On both the men’s and the women’s side, US Soccer now has a manager who last worked at Chelsea FC. According to multiple outlets, Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the next United States Men’s National Team head coach. All that remains is an official announcement from the USMNT and/or USSF.
With Emma Hayes having taken the USWNT last year, the Chelsea to United States Soccer Federation pipeline is established.
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be named the next coach of the USMNT, sources confirmed to FOX Sports ?? pic.twitter.com/OdP2MPxHsr
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 15, 2024
Perhaps Chelsea’s American owner, Todd Boehly, actually knows what he’s doing after all? LOL! We kid, of course. But under Boehly’s tenure, both Pochettino and Hayes have left, to lead the respective national teams of Boehly’s home country. Simply put, this is a massive get for the USA.
Hiring Pochettino is a HUGE step up from Gregg Berhalter, and he represents the best case scenario that Stars & Stripes supporters could have ever hoped for. Jurgen Klopp just wasn’t going to happen.
?????? POCH TO USMNT ??????
FORMER SPURS, PSG & CHELSEA MANAGER MAURICIO POCHETTINO HAS AGREED TO BECOME THE NEXT USMNT COACH.
?? OUR RECRUITING IS DONE. REJOICE AMERICA. WE HAVE A REAL COACH. ?? pic.twitter.com/0VJyHhlzW0
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) August 15, 2024
And hiring Poch defied expectations of what people believed the federation could do. Critics point to how the Argentine has only won one major trophy, and it was the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain, which was not all that impressive. After all, winning the French top flight, year in and year out, is just what PSG does.
However, look what he did at Tottenham Hotspur! No one has done even remotely close to as good a job there as he did, since he left. No one was doing a whole lot at White Hart Lane before he came in to the job either. It’s not his fault THFC has that decade and a half trophy drought.
Take a look at Southampton FC, before and after Pochettino, as well. It’s morning in America. With Poch now in charge, the future looks bright indeed.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.