It’s official: Mauricio Pochettino is leaving the U.S. men’s national team.
On Friday, a day after Manchester United fired Michael Carrick, the 20-time English champions named Pochettino as his replacement, with the club currently in the Premier League relegation zone after winning just one of its first 10 matches to begin the season.
The 54-year-old Argentine will lead the Americans for two final games, on Saturday and Tuesday vs. Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, before taking over the Red Devils in time for Sunday’s trip to rivals Liverpool.
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 event. To get him out of that deal, United triggered a buyout clause reportedly worth nearly $10 million.
Pochettino’s assistant coaches, including longtime top deputy Jesus Perez, will follow him to Old Trafford.
“The club has reached an agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation for Mauricio and his staff to be released after the conclusion of their responsibilities with the U.S. Men’s National Team,” Manchester United said as part of their announcement, which said he’ll formally take over the Red Devils on Nov. 18.
In 35 games at the American helm, the former Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton manager posted a record of 21W-11L-2T. Three of those victories came at the 2026 World Cup, making Pochettino the winningest USA men’s coach at soccer’s marquee tournament. U.S. Soccer now needs a new coach for the 2030 cycle. Here are the top candidates to replace him.
“Mauricio has left a lasting mark on U.S. Soccer through his leadership, professionalism and commitment to our players and culture,” U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said in a press release. “He and his staff raised standards, strengthened our culture and created clearer connections from the youth national teams to the senior team. Those changes are now embedded in how we operate, and we will keep building on them as we pursue sustained success on the world stage.”
The tears welled in Mauricio Pochettino’s eyes as Manchester United’s new manager formally bid farewell to the U.S. Soccer Federation and its men’s national team on Friday.
A little more than two hours after USSF and 20-time English champions announced that Pochettino would succeed Michael Carrick with the struggling Premier League titans, Pochettino took the stage inside U.S. Soccer’s training facility outside Atlanta to explain his decision to leave just three months into a contract that was supposed to run through the 2030 World Cup — a decision he called “one of the most difficult” of his 17-year coaching career.
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“It’s difficult now to talk,” Pochettino said, struggling to compose himself while flanked by U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson and president Cindy Parlow Cone. “I am a very emotional guy.”
As part of the agreement with United, Pochettino will oversee two final games with the U.S. before starting his new job in Manchester on Nov. 18. The Stars and Stripes meet Haiti on Saturday in Miami in the opening leg of their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series before the decisive second match in Cincinnati on Tuesday.
Pochettino informed his players and the national team’s support staff later Thursday that he was leaving.
“It all was so quick,” he said.
According to The Athletic, Pochettino would sign a 2.5-year deal that would run through summer 2029. There are details that are still being finalized but the deal would allow Pochettino to coach the U.S. in the next two games against Haiti before jetting off to Manchester.
And what would be Pochettino’s first game as Manchester United’s first coach? Ancient rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Nov. 22 on the other end of the current international break.
The first step in Pochettino potentially taking over at Old Trafford has been completed.
Michael Carrick was fired by Manchester United on Thursday after overseeing the 20-time English champion’s worst start to a Premier League season.
Carrick’s departure comes less than six months after he was given a two-year contract and the responsibility of reviving the fortunes of the once-dominant force of English soccer. United hasn’t won the league since managerial great Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
According to ESPN, Manchester United execs have informed U.S. Soccer that they intend to trigger the $10 million (£7m) release clause in Pochettino’s contract.
Pochettino is currently with the USMNT team at U.S. Soccer’s training center outside of Atlanta before opening their two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series against Haiti, with the first game set for Saturday in Miami. The second game will be next Tuesday in Cincinnati.
Pochettino is expected to remain with the U.S. players for these games regardless of what decision is made about the Man United vacancy.
Several USA players spoke highly about Pochettino after team training on Thursday.
“Poch has definitely raised the standard since he’s been in charge,” striker Folarin Balogun said Thursday, who led the U.S. with three goals in four World Cup appearances, including game-winners over Paraguay and Bosnia and Herzegovina. “The intensity of training, how we approach games — he’s changed our way of thinking as players.
“He’s laid the foundation,” Balogun continued. “I think we have the ownership as players to carry that on.”
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)
U.S. Soccer is expected to make Pep Guardiola a top target to replace Pochettino if he leaves, according to The Athletic.
The former Manchester City manager has had past conversations with the federation and has long been intrigued by the idea of working in the United States.
United have not yet officially fired Carrick or made formal contact with U.S. Soccer about Pochettino.
He’s expected to coach the USA in its Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matches against Haiti on Saturday in Miami and Tuesday in Cincinnati.
B.J. Callaghan led the U.S. to the 2023 Concacaf Nations League title as interim coach before guiding Nashville SC to a record-breaking 2026 MLS season. (Photo by John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images for USSF).
If U.S. Soccer wants a candidate with deep roots in the program, few fit better than Michael Bradley.
The former U.S. men’s national team captain earned 151 caps for his country, many of them under his father, Bob Bradley, who coached the national team from 2006 to 2011. Michael’s coaching career is still young.
He led Red Bull New York’s reserve team to the 2025 MLS Next Pro title in his first season as a head coach, then took over the first team ahead of the 2026 season.
His résumé is thin compared to the other names on this list, but his knowledge of the American player pool and his reputation as a leader make him an intriguing long-term option.
Steve Cherundolo is already working with the U.S. program’s next generation as head coach of the under-23 team heading into the 2028 Olympics. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/USSF/Getty Images)
Few coaches have done more with less in MLS than Nancy, and that track record could make him a strong fit for international soccer.
The 49-year-old Frenchman built his reputation at CF Montréal, where he won the 2021 Canadian Championship and led the club to the second-best record in MLS in 2022. That earned him a move to the Columbus Crew, where he became one of the league’s most respected coaches. Nancy led Columbus to the 2023 MLS Cup in his first season, then won the 2024 Leagues Cup and was named MLS Coach of the Year.
The big question mark is his short stint at Celtic.
Nancy left Columbus to take over the Scottish club in December 2025, but he was fired after just 33 days, having won only two of his eight matches. His MLS résumé is still among the best of any coach on this list, and his familiarity with North American soccer could be an asset.
Roberto Martinez led Belgium to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup and coached Portugal through this summer’s World Cup. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
