Mauricio Pochettino appears to be on his way out as U.S. men’s national team head coach.
Manchester United are expected to part ways with Michael Carrick, and Pochettino has emerged as the club’s chosen candidate to replace him.
Pochettino signed a contract extension with U.S. Soccer in August that runs through the 2030 World Cup, following the USA’s run to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. But to get him out of that deal, United would only need to trigger a buyout clause reportedly worth nearly $10 million.
Bringing along the assistant coaches who have followed Pochettino from job to job for more than a decade would cost millions more.
If he leaves, U.S. Soccer will need a new coach for the 2030 cycle. Here are the latest updates on Pochettino’s future and the top candidates to replace him.
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to lead the U.S. against Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, even as Manchester United zero in on him as their next manager. (Photo by Omar Vega/USSF/Getty Images)
Whatever happens with Manchester United, Pochettino is expected to remain on the U.S. sideline for at least two more matches.
Pochettino is in camp with the team at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Fayetteville, Georgia, preparing for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti on Saturday in Miami and Tuesday in Cincinnati. He’s expected to speak to the media Friday, per his usual pre-match routine.
United have not yet officially fired Carrick or made formal contact with U.S. Soccer about Pochettino’s contract. The club has the rest of the international break to finalize a replacement before returning to action at Liverpool on Nov. 22.
Pep Guardiola, who won six Premier League titles at Manchester City, is reportedly U.S. Soccer’s top target if Mauricio Pochettino leaves. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
If U.S. Soccer goes with an American, no one has a stronger case right now than B.J. Callaghan.
He led Nashville SC to a league-record point total in the MLS regular season and already has experience in charge of the U.S. men’s national team, guiding the team to the 2023 Concacaf Nations League title as interim coach.
The Nashville SC coach is coming off one of the greatest regular seasons in MLS history. Nashville went 23-3-8 in 2026 and finished with 77 points, breaking Inter Miami’s single-season record of 74 set in 2024.
Along the way, Callaghan’s team won the club’s first Supporters’ Shield, finished a record 13 points clear of the next-best team and set MLS records for wins, fewest losses (3) and fewest goals allowed (25). Nashville also reached the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals this year and became the first MLS team to win at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, beating Club América 1-0 in the quarterfinals.
The turnaround has been remarkable. When Callaghan took over in July 2024, Nashville was in the middle of the worst season in its MLS history. Two years later, it’s one of the most dominant teams in the league.
Michael Bradley, a former U.S. captain with 151 caps, is in his first season as Red Bull New York’s head coach. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
If U.S. Soccer wants a coach who already knows the program’s next generation, Cherundolo is already working with it.
The federation hired Cherundolo in July to lead the U.S. under-23 team through the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, a role designed to work closely with the senior and youth national team staffs.
He’s currently overseeing the team’s first camp of the Olympic cycle in Spain, where the U-23s are facing Scotland and Ukraine. That makes him a natural successor to Pochettino, and he’d already have relationships with many of the young players expected to push for spots in 2030.
His coaching résumé also stands up. In four seasons at LAFC from 2022 to 2025, Cherundolo went 106-55-32 and never finished worse than third in the Western Conference. He won the MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield in his first season and added the U.S. Open Cup in 2024.
Wilfried Nancy won an MLS Cup and Leagues Cup with the Columbus Crew before a short stint at Celtic. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Martinez has experience managing teams on the international stage.
He coached Belgium from 2016 to 2022, guiding its golden generation to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup, then took over Portugal in 2023.
He stepped down after Portugal’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the round of 16 at this summer’s World Cup, saying he came to win the tournament and saw no point in continuing after falling short. Before his international career, Martinez won the 2013 FA Cup with Wigan Athletic and managed Everton.
Now available, the 53-year-old Spaniard would bring proven international experience to a program looking to make a deep run in 2030.
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