Former Premier League manager Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly been based in Europe if he takes on the role of United States men's national team manager, and is currently seen as a likely candidate to take up the role ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the US.
According to ESPN, Pochettino is expected to remain in Europe and will not be required to live in the U.S. full-time. While this will be a transition for most U.S. national team head coaches, the U.S. Soccer Federation has previously hired candidates who have been based in the U.S. for some time. Gregg Berhalter, who was head coach until he was fired in July, was based in Chicago, where U.S. Soccer is currently headquartered. Meanwhile, the new women's national team head coach, Emma Hayes, will move from her native London to Atlanta to work in the federation's new offices after winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
U.S. Soccer previously required coaches to live and work at the federation's Chicago offices, a policy instituted by former athletic director Ernie Stewart. It's unclear whether Stewart's successor, Matt Crocker, has continued the policy since taking over the role last April.
The Argentine has lived in Europe since joining Spanish side Espanyol as a player in 1994, and although he ended his playing career on the continent in 2006, his only managerial role has been in Europe. He currently divides his time between Barcelona and London, where he has coached both Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea and where he also lived while out of work from 2022 to 2023.
Pochettino's reported preference for life in Europe isn't just a matter of convenience, but perhaps also of practicality. Most of the U.S. men's national team players now play for clubs around the continent, including all but three members of this summer's Copa America squad. Living on the other side of the Atlantic would allow him to travel to see his players on short trips between international matches. This is not new: Argentina's Lionel Scaloni, a World Cup and two-time Copa America winner as a manager, also lives in Spain.
The U.S. Soccer Association has been searching for a replacement for Berhalter after the U.S. national team was eliminated in the group stage of the Copa America and is reportedly close to hiring Pochettino to lead the team at the 2026 World Cup. However, neither has signed a contract as of now and the hire would require approval from the U.S. Soccer Association's board of directors, whose next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 23.
It was unclear whether Pochettino would be fit for the U.S.'s next match, a friendly against Copa America semi-finalists Canada on Sept. 7 at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City.
