Pochettino move to the US complete

AP:

FORMER TOTTENHAM and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was hired yesterday to succeed Gregg Berhalter as US men’s national team coach, 21 months before the Americans host the 2026 World Cup.

A 52-year-old Argentine, Pochettino became the 10th US coach in 14 years and their first foreign-born leader since Jurgen Klinsmann from 2011-16. Pochettino has coached Espanyol in Spain (2009-12), Southampton (2013-14), Tottenham (2014-19) and Chelsea (2023-24) in England and Paris Saint-Germain in France (2021-22), leaving after winning a Ligue 1 title.

“It’s about the journey that this team and this country are on,” Pochettino said in a statement released by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). “The energy, the passion, and the hunger to achieve something truly historic here — those are the things that inspired me.”

Pochettino had been in negotiations since mid-August. Matt Crocker, the USSF’s sporting director in charge of the search, was Southampton’s academy director when Pochettino started at that club. While the contract length wasn’t specified, the USSF said Pochettino will lead the team at the World Cup.

“Mauricio is a serial winner with a deep passion for player development and a proven ability to build cohesive and competitive teams,” Crocker said in a statement. “His track record speaks for itself, and I am confident that he is the right choice to harness the immense potential within our talented squad.”

Pochettino was to be introduced at a news conference in New York on Friday and take over for friendlies against Panama on October 12 at Austin, Texas, and at Mexico three days later. The next competitive matches are a two-leg CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal in November.

“Mauricio is a world-class coach with a proven track record of developing players and achieving success at the highest levels,” USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement.

“His passion for the game, his innovative approach to coaching, and his ability to inspire and connect with players make him the perfect fit for this role.”

He arrives with high expectations from a USSF management and fan base that both believe the player pool is capable of far more than its number-16 world ranking.

Berhalter was fired on July 10, a week after the Americans were eliminated in the first round of the Copa América. He was hired in December 2018, was allowed to leave when his contract expired following a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the second round of the 2022 World Cup, then was rehired in June 2023 to return in September.

Pochettino’s salary was not announced. The USSF said his hiring was supported by a leadership gift from Kenneth C. Griffin, the CEO of the hedge fund Citadel, and his philanthropic entity Griffin Catalyst; with additional support from Scott Goodwin, managing partner of the asset management firm Diameter Capital Partners, and USSF commercial partners.

Mikey Varas, a Berhalter assistant, coached the team for Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Canada in an exhibition and headed the Americans for last night’s game against New Zealand.