Former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino is making a big career move, stepping away from club football to take charge of the United States national team.
One expert suggests that, given his less-than-ideal spells at Chelsea and PSG, the USMNT job might be the best opportunity available to him right now.
Having coached in Europe’s top leagues and worked with world-class players, Pochettino parted ways with Chelsea earlier this summer. Rather than holding out for another major club role, he’s decided to try his hand at international management for the first time.
With the 52-year-old now holding the coaching job for one of the 2026 FIFA World Cup host nations, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Johnson weighed in on Pochettino coming across the pond to coach the U.S.
“There’s a reason why Pochettino is going into international management at this moment in time,” Johnson said on the latest episode of PSG Talking. “The spell with PSG and the spell with Chelsea haven’t been kind to his legacy. I think he’s undone a lot of the good work that he did with Spurs, and he still hasn’t really added the legitimate silverware to his resume that he would have expected to.
“I don’t think there’s any guarantee of success with the US. I mean, there’s no guarantee of success with anyone, but you can have relative levels of confidence in terms of how somebody is going to adapt.
“I’m just getting very similar vibes to when Pochettino signed with PSG and when Pochettino signed with Chelsea. It almost seems like each time Pochettino chooses another club, post-Spurs; it’s a bit of a compromise. It’s not really what he’s looking for, but it’s the best offer that’s there.”
The Argentine boss is expected to take a significant pay cut, with his new yearly salary estimated at around $6 million, according to ESPN. The report also mentions that the USSF relied on donor support to cover part of Pochettino’s wages.
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