Pochettino Leaves US Men's National Team to Take Over at Manchester United

The US men's national team bench is about to sit empty just when expectations were running highest. Mauricio Pochettino will step down as head coach on November 17 to take charge of Manchester United, the US Soccer Federation confirmed on Friday.

It's not as if the Argentine is leaving without finishing the job first. Pochettino will first see through the two Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matches against Haiti, scheduled for November 14 and 17, before heading to Manchester. Steve Cherundolo will step in immediately, taking charge of the December camp, which will be built mainly around MLS players.

The federation has not yet named a permanent successor. What it did confirm is that women's national team head coach Emma Hayes will take part in the search for the new coach alongside the organization's leadership: CEO and general secretary JT Batson, chief operating officer Dan Helfrich and sporting vice president Oguchi Onyewu. According to the federation's statement, the process will draw on input "from leaders across U.S. Soccer and the global soccer landscape."

What stands out is the timing of the departure: barely three months after Pochettino signed a contract extension that would have kept him in charge through the 2030 World Cup. That deal included a release clause that Manchester United has now triggered, paying USSF roughly $10 million to secure his services.

A Short Tenure With Historic Numbers

Pochettino had taken over the role in September 2024, succeeding Gregg Berhalter, and led the United States to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. The team finished first in its group and earned its first knockout-round win since 2002. With three victories over the course of the tournament, the Argentine set the record for most World Cup wins by any coach in the history of the US national team.

In total, he leaves with a record of 21 wins, 12 losses and 2 draws at the helm.

The opportunity to represent the United States crest was one of the greatest honors of my career. We are deeply grateful to the players for their commitment, to the fans for their trust, and to the Federation for always backing our coaching staff and creating opportunities to impact the culture of soccer in this great country.Mauricio Pochettino

The coach also had words for the leadership that stood by him throughout the process.

We want to thank Cindy Parlow Cone, JT Batson and Dan Helfrich for their support and for the incredible working relationship we had during our time here. There is tremendous talent in the American player pool, from the youth ranks all the way to the senior team, and that's one of the reasons we have so much faith in the future of U.S. Soccer. They will always have a special place in our hearts, and we will continue supporting the teams every time they take the field.Mauricio Pochettino

With this move, Pochettino returns to the Premier League, a competition he knows well after stints at Southampton (2013-14), Tottenham Hotspur (2014-19) and Chelsea during the 2023-24 season.

From the federation, president Cindy Parlow Cone also bid farewell to the coach with a message of thanks.

I want to thank Mauricio and his coaching staff for all their contributions over these two years in moving our men's national team forward, and I wish him all the best at Manchester United. Looking ahead, we have a very exciting group of players, and once this FIFA window wraps up, our focus is on finding the right coaching staff to keep building on the progress we've made and take this team to further success on the world stage.Cindy Parlow Cone

Attention now splits between two fronts: what Cherundolo can do with the December roster, and the search the federation is launching to find the successor to a coach who, in a short span, left a mark that will be hard to match.