5 things USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino needs to fix in his job
U.S. Soccer looks set to finally name a replacement for Gregg Berhalter. The former United States men’s national team manager was fired after a poor showing at Copa America 2024. After weeks of uncertainty, various reports now claim that Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the next head coach of the USMNT.
The move will most likely be met with overwhelming praise from American soccer fans. After all, the Argentine coach was one of the top possible targets U.S. Soccer could have realistically grabbed. Pochettino previously managed Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea before joining the USMNT.
While Pochettino is the big-name manager that the fans were hoping for, he now has work to do to help fix issues within the organization.
Areas for improvement with Mauricio Pochettino at USMNT
1. Scheduling more challenging opponents
First of all, the USMNT has not exactly had the toughest friendly schedule, and this looks set to continue.
Pochettino will next guide his new team against Canada, New Zealand, and Panama in September. All three of these games are on home soil as well. If the Stars and Stripes are to improve under Pochettino, they are going to need to schedule games against more competitive teams.
There are rumors regarding an elevated Gold Cup competition in the summer of 2025. According to recent reports, CONCACAF invited both France and Euro 2024 Champion Spain to compete in the Gold Cup. Although this tournament traditionally involves only teams from North America and the Caribbean, teams from South America have played in it before. That includes Brazil on three occasions and Colombia twice. Most recently, Qatar was a team from outside CONCACAF to compete. Having European giants enter the fray would give the USMNT valuable experience against top opposition.
2. Improve the playing squad
The new manager will also have to find a way to get more out of his roster. It seems as if too many of the players on the current USMNT squad are complacent. There is a feeling that they can start any game no matter what their performances are like with their clubs. Pochettino has the tough job of expanding the U.S. player pool to find new players who are hungry and good enough to compete for starting places in the team.
The new coach may have to get creative in this approach. This includes perhaps looking beyond MLS or top European teams. For instance, USL striker Nick Markanich could be a player to consider in the future. The forward has scored 21 goals for the Charleston Battery this season. Pochettino could also use his connections in Argentina to persuade potential dual nationals to play for the USMNT.
3. Identifying a true style of play
The Americans will have to improve their style of play under the new coach as well. Pochettino typically likes to intimidate his opponents by implementing a destructive high press. Despite his background as a defender, he enjoys an attacking style as a manager.
Nevertheless, the USMNT needs to play to its strengths. They may not exactly have the players to tiki-tika bigger opponents. Instead, deploying a counter-attacking side that can hit opponents on the break could work to their advantage.
4. Answering the striker conundrum
Pochettino must also figure out which player is the team’s best striker. Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright, Ricardo Pepi, and Josh Sargent can all feature in the position. There may not, however, be a real leader of the pack at the moment. The USMNT would likely benefit from having a true unanimous consensus pick for the position.
Finally, Pochettino has work to do off of the pitch as well. He must find a way to manage fan expectations looking forward. In the short term, USMNT supporters need to realize that this is a process. Just because they now have a highly-rated coach does not necessarily mean that they will now dominate all of their friendlies.
5. Tempering or aligning expectations
In the long term, there need to be reasonable expectations for the team at the 2026 World Cup. This is tough to determine now but we will get a better understanding of where Pochettino is with the USMNT in the future. The new coach will have plenty of time to settle and get his team ready for the tournament. Nevertheless, both Pochettino and the fans should be on the same page ahead of the World Cup.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.