Mauricio Pochettino had the United States on a roll at the World Cup.
The Americans plowed into the knockout stages with fun and furious soccer as rapturous crowds shook the stadiums with “Take Me Home, Country Roads” sing-alongs in front of record television audiences. And Pochettino, a former Argentina player who had coached in some of Europe's biggest leagues, was in the middle of it all, encouraging and embracing the passion building behind the team in a big country with limited soccer success.
The connection between coach and country looked so bright that even when the U.S. exited in another round of 16 defeat, Pochettino signed a four-year extension to lead a group of rising and talented players through the 2030 World Cup.
It may be time to start over.
Pochettino on Thursday was closing in on a deal to be the manager of Manchester United in England's Premier League. The news came two days before the U.S. was set to open CONCACAF Nations League play Saturday against Haiti.
“I can’t thank him enough regardless of if he’s coach or not the coach,” U.S. midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said Thursday. “He’s meant so much to me. He’s helped me develop as a player and as a person. As a player that’s all I can ask for, to have that trust and belief.”
Argentine coach led an American resurgence
Pochettino had never coached a national team before taking over the U.S. program in 2024. He was best known for his European club stints with Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
A move to Manchester United would put him in charge of one of the biggest clubs in the biggest league in the world. United has won 20 English league titles, tied for the most in history, but the last one was 2013 and the club is currently in 18th out of 20 in the standings.
If the season ended today, Manchester United would be relegated to a lower division. Pochettino would be asked to rescue the team from such humiliation.
American players credited him with instilling a tougher, more resilient mindset. Playing on home soil, the U.S. won consecutive games at the World Cup for the first time since 1930, and advanced from the group stage with a game to spare. The three victories at a single World Cup also set a new mark.
After a 2-0 win over Australia, Pochettino soaked in the singing and celebrations.
“Today, even if I’m not American, after the game I was emotional,” Pochettino said. “It was an amazing and perfect connection between the energy from the stands and the team.”
Berhalter said Pochettino tapped into that with the players.
“He made us even more proud to be American and I think that speaks volumes of who he is as a person and as a coach,” Berhalter said.
The run ended with a resounding 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16. But the good vibes between coach and country were still flowing when Pochettino signed his extension in August and Pochettino reflected on the “magic” of the tournament.
Pochettino wasn't in the U.S. for the announcement. He was at home in Spain. And he also left himself an out.
“Four years' time is a really long period. You never know what can happen in soccer,” Pochettino said. “Today people really love you. In eight weeks time, maybe that change(s), that feeling.”
He has been long admired by Manchester United, and a break clause in his U.S. contract opened the door for United to make its move as the club struggled this season under Michael Carrick, who was fired on Thursday.
Coaching search begins with eyes on Guardiola
The 2030 World Cup will be played in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, and U.S. soccer officials will likely move quickly to find a new coach to start the buildup.
They reportedly have their eyes on one of the biggest names in the sport: Pep Guardiola of Spain.
Guardiola has won big everywhere he's coached in soccer's best professional leagues: three La Liga championships with Barcelona in Spain, three Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich in Germany and six Premier League championships with Manchester City in England.
But the 55-year-old has never coached a national team, let alone a U.S. squad that even Pochettino said before the World Cup did not have any players who rank among the top 100 in the world.
That's vastly different from pro teams that spend lavish sums for top players. An investigative report released in September accused Manchester City of circumventing fair play and financial rules to build the rosters of Guardiola's most dominant teams there.
Or U.S. soccer officials could turn to Major League Soccer for the next coach. American coaches have been successful in the past. Bruce Arena led the U.S. to the quarterfinals in 2002. Bob Bradley (2010) and Gregg Berhalter (2022) also took the Americans to the knockout stages.
The next coach will inherit a roster that was among the youngest squads at the 2026 World Cup with an average age of 26. The rising U.S. stars include 25-year-old striker Folarin Balogun, who scored three goals, and 22-year-old defender Alex Freeman.
Balogun praised Pochettino for raising the standard of play for the U.S. team.
“He’s laid the foundation and I think us the players have that ownership, to not just do that because Poch was in charge,” Balogun said. “Whether he’s here or whether he’s not, the U.S. will look to replace him with another top coach.”
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AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.
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