The US Men’s National Team replaced outgoing coach Gregg Berhalter last week with former Tottenham, PSG, and Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino. This move has pleased most US soccer fans, as Pochettino is the highest profile coach we could have reasonably expected to lure to our program. We’ll assess the background of Pochettino as well as dig into why he is a great hire for the US Men’s National Team.
Given the process for re-hiring Berhalter and the general disarray around US Soccer recently (the hiring of Emma Hayes for the Women’s Team notwithstanding), I was pleasantly surprised we could land such a high profile manager. This gives a lot of US Soccer fans some much needed optimism as we move into the next two years before hosting World Cup 2026.
2026 is the most vital year for US Soccer since 1994, as another home World Cup gives soccer a chance to break through as a major sport in the US. Let’s look at why Pochettino is a good choice, what kind of playing style and changes we should expect to see, and the potential long-term impact.
Resume
Mauricio Pochettino, or “Poch” as he is sometimes known, boasts a serious background as both a player and a coach.
Playing Career
Pochettino had a long and distinguished playing career in Argentina, Spain, and France, playing for well-known clubs like PSG, Bordeaux, and Espanyol. He earned 20 caps for his native Argentina, playing in the 2002 World Cup.
During his playing days, he spent a few years under legendary Argentinian coach Marcelo Bielsa, whose fast-paced, high-pressing, quick transition, and attack-oriented style heavily influenced Pochettino’s (and many others) coaching philosophy.
Coaching Career
Poch’s coaching career started in the top flight in Spain with former team and relegation candidates Espanyol. He kept them safe from the drop, and his distinct playing style, results, and ability to develop young players earned him a move to the Premier League with Southampton.
After an impressive stint at Southampton, where he led them to their highest points total in a season in the Premier League era, he earned a big move up the ladder to Tottenham.
Tottenham at the time had underachieved for a long time based on their standing in the game. Although he did not win a trophy during his tenure, Pochettino brought them to a level where they were competing for honors, including the final of the 2019 Champions League. From where he began at Tottenham, this is a huge achievement.
Unfortunately the following season started off poorly, which led to Pochettino’s dismissal five months after an unprecedented march to the Champions League final the previous season. A couple months later, he ended up talking the helm at star-studded PSG (a former club from his playing days), a team including Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe, leading them to a Ligue 1 title and Champions League semi-final. However, at a club with their resources and talent, domestic success was not enough, and he was dismissed after a season and a half in charge.
He then took over at Chelsea, a club which has taken a chaotic approach to the transfer market and its own internal personnel. He started off slowly but eventually steadied the ship and churned out results at the back end of the season, leading Chelsea to a respectable 6th place finish last year (well, respectable considering where they had been…). He was dismissed after the season, reportedly due to disagreements with the club’s management.
Which leads him to the US Men’s National Team. We’ve never had a coach with this much club success in his past, and he’s arguably the most decorated coach we’ve ever had (Klinsmann did take Germany to the World Cup semis before coaching the US but never had the sustained coaching success of Pochettino).
Why He’s a Good Fit
Looking at his stints with Espanyol, Southampton, and Tottenham, it’s clear he is able to accomplish three major things with his teams that will translate well to the US squad.
- Teams punching above their weight consistently (see next paragraph)
- Implementing a distinct playing style and identity (see next section)
- Integrating and developing young players
Southampton had their best Premier League points tally since 1993. Tottenham finished in second and qualified for the Champions League, where he led them to the final (all unprecedented in recent history for this club). At PSG he probably should have delivered a Champions League given their talent level, but no one else was able to during the past few years, pointing to some bigger issues at the club. And he was just turning Chelsea around before his departure there.
Playing Style
Pochettino implements a distinct playing style, a nod to his mentor Marcelo Bielsa. He relies on a high-energy, high-pressing, and attack-oriented mode of play.
Formation
He favors the 4-2-3-1 formation, although he is flexible enough to cater to specific personnel. At times he would play with a back 3 at Tottenham, and at PSG he would often utilize a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 to get the best out of his talented attacking trio.
Defense and Transitions
He likes to go man for man at the back, allowing the team to more aggressively press the opposition higher up the field. While this strategy is risky, when implemented properly it can make life difficult for opponents, create a higher line of confrontation defensively, and create more openings in transition after winning the ball.
This quick transitional style relies on a very fit team – something where the US traditionally excels. As one former player put it, “you run, run, and run until you can’t run anymore.”
This style matches well with the current attributes of the US team. While we lack elite level technical talent, we have top-tier athletes who are capable of implementing a high-pressure style, as well as the willingness to cover a lot of ground. As legendary coach Jurgen Klopp once said, “a great press is better than the best number 10.”
In the defensive phase, he likes to sit in the 4-2-3-1 shape, with the flexibility of using the number 10 as an additional person to press the opponents backline, or sink in to help solidify numbers in the midfield. Even when the opponent settles with the ball, everyone must work to close down space and keep the team shape very compact.
Side note: this is likely why he did not have as much success at PSG. Players like Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe are not known for their defensive work rate. This is usually fine if the rest of the team makes up for one player (who can create lots of chances), but three guys not playing defense is a lot to support. Especially with a style so reliant on closing down space aggressively.
