USMNT Players on Pochettino Departure: ‘He Raised the Standard’
Mauricio Pochettino departs for Manchester United in England after serving more than two years as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – When you have a world-class coach in charge, it’s not a total surprise when the world comes calling.
That is the sentiment among the U.S. Men’s National Team as the news dropped that head coach Mauricio Pochettino will depart the Federation to fill the head coaching vacancy at Manchester United in the English Premier League. Pochettino, a seasoned club-level manager prior to jumping into international soccer, returns to his roots to lead one of the world’s most successful and renowned institutions in the sport.
As the news developed over the week, and was officially announced Friday morning, USMNT players reflected on the impact Pochettino had during his two years at the helm and the ambitious standard set for the program moving forward.
“He’s helped me develop as a player and as a person,” midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said. “As a player, that's all you can ask for, to have that trust and have that belief in you. It's easy to go out there and just do my job. He’s meant a good deal to me, for sure.”
Prior to joining U.S. Soccer in September 2024, Pochettino’s entire managerial career consisted of club soccer. He spent most of that time in England with stints at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. In five years at Tottenham, Pochettino guided the club to their first UEFA Champions League Final in 2019 and consistently achieved top-four finishes in the EPL. Following that, he crossed the English Channel for a stretch at Paris Saint-Germain where his team won the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions, and reached the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League.
In his first international appointment, Pochettino made history. Under his leadership, the United States reached the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Final and advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil. The USMNT finished atop Group D at FIFA World Cup 2026, then went on to earn its first knockout-round victory since 2002 with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
With three victories during the tournament, Pochettino recorded the most World Cup wins of any head coach in USMNT history and played a significant role in generating momentum for American soccer to commence a historic five-year window.
“He's created a great foundation and a great base for this team,” Berhalter said. “I think we all know what’s expected [of us], and we're always working 100%. We're always fighting. We're always doing the little things to make sure we're representing this country in the right way, and I think he really instilled that in us. Even though he's an Argentine coach, he made us even more proud to be American, and that speaks volumes of who he is as a person and as a coach.”
After signing a new contract in August with U.S. Soccer, Pochettino called in 13 uncapped players to kick off a new cycle. In the first-ever senior camp for half the roster, Pochettino set clear expectations for both the uncapped players and veterans alike. Blending the two groups created immediate success – the team went on to win four consecutive matches by a combined score of 12-3 while developing the player pool with 13 debutants.
The group of first-time call-ups included Philadelphia Union forward Cavan Sullivan, who entered fall camp at just 16 years old. The youngster credited Pochettino’s warmth for both helping him feel welcome and pushing him on the pitch, which culminated in Sullivan becoming the youngest goal scorer in USMNT history with the team’s second goal in the 3-0 shutout victory over rival Mexico in the Duel in the Desert on Oct. 3.
“He’s taken me under his wing in the most tremendous way possible,” Sullivan said. “I was obviously a young guy coming in, and he told me to just play free and be myself and have confidence in my ability, but that didn't mean I was let off the hook or the standard was lowered for me. That standard remained the same for everybody in the camp, every training and every game.”
As Pochettino departs, he leaves behind a program poised for success. The model Pochettino built has translated across the program and exemplifies high expectations, competitive focus, and supportive development that U.S. Soccer will look to continue after his departure. Both World Cup veterans like Berhalter and young players like Sullivan have bought into a mentality that emphasized playing with pride and passion for the crest.
One example of Pochettino’s influence is the way that both the team and Federation approached non-official games. Pochettino was vocal about avoiding the traditional term “international friendlies” to describe matches that aren’t part of an official competition. Instead, he referred to those games as “international matches.”
That shift in language touched every part of the Federation, from marketing to player preparation, and communicated a standard that even if a match isn’t part of a tournament, the team is going to show up ready to compete on the pitch – an ambitious mindset that players are determined to carry over into the next regime.
“The benefit and the blessing when you have a great coach is you know the standard,” striker Folarin Balogun said. “Poch has definitely raised the standard since he's been in charge. I think you guys have seen that – the intensity of training, how we approach games... He wants us to be of a mindset to go out there and win. He’s laid the foundation, and I think us as players have that ownership to not just do that because Poch was in charge. We have the ownership as players to carry that out because we know the standard.”
The team’s upcoming two matches against Haiti in Concacaf Nations League will be the last for Pochettino leading the Stars and Stripes. The first of a two-legged Quarterfinal kicks off Saturday, Nov. 14 at 4:30 p.m. ET at Nu Stadium in Miami, Fla. followed by a re-match at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. ET. The winner, determined by an aggregate score, will advance to the Concacaf Nations League Finals in March at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Concluding his USMNT tenure with two tournament games will give Pochettino the chance to leave the program in a position to contend for silverware. Meanwhile, as U.S. Soccer embarks on a period of transition, the 24 rostered players have maintained an intense focus, ready to sustain a high standard and kick off the first official competition of the 2030 FIFA World Cup cycle on a strong note.
“For us to have a manager who's linked with those sorts of jobs means you know we're very lucky, and we know that we're working with a top-class manager, but that never seems to leak into the work we do,” fullback Antonee Robinson said.
Always a special place in our hearts. https://t.co/T1R9PgdYtl
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) November 13, 2026