It’s official. This morning, U.S. Soccer announced that United States Men’s National Team coach Mauricio Pochettino will depart the federation to take over as head coach for Manchester United. Pochettino will make the move after coaching his final two matches with the USMNT tomorrow and on Tuesday against Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.
“Mauricio has left a lasting mark on U.S. Soccer through his leadership, professionalism and commitment to our players and culture,” US Soccer CEO JT Batson said in a statement released by the federation. “What we are most proud of goes beyond the wins. He and his staff raised standards, strengthened our culture and created clearer connections from the Youth National Teams to the senior team. Those changes are now embedded in how we operate, and we will keep building on them as we pursue sustained success on the world stage.”
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Pochettino’s tenure with the USMNT will last just 37 games once the matches against Haiti are concluded. Through the 35 matches he has already coached since he took over in September 2024, Pochettino had a record of 21W-12L-2D. He took the USMNT to the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup on home soil, earning a USMNT-record 3 wins during the tournament and helping the USMNT to win just its second knockout stage match at a World Cup. Despite the World Cup run, Pochettino did not win a trophy with the USMNT, the first permanent hire since Steve Sampson (1995-1998) to end their tenure with the national team trophyless.
“I want to thank Mauricio and his staff for all their contributions over the past two years to move our Men’s National Team forward, and wish him all the best at Manchester United,” US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “As we look ahead, we have an exciting group of players and our focus at the completion of this FIFA window is on finding the right coaching staff to help us build on the progress we’ve built and lead this team to even more success on the world stage.”
USMNT U-23 coach Steve Cherundolo will lead the senior national team during the December 13th friendly against Jamaica, and a search will begin immediately for Pochettino’s permanent successor. With the USMNT seeking to qualify for the Concacaf Nations League Finals as well as the Concacaf Gold Cup with an aggregate win over Haiti, US Soccer hopes a search will be quick to get a new coach installed before a 2027 full of competitive matches, leading up to World Cup qualifying beginning in the September-October 2027 international window. JT Batson and US Soccer COO Dan Helfrich will lead the search for a enw coach, alongside a team that includes Emma Hayes and deputy sporting director Oguchi Onyewu.
The players will now have to put this aside to play two matches against Haiti with a trip to the Gold Cup and Concacaf Nations League Finals hanging in the balance. They will face Haiti on Saturday at Nu Stadium in Miami followed by the second leg on Tuesday at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.
