When Mauricio Pochettino's name first surfaced as a possibility for the new coach of the U.S. men’s national team, the snickers and snorts could be heard across the ocean.
No way U.S. Soccer could lure someone the caliber of Pochettino, who had taken Tottenham Hotspur to the Champions League final and coached the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar. The top Major League Soccer coach was more the speed of the USMNT, that's how large the void was between the Americans and the world's top teams.
And then U.S. Soccer got Pochettino to sign on. Twice. Splashing out on contracts befitting both him and the federation’s ambitions for the USMNT.
That Pochettino is now leaving the USMNT for Manchester United three months after agreeing to that
second contract is almost irrelevant. As is the USMNT’s disappointing finish at this summer’s World Cup.
Pochettino got U.S. Soccer to dream big and made the world’s top coaches look at the USMNT differently. Pep Guardiola might be a longshot as U.S. Soccer looks for Pochettino’s replacement, but he’s no longer a no shot.
“Our ambition is high. We believe that this is one of the great coaching jobs in the world,” U.S. Soccer CEO J.T. Batson said at a Friday, Nov. 13, news conference after Pochettino’s departure for ManU was announced.
“Our ambition is to be in a position where we're winning major tournaments, including World Cups,” Batson added, “and we want to make sure that we're attracting leaders who help us do this.”
Mauricio Pochettino made USMNT's aspirations tangible
U.S. Soccer has always talked a big game about the USMNT. European clubs want its best players! It can hang with the Spains and Argentinas of the world! It can contend for a World Cup!
And while there's a degree of truth to all that, few outside U.S. Soccer actually thought the USMNT was ready to sit at international soccer's grown-ups table. The Americans were still considered upstarts, playing at a game that's embedded in the DNA of the rest of the world. That the Americans haven't had a signature win over a European team at the World Cup since 2002 – sorry, Bosnia and Herzegovina isn’t it – doesn’t help their cause.
But the caliber of American players has risen, as evidenced by how many are in Europe’s top leagues each season. U.S. Soccer also made a meaningful commitment to the improvement of its national teams, opening the $250 million, state-of-the-art Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center outside Atlanta earlier this year.
It is Pochettino’s endorsement that carries the most significance, however.
Mauricio Pochettino bought in to US men's soccer
While most assumed Pochettino’s first national team coaching job was a stopover on his way back to big-time European football, it was quickly clear he'd bought in. He stopped talking about soccer's potential in the United States and started asking why the USMNT couldn’t win on the biggest stages. He imposed tough expectations that elevated the games of the current talent pool, and brought in promising younger talent.
He even embraced country music and Chick-fil-A.
Sure, the USMNT's raucous ride at the World Cup ended with an embarrassing rout by Belgium, but Pochettino has forever changed the image of U.S. Soccer. This is a program with deep talent and equally deep resources, and it's only a matter of time before it breaks through. That's going to make becoming Pochettino's replacement an attractive possibility for the world's top coaches, even if the USMNT job no longer comes with the enticement of a home World Cup.
And Pochettino is doing one more thing to help make that happen. His parting gift to the USMNT is a buyout reportedly worth around $10 million, money that Batson said will be reinvested into the federation – including hiring the new U.S. men's coach. The sponsors who kicked in to help pay Pochettino’s salary of about $6 million with the USMNT are also still on board, Batson said.
“The most important thing is all that we left here,” Pochettino said. “All the things that we put in place. All the standards we increased in the federation and around the world.”
The USMNT didn't win big with Pochettino. Because of him, however, it's only a matter of time until they do.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US soccer didn't win big with Mauricio Pochettino. It will thanks to him | Opinion
