Research broke down the résumé of each of the previous five managers of the USMNT to highlight just how prestigious Pochettino's background is in comparison.
Let's take a look:
Gregg Berhalter (2018-24)
It's not often that coaches are fired, re-hired, and then fired again by the same team — but this was the case for Gregg Berhalter and the national team. While he did finish his managerial career with a 68.2% win rate (44-17-13, W-L-D) — the highest of any manager in the team's history (min. 20 games coaches) — Berhalter failed to lead the U.S. to the knockout stages of this past Copa América, and his team was eliminated by the Netherlands, 3-1, in the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup.
The former was particularly damning, as the U.S. became the first host nation not to advance to the knockout stage of Copa América since the group stage was introduced in 1975. Entering that tournament, the U.S. had not been eliminated from the group stage in 19 previous continental and global tournaments played at home. Berhalter also was just 2-6-7 (W-L-D) vs. top 25 teams when excluding Mexico, and 0-5-5 (W-L-D) against top 15 teams when again excluding continental rivals.
At the club level, Berhalter coached at Columbus Crew and Hammarby, the latter being a Swedish club. He had just 92 wins in 239 matches coached between the two teams.
Bruce Arena (1998-2006, 2016-17)
No manager in the team's history has coached more matches than Bruce Arena, who compiled a record of 81-32-35 (W-L-D). His 66.6% win rate is the second-highest ever behind Berhalter (min. 20 games coached), and he also led the team to its best finish at the World Cup ever — reaching the quarterfinals in 2002 before losing to Germany. While these accolades arguably make him the most successful coach in U.S. history, he never coached outside of MLS (DC United, New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy, New England Revolution) and also led the team to a last-place finish in their group at the 2006 World Cup.
Jurgen Klinsmann (2011-16)
Klinsmann was an exciting hire who had incredible success as both a player and a manager before taking the USMNT job in 2011. He played for powerhouse clubs like Inter Milan, Tottenham, and Bayern Munich before becoming the manager of the German national team from 2004 to 2006. At the 2006 World Cup, he led his country to a semifinal finish as the host nation. After Germany declined to renew his contract, Klinsmann joined Bayern Munich, but he was fired with five matches remaining in the season. For perspective, Munich won the league in the seasons prior to his arrival and following his departure.
He'd go on to lead the USMNT to a 55-27-16 (W-L-D) record, with a Round of 16 loss to Belgium in the 2014 World Cup. In 2015, he'd lead them to a fourth-place finish at the Gold Cup, a run that included losses to Jamaica and Panama. At the 2016 Copa América, the U.S. would lose 4-0 to Argentina in the semifinals. The biggest disappointment would ensue just months later, when the team lost 2-1 at home to Mexico and 4-0 to Costa Rica in World Cup qualification — leading to his firing in November of that year. The U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup after this performance.
Klinsmann's following stops included Hertha BSC, where he was fired after just 10 weeks, and the South Korean national team, who dismissed him after 18 matches. The Korean Football Association president stated, "Coach Klinsmann failed to demonstrate leadership that we expected from the national team coach, including game management, player management and work attitude, which elevate the competitiveness of the national team."
Bob Bradley (2007-11)
Bradley is the third and final coach to have a winning percentage over 60% (43-25-12, W-L-D) for the USMNT (min. 20 games coached), joining Berhalter and Klinsmann. His tenure is highlighted by a Round of 16 appearance at the 2010 World Cup (losing to Ghana), but also marred by a last place group finish at the 2007 Copa América and a loss in the final to Mexico at the 2009 Gold Cup. He also coached the 2011 Gold Cup final, where the U.S. turned a 2-0 lead against Mexico into a 4-2 defeat.
His stops at the club level include the Chicago Fire, MetroStars, Chivas USA, Los Angeles FC, and Toronto FC. He is a three-time MLS Coach of the Year, but never found similar success at his European jobs (Stabæk, Le Havre, Swansea City). Bradley also coached the Egyptian national team, where he was relieved of his duties after 36 matches.
Steve Sampson (1995-98)
Steve Sampson went 26-22-14 (W-L-D) as the head coach of the USMNT, highlighted by a semifinal finish in the 1995 Copa América. At the 1998 World Cup, however, the squad finished last in its group under his guidance. That same year, the U.S. lost to Mexico in the final at the Gold Cup. Sampson would go on to coach the Costa Rican national team and the Los Angeles Galaxy, with each stop being a short stint.
Mauricio Pochettino
And now, the Pochettino era will commence. The difference between his résumé and the others on this list is stark. A player for Paris Saint-Germain and Espanyol, he'd end up taking the head coaching job at both of those stops later on. At Espanyol, his first ever managerial position, he struggled — going 53-70-38 (W-L-D) in La Liga. However, in January of 2013, he joined Southampton in the middle of the season and led it to huge wins over Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City — the reigning champions at the time.
In his first full season at Southampton, he led the team to an eighth place finish in the Premier League, its best finish since the 2002-03 season. He also tied the club record for most points in a single season in the EPL. Shortly after his success at Southampton (finished 23-19-19, W-L-D), Pochettino joined Tottenham, where he amassed a whopping 159-72-62 record in five seasons.
His time with the Spurs was highlighted by a Champions League runner-up finish in the 2018-19 season, and he won the London Football Awards Manager of the Year that same year. Tottenham never finished worse than fifth in the EPL during his five full seasons there, including three top-three finishes.
Pochettino's next stop would come at French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain, where he experienced the most success. Pochettino led PSG to a 55-14-15 (W-L-D) record and won three trophies — the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France, and the Trophée des Champions. In 2023, he ended up at Chelsea, leading the club to sixth place in the table after a disastrous 12th-place finish in the previous season. He went 26-14-11 (W-L-D) in all competitions with the Blues, and also earned a runner-up finish at the EFL Cup that year.
Pochettino has also coached many high-level superstars. From Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Kieran Trippier and Achraf Hakimi, to Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, and Lionel Messi — he's overseen a collection of talent that no U.S. manager has ever come close to coaching. All in all, the veteran Argentine has coached in matches and molded players at a level that is unmatched by any other USMNT coach.