Attack
Poch likes to commit a lot of players into the attack, especially using the fullbacks to provide width (See Kyle Walker and Danny Rose at Tottenham), while the attacking midfielders interchange positions and get into the box. This style should suit some of our players like Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest, fullbacks who like to contribute to the attacking phase of play.
Pochettino favors versatile attacking players capable of interchanging positions. Our attacking players fit this ethos well, with guys like Pulisic, Reyna, Weah, Tillman, Aaronson, Wright, Sargent, and McKennie who have all played multiple attacking positions and are comfortable in different areas of the field.
He likes to implement quicker, more direct attacking play, long changes of the point of attack, and getting players into the box. He’s not as much into the slow methodical build up out of the back, but he’s also not super direct. The balance of possession and directness lies somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.
I believe this style suits our current personnel, although it remains to be seen if we have the technical quality across the board to play a higher tempo game while still keeping things under control.
Question Marks
Pochettino’s style fits our squad and traditional strengths of our program well. The biggest question mark is one that remains from the Berhalter days – how will we compete against more talented teams?
Berhalter never got that signature win, and for us to make a deep run in the next World Cup, we’ll need to beat 1-2 (or more) teams that are better than us on paper. A high press against a Brazil/France/Spain/Argentina could be suicidal.
He also never won a major trophy he wasn’t already overwhelmingly favored to win. I think this is less important with the World Cup, as the US team doesn’t have a realistic chance to win, regardless of the coach. A deep run to the quarterfinals or better would be a great success.
The encouraging aspect of his past is that he has managed to make deep cup runs with underdog teams (see Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League). He displayed the tactical flexibility to get the best of a stronger Man City team, without totally abandoning his principles. We hope he can find the same balance if we can make a deep run in 2026 – we’ll need it against the big boys.
No National Team Experience, No Problem?
Pochettino’s club resume is a step above most international coaches. Frankly, the international game does not attract the cream of the crop coaching-wise, unless that coach is near the end of his career and wants to slow down a bit. That’s why getting Pochettino is such a coup – normally a coach of his stature does not want to move to international coaching until later (or if they’ve failed to succeed on the club level, like Southgate).
In fact, England was rumored to be interested in Pochettino, and I don’t think their fans would have been upset with his appointment. That’s good news for us given their standing and fan expectations.
Limitations of a National Team Coach
The international game is different, as coaches have a limited amount of time with players throughout the year and everything is focused on a big tournament at the end of a multi-year coaching cycle, rather than day-to-day involvement in team building. This differs from his recent experience.
His coaching background bodes well for this team, however. Whether or not he can get the best out of players with less involvement is the big question. Especially given that one of his best attributes is developing and molding younger players into his system. While he can positively affect the careers of our promising young players (of which we have many), does this limit his effectiveness?
Another relevant point that no one has really addressed – can he implement a pressing-oriented system given a limited amount of time with his players? As a former professional, I know the weeks it takes to coordinate a high-pressing system. If one player is not on the same page, or if a couple players are a step or two off, it can break down this entire strategy and give up easy chances. It can be difficult to implement when you just have a few days every couple of months.
Given his background, you’d give him the benefit of the doubt that he can simplify things for this group. Since so many of our players are exposed to similar systems with their club teams in Europe, it should also make his tactics easier to absorb as a unit. Time will tell.
Player Respect
The biggest impact should come on the psychological side. Pochettino has coached some of the best players in the world at some big clubs. He comes in with a better overall resume than any coach the US has ever had. He will immediately have the respect of the team. This should get them on board with his philosophy, as they cannot argue with his success.
It should also stir things up a bit. One complaint is that Berhalter had his favorites, and players got a little too comfortable with their standing in the team. Now players will have to perform well at the club level to re-earn their spots, as Pochettino has zero allegiance to any players. This clean slate should re-invigorate the competition for places in the team, which should also bring out the best in our players at the club level.
It will hopefully force needed moves for some key players who have stagnated at the club level. Turner and Reyna are the two players most in need of a move – hopefully a new national team coach will incentivize them to find somewhere where they will play. Otherwise they risk losing their national team spot, as Pochettino will likely rely less on their reputation and more on their recent form.
Some of our other players need to hit that next level to make the national team as a whole more competitive. Hopefully the new coach gives that extra push, as they know their spot is no longer safe if they have a down year.
Hope
This is the big one for the fans. Regardless of the X’s and O’s, and player dynamics, and tactics, and all the other stuff, hiring a coach of this stature gives the fanbase hope.
Hope was missing after the failure at the Copa America this past summer. US Soccer needed to rekindle the excitement around the men’s team, especially if we want to maximize the impact of the 2026 World Cup on the game domestically.
This World Cup is a huge opportunity for the long-term status and culture of soccer in this country, and the powers that be outdid themselves by hiring Pochettino. Hopefully his tenure lives up to the hype. A lot can go wrong, and there are a few question marks that leave some room for worry. But overall, we couldn’t have done much better.
