No more excuses for US Soccer fans, we got the world-class manager we wanted
Although the reports are unconfirmed by US Soccer, multiple highly credible outlets are reporting that Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to manage the USMNT through the 2026 World Cup. This is a HUGE hire for US Soccer. We are pumped they are swinging for the fences with this hire and maximizing our chances of a deep run at the 2026 World Cup we are co-hosting with Canada and Mexico. There are no more excuses for this team, for this Federation, and for this generation of talented young American stars. 10-out-10 outcome if/when confirmed.
who is mauricio pochettino?
Pochettino is a highly regarded manager at the very highest levels of club soccer. After a solid professional career in the top leagues of Spain and France, he made a rapid rise through the coaching ranks. He put himself on the map at Southampton, where he took team that’s often in England’s second or even third tier to an 8th place finish in the Premier League.
He got his big break immediately after, when he took over Tottenham. Today, we know Tottenham as one of England’s “Big 6” – but it was Pochettino who put them in the conversation with the likes of Man City, Liverpool, and the rest. Under Pochettino they finished 3rd, 2nd, and 3rd again in 3 straight Premier League seasons after consistently finishing just outside the Top 4 for the better part of the last decade. In 2018-2019 he led Tottenham to a runner up finish in Champions League – the pinnacle of competitive club soccer – and placed himself firmly on the list of best managers in the world.
Since then, he has been rumored to be considered for nearly every major job opening in top tier European football. He managed PSG, whose Saudi owners have virtually unlimited resources. He won the French Ligue 1 title there but failed to take the team to new heights in Champions League, which was the owners’ true goal.
Most recently Pochettino led Chelsea to a 6th place finish in the Premier League. That might not sound impressive for a club of Chelsea’s size, but it represented a huge improvement from their 12th place finish the prior year. At the end of the season, it was reported that he and the club mutually agreed to part ways due to disagreement over recruiting and training strategies.
All told, he has an extremely impressive managerial career. He is far and away the most successful and reputable club manager the USMNT has ever had. The closest comp would be Jurgen Klinsmann, but he managed Bayern Munich for just 1 season. The only real knock against Pochettino as a candidate from our perspective is that he hasn’t managed an international team before, but that’s a small price to pay for getting someone of his pedigree.
We now have a big-name manager, and it’s honestly difficult to think of a current international manager who has had more success than Pochettino at club level. There are no more excuses for the USSF, for US Soccer fans, or for this generation of young and talented players. The time to succeed is now. Get ready for a wild ride with more attention on this team than ever before.
pochettino's Style and the USMNT Roster
Pochettino plays an aggressive, high pressing style of football. He often plays a 4-2-3-1 formation (4 defenders, 2 defensive midfielders, 3 attacking midfielders/forwards, and a lone striker). He is well-known for bringing through young players and putting them in positions to succeed. The latter is big for us. Even though the core of this team has been around at top levels for years, they are still all so young. Pulisic, McKennie, and Adams are 25. Weah is 24. Dest and Balogun are 23. Reyna and Musah are only 21. They still have so much development left and Pochettino will help.
For those wondering, Pochettino’s time at Chelsea did not overlap with Christian Pulisic’s. He bears zero responsibility for what happened to CP10 there. If anything, Pulisic’s success at Milan after struggling at Chelsea might validate that Pochettino’s 6th place finish there is actually quite an accomplishment.
As we discuss the fit of the USMNT roster in Pochettino’s system, we’re going to draw parallels to his Tottenham side, as we think more American fans will be familiar with those teams than his PSG or Chelsea teams. Apologies to any big PSG or Chelsea supporters.
Front 4
We see potential for Balogun to play the Harry Kane role (central striker), dropping deep on occasion to receive the ball and play in runners on the wing. Balogun’s hold up play is underappreciated in our view and he absolutely can play this role. Pulisic then would be in the Heung-min Son role, looking to create scoring opportunities with aggressive runs from the left wing. Weah adds another option with runs from the right wing, which we love given his pace. All 3 can press high up the pitch, especially Weah now that he’s had a season at right wing back at Juve. Perhaps it’s time to fully forgive Weah for that red card…it kind of worked out in the end didn’t it?
