Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to take on one of the top five jobs in international soccer. That’s what it means to become the new head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2024.
Where else would you rather be? Brazil, Argentina and England, maybe. They are the big three.
Then there are the giants like Spain, France, Germany and Italy, but recent history tells us that those nations don’t hire foreign coaches. What could be more attractive than the U.S. national team?
You have to take into account the infrastructure and finances on offer. But above all, it is about opportunities. Pochettino has the chance to lead the United States to a World Cup on home soil in 2026.
It will be the biggest event in the history of the sport and that’s why the U.S. Soccer Federation had to get this designation right. They couldn’t afford to end up with option C or D.
Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the new head coach of the United States Men’s National Team
DailyMail.com columnist Tim Howard
They had to flex their muscles, dig deep into their pockets and find the biggest names. They had to find someone with seriousness, someone who would give the U.S. national team the best chance of avoiding a repeat of this summer’s Copa America catastrophe.
That meant signing Jurgen Klopp, Gareth Southgate or Pochettino. Job done. It’s a big statement and I’m delighted.
No doubt some fans will find holes in his CV because Pochettino hasn’t won trophies everywhere he’s gone. That’s nonsense.
No doubt some fans would prefer an American to be in charge. That’s more understandable.Sadly, very few American coaches have had success on the world stage. They are fighting the same battle that we players fought for so long and, frankly, still fight: a stigma against Americans.
So it’s simple: America has to have the best coach for the job. As a country, we are a melting pot of colors and cultures. As a team, we have players from all international backgrounds. That’s who we are. And that’s what makes us great.
Pochettino is the first foreigner to coach the U.S. national team since Jurgen Klinsmann was appointed in 2011.
I was there before, during and after his reign. I spent 15 years in the national team and I can’t remember a time when there was a greater disconnect between players and coach than under Jürgen.
Pochettino is the first foreigner to coach the U.S. national team since Jurgen Klinsmann arrived in 2011.
Gregg Berhalter was fired by the United States national team after disappointing results in the Copa America
He organized many team outings. He specialized in nonsense and philosophical rhetoric. But there was no football.
We went to Versailles, we went to the 9/11 memorial, we went on boat trips. He made us go to lunch and sing the national anthem. He dictated when we went to sleep and when we woke up. He decided what clothes to wear.
He replaced sugary snacks and imposed stricter curfews. He tried to change our breathing and sent us on “empty stomach runs” at dawn. He hired people and literally invented jobs for them.
Jurgen tried to reinvent the wheel, but he didn’t teach us much football. So we had to rely on players like Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore to bring the team together and win games, despite the coach.
What lesson should Pochettino learn from Klinsmann? Understand the American player. Don’t focus on yourself. Every culture has different nuances, regardless of where in the world you train. So yes, you have to take players out of their comfort zone, but you have to learn what motivates people.
The former Paris Saint-Germain coach has worked with superstars such as Kylian Mbappé
Just because you understand the game doesn’t mean you’re a good coach. You have to be able to get your message across to the players. Fortunately, Pochettino has shown humility. He has the ability to instil his style and give the players the platform to express themselves.
He will inherit a young and hungry U.S. national team built on solid foundations. Gregg Berhalter did a great job of changing the mindset and building a culture of expansive soccer. But he never got that signature win.
Thankfully, those same players will now reap the rewards of working with Pochettino. When a coach of his pedigree asks you to do something, the players respond. Why? Because he has been successful. Because he has coached players like Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé. So the players know: there is a reason behind this. He has had bigger and better players than me who have done it.
I remember going through a tough time at Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson told me that Fabien Barthez and Peter Schmeichel were also having a tough time.
US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker led the search for Berhalter’s successor
There are other coaches who will try the same tactic and you think: ‘Yeah, okay, whatever.’ But when a coach of that level, who has worked with players of that level, can draw parallels, it gives you confidence.
The challenge for Pochettino is adapting his methods to international football, when the time he spends with his players is very limited. But that is a problem that is overcome by setting standards early and often.
That means his players will have to absorb a lot of information very quickly. More meetings, more time on the training ground. That means traveling to meet with players and sporting directors outside of camp.
Pochettino doesn’t have much time left before the World Cup. The last time UMSN looked for a coach abroad, they spent a lot of money and didn’t get the expected result. That won’t happen this time.