Mauricio Pochettino has coached in some big matches. The 54-year-old Argentine has coached in the Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue 1, and UEFA Champions League. All of that experience will have to be what prepares him to do what few coaches get the chance to do: coach a national team at a World Cup on home soil. As coach of the United States men’s national team, he will have the chance to do just that.
Organically made pedigree
Mauricio Pochettino was brought to the USMNT for his pedigree. After U.S. Soccer fired Gregg Berhalter
in July 2024, they wanted to make a big splash with their next coaching hire to show the country that they were not messing around. They also needed a coach who they felt could embrace the pressure of coaching during such a pivotal moment in the program’s history.
Pochettino didn’t always have the pedigree. When he was hired by Espanyol to become their head coach in 2009, he had to work up to that. He then got the Tottenham Hotspur job in 2013, and that’s where his reputation started to elevate as a coach. Coaching a big London club in the Premier League with so much pressure to deliver, he elevated to the occasion. Coaching at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea before moving to the USMNT, all he’s seen is big matches. That will set him up to hopefully be the coach to deliver for the United States this summer.
Transforming as a coach
Pochettino teams are ones that have a high pressing style. Most of his teams have deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation, but since he’s joined the USMNT, we’ve seen him switch that up at times. He tried using a formation that was a 3-4-2-1 where three center backs were flanked by two wingbacks. It was in this formation that he’s seen some success on the international level, and it won’t be surprising if he continues with that formation during the World Cup.
He also wants his teams to build up scoring opportunities from the back, and he wants his midfielders to take on a lot of responsibility to keep the ball moving forward while providing cover on defense from the counterattack. He’s also given opportunities to several players who weren’t in the national team player pool before he arrived. His World Cup roster will likely include a dozen players who will be first time selections.
He wants his players to play with an imposing style, to intimidate the opponent, and to create scoring chances from all parts of the field.
His most important moment
This is Mauricio Pochettino’s first job coaching a national team, and this could set him up to get any coaching job he wants if the team does well. He was brought in mid-cycle and has continually been viewed as a candidate for any major coaching job that has come up.
His contract only goes through the World Cup, so this is his chance to make his legacy be one that that is undisputed in American soccer. If he can lead the USMNT deep into the tournament, U.S. Soccer taking a big chance financially on a big time coach will pay off.
As Mauricio Pochettino prepares to coach the USMNT in the World Cup, he will take on the responsibility of creating a team that can unite a nation. He hopes his team can deliver its finest performances, and for them to be able to go far, he will have to do the same. The USMNT open up group play on June 12th against Paraguay.