McKennie reminds us a bit of prime Dele Alli when he’s at his best, great passing range and strong enough in the air to make late runs in the box to finish in the air. He could fill that central attacking mid role if he gets back into form. If not, Reyna is not a bad second option. Neither is particularly effective in a high press though, so we would not be shocked to see Pulisic play that central role and give an opportunity on the wing to Wright or Brenden Aaronson. We also think Paxten Aaronson could compete for one of those slots by the time 2026 comes around, he has the same motor as his brother.
midfield
Adams is a must start at one of the two defensive midfield roles, again assuming he’s healthy. He’s a great fit in an aggressive pressing system as he showed when healthy at Leeds. Who to start next to Adams is a big question for us. We’re inclined to say that Musah would be in pole position but it’s a bit of a jump ball. Neither Cardoso, Tessman, Busio, nor de la Torre are particularly well suited to an aggressive pressing system.
back 4
Defensively, we see no reason to change from Dest at RB and Robinson at LB. Both can get forward with pace and have the stamina and agility to press for a full game. Dest will leave space behind in dangerous moments, but hopefully he gets better on that as he matures, and Pochettino may be just the guy to help him do that. Joe Scally defended well in the Copa America but we see him as a better option in games where we have to sit deep. Center back will be a position that we think Pochettino tinkers with for a while. It’s a bit of a weak spot for the team. Right now it looks like Chris Richards plus a player-to-be-named in that part of the pitch.
why we love this hire
global perspective
Pochettino is Argentinian, and represented Argentina at the full senior international level. He also played most of his career in Europe and has been coaching there at the highest levels. If we want to succeed on a global stage we’ll need to beat teams from South America and Europe.
youth development
Pochettino is known for bringing through young talent. Even though he won’t get to spend as much time with the players as USMNT manager as he did in the club game, the fact that he has had so much success bringing through guys like Luke Shaw, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, and Cole Palmer early in their careers is very encouraging. As noted above – the core of our team is still really young so we think this is a big deal.
instant credibility
There should be no question of everyone falling in line, despite the affection the team clearly had for coach Berhalter. Pochettino has managed the likes of Heung-min Son, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and some guy named Messi.
tactical flexibility
Even during Tottenham’s most successful season (the Champions League runners up campaign of 2018/19) Pochettino varied his tactics when needed. He mostly played a 4-2-3-1, but played a more aggressive 3 at the back against Huddersfield, and a more conservative 5 at the back versus Man City. This was one of the main things we wanted to see in a new hire because we need to be able to vary tactics to dominate Mexico and squeak out a victory against Argentina.
Exciting Soccer
Pochettino’s default mode is an exciting brand of soccer that the casual soccer fan can get excited about. We need that to keep growing the game in this country
Support Staff
Pochettino can bring the best available support staff with him. He’s been a top-level coach for over a decade so we expect our positional coaches, fitness staff, data analysts, and everyone else to be top notch. He will know the best available people to build a team around him.
vote of confidence
Pochettino agreeing to manage this team is a huge vote of confidence in our young players. At Dos a Cero, we’ve been consistent in saying this is the most talented generation we’ve ever had, even after the Copa America failure. To the doubters we say that Pochettino would never take this job if he didn’t think he could take this team to unprecedented success. He still has designs on top managerial roles including Man United, and a failure at the international level would not do him any favors in pursuing those roles once he’s done managing the USA.
Related Articles
10.4 – Weekend Recap
The last match window before the USMNT all gather in Austin for Pochettino’s first camp was action packed.
Pulisic scored, and was Milan’s best player, again! It’s almost every game this year he’s been either the best player by the data or as voted by fans. …But we get some bad vibes from his teammates twice stripping him of the PK responsibility against the coach’s orders. Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham both had their PKs saved by David de Gea – so they probably should have let Pulisic, who is 10/10 in his career, take them.
September 2024 “team of the month”
This is basically how the USMNT would line up in our first matches under Pochettino – if he made his decisions based ONLY on current club form. He obviously won’t do that – but it’s a cool way to look at who is playing well, and who isn’t, for the USMNT.
10.4 – Weekend preview
Best matches of the weekend, brought to you by #DosACero. This is the final match window before the guys head to #Austin for the FIRST CAMP WITH POCHETTINO. Here’s hoping for a strong set of performances, with everyone coming in hot. LFG!