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Mauricio Pochettino. Picture: REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE
Mauricio Pochettino. Picture: REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE

Mauricio Pochettino agreed to become the head coach of the US men’s national soccer team, reports said on Thursday.

The 52-year-old former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Tottenham Hotspur coach will be responsible for leading the Americans into the 2026 Fifa World Cup, ESPN and The Athletic reported.

The Argentinian has never managed an international team.

Pochettino agreed to succeed Gregg Berhalter as the USMNT coach after lengthy discussions with US Soccer Federation technical director Matt Crocker, per the reports. Crocker was leading Southampton's academy when Pochettino managed that English club in 2013.

Pochettino has been out of work since leaving Chelsea by mutual consent in May. He is expected to be in place for a USMNT match against Canada in Kansas City, Kansas, on September 7.

After a long playing career as a centre back with Newell’s Old Boys, Espanyol, PSG and Bordeaux, Pochettino took his first coaching job at Spain’s Espanyol in 2009. He led Tottenham to a runner-up Premier League finish in 2016-17 and the Champions League final in 2018-19, then guided PSG to a Ligue 1 title in 2021-22.

The USSF fired Berhalter in July after the host US squad failed to advance from the group stage at the 2024 Copa America.

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