Mauricio Pocchetino hired to succeed Gregg Berhalter as US men’s national team coach

AP Sports Writer

Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has been hired to succeed Gregg Berhalter as U.S. men’s national team coach, 21 months before the Americans host the 2026 World Cup. A 52-year-old Argentine, Pochettino became the 10th U.S. coach in 14 years and its first foreign-born leader since Jurgen Klinsmann from 2011-16. Pochettino has coached Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, winning a 2022 Ligue 1 title. Pochettino had been in negotiations since mid-August. Matt Crocker, the USSF’s sporting director in charge of the search, was Southampton’s academy director when Pochettino started at that club.