Mauricio Pochettino is leaving the United States men’s national team to manage Manchester United, according to Theguardian.
Mauricio Pochettino is leaving his post as head coach of the U.S. men’s national team to take over as manager of Manchester United, departing following a tenure of little more than two years.
Departure and Buyout
The Premier League club triggered a buyout clause included in the four-year contract extension Pochettino signed in August following the World Cup.
Manchester United will pay a $10 million termination fee to the U.S. Soccer Federation. U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson stated during a Friday news conference in Fayetteville, Georgia, that the organization has not yet decided whether those funds will be earmarked specifically for their next coaching hire.
At the press conference, the coach teared up while discussing the move, and said he had been very transparent about Manchester United’s overtures. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss had built his reputation on successful stints with powerful European clubs and never made a secret of his desire to one day get back across the pond.
“He and his staff raised standards, strengthened our culture and created clearer connections from the youth national teams to the senior team.” Said Pochettino: “The opportunity to represent the USA crest was one of the greatest honors of my career.”
Sportico reporting
Those funds are used to help us hire great coaches, help us do youth national team programs, coaching education. So those funds are available for us to invest to make the biggest impact on our goals.
JT Batson, U.S. Soccer Federation CEO
Legacy and World Cup Run
With his predecessor having lost his job following a disastrous 2024 Copa América run, Pochettino stepped in to lead the program in September 2024 as the first home World Cup in three decades loomed on the horizon. Officials officially welcomed him aboard in New York City on the 24th floor of a Hudson River-facing high-rise.
“We need to believe that we can win,” Pochettino said that day in September 2024.
Mauricio Pochettino, USMNT coach
“That we can win not only a game: We can win the World Cup,” Pochettino said, though that never deterred him from maintaining that the team should envision a shocking 2026 title run even though top-tier American talent was starring at elite clubs across Europe and the notion of the United States capturing a men's World Cup seemed nearly absurd.
Reflecting on his tenure, reports have already filtered out that executives are putting legendary coach Pep Guardiola at the top of their list for his successor, a coach of whose stature would surely have U.S. Soccer tapping into the $10 million Manchester United paid to terminate Pochettino’s contract early.
The Search for a Successor
U.S. Cherundolo had one of the most successful, if low-key, playing careers of any domestically produced American field player, starting for more than a decade in the German Bundesliga, and his coaching resume includes assistant jobs at two Bundesliga clubs followed by an MLS title run as LAFC’s manager while also managing the under-23 side that will play in the 2028 Olympics.
The recruitment process will get underway once the November international break concludes, though officials have not set a specific deadline for naming a replacement. Following the conclusion of the U.S. Concacaf Nations League fixtures against Haiti, the squad is not expected to take part in another competitive match until March, providing U.S. Soccer ample breathing room to identify the ideal manager.
We want to make sure that we’re attracting leaders who help us do just that.
JT Batson, U.S. Soccer Federation CEO
The committee aims to identify a permanent leader who can effectively build upon the current foundation and drive the long-term success of the organization, calling the position a great place to make legacy-defining impact.
Earlier coverage: Mauricio Pochettino Leaving USMNT for Manchester United Just Months After Signing New Deal