U.S. Men’s National Team boss Mauricio Pochettino appears to be set for a long-awaited Premier League return. The 54-year-old Argentine, who has been in charge of the USMNT since September 2024 and recently signed a new four-year deal to remain in the role, appears to be close to taking charge of Manchester United.
This comes after the Red Devils fired legendary midfielder Michael Carrick on Thursday, after he was handed a two-year deal in the summer following an excellent spell as interim boss during the latter half of last season.
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Should Pochettino’s proposed move come to fruition, he’d be taking over a wayward United side which sits 18th in the Premier League after 10 games, marking their lowest standing at this point in a season in 40 years.
Pochettino has been the USMNT’s head coach since September 2024 -Credit:Omar Vega/Getty Images
As for the USMNT, who are scheduled to take on Haiti in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal double header on Saturday and Tuesday, it remains to be seen if U.S. Soccer already has an heir-apparent in mind – although Pep Guardiola is reportedly their ideal choice.
Reflecting on U.S. Soccer’s potentially impending coaching search, and the legacy Pochettino would be leaving behind, three-time Major League Soccer Cup champion and ESPN analyst Alejandro Moreno let loose on air, tearing into the Argentine for what he saw as a failure to deliver.
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“I am hearing the feelings of the U.S. soccer fans. And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Okay, what is this infatuation with Mauricio Pochettino?'” he asked.
Moreno then went on to ask, “What exactly did he do with this national team that leads you to believe Mauricio Pochettino walks on water? I’m sorry, did he win a Gold Cup? A Nations League? Did he get past the Round of 16 in the World Cup? No!
“The answer to all those questions is no. So he hasn’t done anything that hasn’t been done before by coaches with less pedigree that are far cheaper, that had less name.
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“All of these guys that have come before him have achieved, in fact, I’d argue that they have achieved more than Mauricio Pochettino. So what is it that he has changed so dramatically in the landscape?”
Host Alexis Nunes quickly replied by suggesting Pochettino had changed the team “culture,” to which Moreno responded, “I know, he likes that.
“I’ll tell you what he’s gonna have. He’s gonna have a problem with culture at Manchester United. I don’t know if you heard, but apparently there’s a cultural issue going on at Manchester United.
“Well, at the very least, he’s gonna go in and try to change that culture as he did the one here for the United States Men’s National Team.
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“I just don’t see this sort of life-changing impact from Mauricio Pochettino on the national team. I don’t see this thing like, ‘Oh, well now this team is really gonna take off.’ I didn’t see that, certainly not in results.”
Pochettino led the USMNT to the Round of 16 at this summer’s FIFA World Cup -Credit:Kohjiro Kinno /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
During his time in charge to date, Pochettino has led the USMNT to a 22-1-12 record. During his tenure, he saw his side fail to keep hold of the Nations League in 2025, going on to lose the third-place playoff against Canada, before losing the Gold Cup Final later that year to Mexico.
As for the FIFA World Cup, which was held in North America this past summer and won by Spain, Pochettino did lead the USMNT to the top of its group and to its first knockout-round win since 2002. However, with the introduction of the Round of 32, he failed to reach the quarter-finals, which the 2002 squad managed, losing to Belgium in the Round of 16.
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Despite this, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea boss was handed a new four-year contract after the tournament – something which Moreno clearly disagreed with.
“I’d go as far as to say Mauricio Pochettino should never have remained the coach for the United States Men’s National Team post-World Cup,” he said. “Not because he’s not a good coach with this team or wouldn’t do things that would be perhaps life-changing in the future with this team.
“Let’s be positive and think that he was gonna do something revolutionary with the national team. It’s because he’s flirting with anything that moves! He was flirting with anything that moved even before the World Cup.
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“So you knew full well that come whatever opportunity may come around, he was one foot out the door already.
“So why, if you’re the U.S. Soccer Federation, put yourself in a position in which you’re like the ugly duckling that you should be so happy and so lucky that Mauricio Pochettino wants to take on you as a project?
“No, no. If you’re a federation, you give yourself the place that you deserve, and you give your team the credit that it deserves.
“I’m not saying that the United States are gonna win a World Cup in the next four years. No! But I am suggesting that you have to behave as a federation. And you tell the manager, ‘Hey, either you’re here for the next four years, and you’re fully committed to what we’re doing here, or get!’
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“This is not charity work. You’re getting paid good money. Really good money. So please, either you stay here with your heart and soul, knee-deep, elbow-deep, culture-deep in this United States Men’s National Team project or get!
Pochettino will reportedly head to Old Trafford after the USMNT’s two games against Haiti -Credit:Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
“Why do we get to this point in which, like, ‘Oh is he gonna coach against Haiti or not? Oh, are we gonna be able to survive without Mauricio Pochettino?’
“What has he done with this national team that was so life-changing?”
While nothing has been made official, according to The Manchester Evening News, Pochettino will remain at the helm of the USMNT for their games against Haiti before heading to Manchester for the next chapter in his career.
As for the USMNT, it remains to be seen whether or not they’ll be able to tempt Guardiola to end his managerial break early.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
