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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Andrew Joseph

Fans were so fired up after U.S. Soccer finally announced Mauricio Pochettino as USMNT head coach

Mauricio Pochettino USMNT Soccer United States Matt Crocker Chelsea USSF

When U.S. Soccer parted ways with former U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter, the federation knew that it was going to have to be ambitious with the coaching search. The USMNT — despite boasting the most talented roster in the program’s history — was eliminated in the group stage of the Copa America and lacked any optimism for the 2026 World Cup.

The USSF had to get the hire right, and technical director Matt Crocker pulled off just about the best hire he could have made.

After literal weeks of speculation and reports of an imminent announcement, the USSF finally introduced Mauricio Pochettino as USMNT head coach ahead of the team’s friendly against New Zealand.

Pochettino — most recently the manager at Chelsea FC — gives the USMNT a coach who has led the biggest clubs and players in the world. He took Tottenham Hotspur to the Champions League final. He won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain. He also previously worked with Crocker at Southampton where Pochettino led the club to its best-ever finish in the Premier League. He also coached Chelsea at the same time as now-USWNT head coach Emma Hayes who was leading the Chelsea women’s squad.

And while negotiations over a Chelsea buyout held up the announcement, the USSF was able to see the process through and get the deal done. USMNT fans were overwhelmingly fired up for the new head coach who will make his debut in October.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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