Just 102 days after signing a four-year contract extension as U.S. men’s national team head coach, Mauricio Pochettino is leaving to take charge of Manchester United. After coaching the USA against Haiti on Saturday and Tuesday in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, the USMNT’s first Latin American full-time head coach will end a tenure of two years and 10 weeks at the U.S. helm.
Manchester United is reportedly signing Pochettino to two-and-a-half-year contract to replace fired Michael Carrick. The Premier League club will reportedly pay U.S. Soccer $10 million in compensation for Pochettino and $2 million for the departure of his coaching staff.
Steve Cherundolo, who currently coaches the U.S. U-23 team, will take charge of the previously scheduled December camp featuring a primarily MLS-based roster. There will be no separate U-23 camp in December.
Pochettino previously coached Premier League clubs Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, with a stint at Paris Saint-Germain between his tenures at Tottenham and Chelsea.
U.S. Soccer hired Pochettino in September 2024. His tenure included a runner-up finish at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup and a run to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, where the USA won its group and earned its first knockout-round victory since 2002.
Three players who debuted under Pochettino played in the 2026 World Cup: goalkeeper Matt Freese, outside back Alex Freeman and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.
Pochettino’s departure comes amid growing optimism about the national team’s future following four straight wins over Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada. During that stretch, 11 players under age 21 made their senior-team debuts, including eight teenagers. Seven of the USA’s 12 goals came from players who were uncapped when the camp began.
