Former Premier League manager Mauricio Pochettino will reportedly be based in Europe when he takes the job with the US men’s national team. a role he is now happy to take on in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
Pochettino expected to stay in Europe, according to ESPNand does not have to live full-time in the US. It marks a departure for most U.S. national team head coaches, although U.S. Soccer has historically also hired candidates who have been based in the country for some time. Gregg Berhalter, who was the coach until he was fired in July, was based in Chicago, where US Soccer is currently headquartered. The new women’s team coach, Emma Hayes, meanwhile, will move from her native London to Atlanta to work at the federation’s new office after winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
At one point, US Soccer required coaches to live and work in the federation’s offices in Chicago. a policy introduced by former athletic director Earnie Stewart. It is not known whether his successor, Matt Crocker, has continued this policy since taking over the role last April.
The Argentinian has lived in Europe since moving to Spanish side Espanyol as a player in 1994, ending his playing career on the continent in 2006, and has only coached in Europe. He currently has a residency in Barcelona and London, where he coached both Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea and lived from 2022 to 2023 when he was between jobs.
Pochettino’s preference to live in Europe is not only convenient for him, but perhaps also practical. A majority of the USMNT’s players currently play for clubs across the continent, including all but three of this summer’s Copa America squad. Living on the other side of the Atlantic would allow short travel times to see those players between international matches. This is nothing new as Argentinian coach Lionel Scaloni, World Cup winner and two-time Copa America champion as a manager, lives in Spain.
US Soccer is searching for Berhalter’s successor after the USMNT crashed out of the Copa America group stages and is reportedly moving closer to appointing Pochettino to lead the team to the 2026 World Cup. However, neither side has signed a deal at this time and the appointment still requires approval from US Soccer’s board of directors, which is expected to meet on August 23.
It is currently unclear whether Pochettino can be hired in time for the USMNT’s next match, a friendly against Copa America semi-finalists Canada on September 7 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.