To many, it’s long overdue—the hiring of a true, big-name manager in his prime, Mauricio Pochettino. Various reports have been indicating that the former Chelsea and PSG manager has agreed to take over the USMNT and lead them into the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
After a disastrous Copa America and months of poor play, the federation had no choice but to fire Gregg Berhalter. With the fanbase and media showcasing an all-time low in morale towards US Soccer, Matt Crocker, US Soccer’s sporting director, needed to dig deep and find a manager who could reinvigorate the nation. Mauricio Pochettino fulfills fan desires and the media’s optimum in almost every category.
Pochettino has quickly become the most significant USMNT managerial hire since Bora Milutinović in 1991. Here is a review of what sources have told Bolavip about the hiring of Pochettino and the program he has inherited.
Process to Bring Pochettino to USMNT
A source from Argentina has confirmed to Bolavip that Pochettino had been a candidate from the start, given his past relationship with Matt Crocker. Initially, the Argentine was not interested, hoping to stay in Europe and continue his career in top European club soccer.
That began to change with the insistence of Matt Crocker and as terms were discussed. Additionally, there wasn’t a major opportunity in Europe for the Argentine, who most recently managed Tottenham, PSG, and Chelsea.
A strong group of American players playing in Europe, a healthy purse from his previous two jobs, and the possibility of what it would mean for the USMNT to make a deep run in the World Cup eventually swayed the manager to take a major risk and leave the elite of European club soccer to guide a program looking to finally break out.
Various reports are conflicting as to the length of the deal, but overall it is expected to be a two-year contract.
A Look Back at USMNT Coaches Post-Italy ’90
After the USMNT made it to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, the last crop of modern-day US coaches have had some success in taking the program forward.
Bora Milutinović
Bora Milutinović coached the US from 1991 until 1995. The Serbian had a history of taking small nations, mostly from CONCACAF, and exceeding expectations. With a handful of players in lower European leagues and the rest of his team either in college or not attached to any clubs, Bora basically coached the US as a traveling club team to prepare for the 1994 World Cup.
Eventually, Bora won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1991 and led the USMNT to the Round of 16 at the 1994 World Cup, recording an upset victory over Colombia (2-1) and holding eventual champions Brazil to a 1-0 defeat. Bora’s record was 30-35-31.
Steve Sampson
Steve Sampson inherited the job as US manager after leading the USMNT to the semifinals of the 1995 Copa America. Along the way, Sampson recorded major victories over Argentina, various big wins against Mexico, and the program’s only win against Brazil.
Under Sampson, the manager had to endure the dawn of MLS, with many of his European-based players returning to help the league get off the ground, and a scandal involving team captain John Harkes having an affair with Eric Wynalda’s wife. The handling of that incident and decisions taken before the 1998 World Cup led to a broken US squad going 0-3 at France ’98. Sampson’s record was 26-22-14.
Bruce Arena
In two stints as USMNT manager, Bruce Arena has been one of the most influential coaches in moving the program forward. After major success with DC United in MLS, Arena was given the job after a horrific 1998 World Cup.
Arena elevated the US program, consolidating Brian McBride, Eddie Pope, and Claudio Reyna as the program’s backbone while nurturing the young talents of Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, and John O’Brien.
Arena won three CONCACAF Gold Cups in his two stints, led the USMNT to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, defeating Portugal and Mexico in the process. Arena also recorded major wins over Germany and Argentina as manager.
Eventually, after taking the US to fourth in the FIFA Rankings, a poor 2006 World Cup marked the end of his run. In 2017, he returned as manager to help try to salvage a poor start to World Cup qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, but ultimately the team came up short and failed to qualify for Russia. Arena holds an 81-32-35 record and is tied as the all-time winningest manager of the USMNT in terms of titles (3).
Bob Bradley
Bob Bradley took over from Arena and led the USMNT from 2007 to 2011. A very pragmatic coach, the US was not fancy under Bradley but rather a strong athletic team that played on the counter.
Under Bradley, the team scrapped a lot of wins and, to many observers, lacked creativity. However, he managed to guide the team to a Round of 16 appearance at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, won a Gold Cup in 2007, and finished second in a Confederations Cup, beating Spain in the process. Bradley was eventually fired from his position after losing the 2011 Gold Cup final to Mexico in spectacular fashion. His record with the US stands at 43-25-12.
Jürgen Klinsmann
The biggest name to coach the US until now came to the country with a lot of promises and expectations. In an effort to push the team towards a much more fluid style and shed the image of a boring, pragmatic team, US Soccer turned to Jürgen Klinsmann.
Despite his philosophical talk of Americans pushing themselves in Europe and courting dual nationals, Klinsmann’s tenure had many ups and downs. The team rarely played the fluid, attacking soccer the German preached. Despite recording friendly wins over Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands, the US struggled against big-time opponents in tournaments.
Klinsmann led the USMNT to a Round of 16 run at the World Cup in 2014, losing to Germany and Belgium along the way. In 2016, a semifinal run at the Copa America provided a lot of celebration, but the US lost twice to Colombia and was manhandled by Argentina in the semifinal.
Amid issues with US Soccer and the players, Klinsmann was fired after dropping the first two World Cup qualifying games for Russia 2018. Klinsmann’s record stands at 55-27-16.
Gregg Berhalter
One of the most controversial hires in the program’s history, Gregg Berhalter took over the USMNT in 2018 with a lackluster resume and allegations of nepotism. Berhalter preached that he would install a methodology of playing out of the back and fluid soccer, which never materialized during his tenure as USMNT manager.
Despite failing to deliver on his promise of attractive soccer, Gregg Berhalter was tasked with repositioning the program after the embarrassment of missing the 2018 World Cup. He took a group of talented but unproven players like Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Tim Weah and converted them into leaders of the USMNT.
Due to calendar saturation due to CONCACAF adding two Gold Cups and a Nations League per cycle, the USMNT often played opponents in their region. The end result was padded stats and no real measuring stick for the coach or the players.
The result was a Jekyll-and-Hyde team that, in CONCACAF, won 2 Nations Leagues and a Gold Cup under Gregg Berhalter. However, when it came to opponents from South America or teams in Europe, the US struggled.
A Round of 16 exit from the 2022 World Cup was a mixed bag. The team played its best soccer at the World Cup, but issues regarding favoritism towards some players, exposure of his poor relationship with Gio Reyna, Reyna’s parents exposing a domestic violence incident involving Gregg Berhalter’s future wife from almost 30 years ago, and a sense that the team had achieved all it could suggested that Gregg Berhalter’s time with the US was done.
Inexplicably, Gregg Berhalter was rehired as the USMNT coach after two interim coaches led the team in a Nations League, which the US won, and Gold Cup. His second stint as manager was poor; the team was lifeless and would eventually be grouped in the 2024 Copa America. Gregg Berhalter’s record stands at 44-17-13.