Manchester United have hired Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach. Pochettino will leave his role with the US men’s national team and move to Old Trafford on a two-and-a-half-year contract until the end of the 2028-29 season after United triggered the release of $10m (£7.4m) on his contract. He previously signed with the US for the 2030 World Cup. He will remain with the USMNT for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti before returning to English soccer. United’s next game after the international break will be against Liverpool at Anfield on November 22. Pochettino’s current staff, including his assistant Jesús Pérez, will follow him to Manchester. The Premier League side stepped up their search for the Argentine coach earlier this week, making formal contact with US Soccer, with a view to appointing him should a decision be made to move on from Michael Carrick, who was informed of his dismissal on Thursday. An uncomfortable week for US Soccer, Pochettino and Man UtdHenry BushnellPochettino has long wanted to manage United, after spells in England with Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. He began his managerial career with Espanyol in 2009, before moving to Southampton and then Spurs. He was in charge of Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea before being named head coach of the USMNT in September 2024, leading the team to the round of 16 of the World Cup on home soil this summer. Pochettino leaves with a record of 21 wins, 12 losses and two draws in 35 games and having had a group of 75 players who won at least one. US Soccer said in a news release Friday that the search for a new coach will be led by the federation’s CEO and general secretary, JT Batson, and chief operating officer, Dan Helfrich, who will work “alongside US Soccer’s soccer leadership team that includes (USWNT head coach) Emma Hayes and (assistant sporting director) Oguchi Onyewu.” “We are in place and helping the USMNT take the next step,” Batson said. The Athletic reported that Pep Guardiola is expected to be a top target to replace Pochettino. U.S. Under-23 Olympic coach Steve Cherundolo will oversee the December camp, which will feature a roster comprised primarily of MLS players. Analysis by football tactics writer Thom Harris Pochettino distinguishes himself within world football for his commitment to player development. He improved Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Ryan Mason, Danny Rose, Kyle Walker and more at Spurs, while Luke Shaw (who he could reunite with at United 13 years later) and Adam Lallana also flourished under his guidance when he was Southampton manager. On the ball, Pochettino looks to train patient patterns in the middle of the field. He encourages sharp, brave passes from the back, seeking to lure the opposition into pressing before finding technically gifted midfielders with incisive forward passes. It is also flexible in terms of shape; Although his preferred system involves four defenders, two deeper midfielders and a creative, roaming number 10 (usually a 4-2-3-1), he has alternated between three-man defensive shapes at Tottenham and more recently in charge of the USMNT. Pochettino’s preferred tactical approach focuses on high pressing and patient preparation on the ball. It’s another reason why he likes working with younger players, naturally more energetic and keen to carry out their demands out of possession and with more motivation to improve and impress. The playing style wheel below looks at his one season in charge of Chelsea to describe how his team seemed to play compared to others in Europe’s top seven domestic leagues. Their 89 out of 99 Intensity rating speaks to the early nature of Chelsea’s press, ranking fifth for the number of high turnovers committed in the Premier League that 2023-24 season. Less encouraging is its rating of 32 out of 99 in Opportunity Prevention. His team leaked, conceding 63 goals in the league, but their tally of 77 going forward can only be bettered by two Chelsea teams. Everything suggests that Pochettino will need time to fully steady the ship at United, even if his ability to organize attacking players could quicken the pulse. What will Pochettino’s departure mean for the USMNT? but seen through a broader lens, it is neither disastrous nor surprising. Players and executives alike would prefer Pochettino to stay, of course, but if he were to leave (which always seemed a probability, given his frequent public comments about European ambitions), the end of 2026 was the least complicated time to do so. Pochettino did his job this fall; He integrated young players, maintained a strong culture and won games. Now, Cherundolo can take charge of a training camp in December that will predominantly feature young MLS players; and American soccer’s top brass may spend more than three months recruiting Pochettino’s successor, with millions of dollars in Manchester United buyout money at their disposal. The USMNT’s next big games will occur in March. Pochettino led the United States to the 2026 World Cup. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) As for Pochettino’s American legacy, it’s complicated. He leaves the USMNT better than he found it. But he failed to win a trophy (he’s the only USMNT coach this century not to lift at least one) and his team failed in the only game he was essentially hired to win, the World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium. When the federation hired Pochettino, Parlow Cone called it “a monumental day for American soccer.” Batson, in a statement, called it “a step forward in our mission to compete at the highest level and leave a lasting mark on the world football landscape.” Andrés Cantor, the legendary broadcaster who emceed Pochettino’s introductory press conference, called it “an incredible moment that we will remember for years to come” and said Pochettino “could take this team to the next level.” In the end he didn’t. But it did help change perceptions about the USMNT, and probably did enough to convince US Soccer that hiring high-profile foreign coaches is a recipe for USMNT success in the future. impact the football culture in this great country. “We want to thank Cindy Parlow Cone, JT Batson and Dan Helfrich for their partnership and incredible working relationships during our time here. There is tremendous talent in the US player pool, from the youth teams to the senior team, and it’s one of the reasons we believe so much in the future of American soccer. “You will always have a special place in our hearts and we will support the teams every time they take the field.” Batson, meanwhile, praised Pochettino for leaving a “lasting footprint.” in American soccer.” “What we are most proud of goes beyond the wins,” Batson said. “He and his staff raised the bar, strengthened our culture and created clearer connections from the youth teams to the senior team. “Those changes are now integrated into the way we operate and we will continue to build on them as we seek sustained success on the world stage.”
