Mauricio Pochettino is resigning as head coach of the United States men’s national soccer team (USMNT) to become the manager of Manchester United. Pochettino, who joined the U.S. program in 2024, will oversee two final matches against Haiti before departing for the English Premier League club.
The move comes after Pochettino led the U.S. team through the 2026 World Cup and signed a contract extension in August 2026. That agreement was intended to keep him in the position through the 2030 World Cup cycle. During his tenure, the USMNT reached the Round of 16 in the 2026 tournament after finishing first in its group and winning its first knockout-round match since 2002.
Pochettino previously managed several European teams, including Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain. As a player, he represented Argentina in the 2002 World Cup and competed in professional leagues in France and Spain. Under his leadership, the U.S. squad used an aggressive attacking style and recorded three wins during the 2026 World Cup, the highest total for a USMNT coach at a single tournament.
Players will face a change in coaching staff and tactics following the two upcoming matches against Haiti. The USMNT had recently achieved a successful World Cup performance under Pochettino's style, and a new hire may implement different training methods or roster priorities. Fans and stakeholders will see the program return to a search process for a manager to replace the individual who was the team's highest-profile hire.
The timing of this departure creates a vacancy that the U.S. Soccer Federation will need to fill as the international calendar progresses toward the 2030 tournament. Manchester United will integrate Pochettino into the Premier League. The next scheduled events for the USMNT are two matches against Haiti; the specific dates for these games and the timeline for naming a successor were not reported.