Five things you should know: Mauricio Pochettino

CLUB CONNECTIONS

Pochettino takes on this new role and is already familiar with some faces from the association.

Sporting director Matt Crocker, who led the search for the new MNT head coach, previously worked with Pochettino at Southampton. The two crossed paths in 2013 when Crocker spent his final season as the club's academy director before moving to the English Football Association. Pochettino was appointed Southampton's first-team coach in January 2013.

Additionally, Pochettino's most recent role at Chelsea was as coach alongside former Chelsea FC Women's head coach and current US Women's National Team coach Emma Hayes. Hayes coached the Chelsea Women from 2012 until the end of the 2024 Women's Super League season before taking up her USWNT job in May. Pochettino was coach of the Chelsea Men from May 2023 to May 2024.

On the player side, Pochettino coached three players who are currently in the MNT pool – defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers and DeAndre Yedlin and goalkeeper Gaga Slonina. Carter-Vickers came through the Tottenham Hotspur Academy and was brought into the first team during Pochettino's time as coach, eventually making five appearances in all competitions. Yedlin was also a Spurs-owned player during Pochettino's tenure from 2014-16. Slonina, who recently competed for the U.S. men's Olympic team in France, joined Chelsea from Chicago Fire FC in the spring of 2023 and worked briefly with Pochettino after his hiring before being loaned to KAS Belgium last August.

GIVING OPPORTUNITIES

Pochettino is known for his skills as a personnel manager and as a developer of young players.

During his time in La Liga, the EPL and Ligue 1, Pochettino gave 43 players aged 20 or younger their league debuts and 10 players aged 20 or younger their UEFA Champions League debuts. Several of these players went on to become regular starters for their national teams, including England, Brazil, Portugal and the Netherlands.

“The younger player needs confidence and you have to make him feel that you believe in him,” said Pochettino The Guardian in 2015 (“The most important thing is that they believe that you believe in them, because if they don't, it's nothing. If they feel like you just want to add a few names to your roster, that's the worst thing you can show. If they feel like you believe in them, and really believe in them, that gives them an extra advantage. That's their moment to play.”

The USMNT was the second youngest of the 32 teams that participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and many players from that roster will likely continue to be key members of the team as the United States looks forward to hosting the 2026 World Cup.