US football has turned a new leaf of late, both in terms of their men’s and women’s national team setups.
The US Women’s National Team, under new coach Emma Hayes, have just won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while the men’s side have decided to make a blockbuster signing, someone who will be no stranger to the Spurs fanbase.
And the current Spurs manager has had a say on the new US Men’s National Team coach.
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Ange Postecoglou speaks about Mauricio Pochettino becoming USMNT manager
Ange Postecoglou had this to say about Mauricio Pochettino becoming the USMNT manager during his pre-game press conference ahead of Spurs’ first Premier League fixture against the newly-promoted Leicester City:
“It’s a different job. It’s a different role, different skill set. International football when you’re together, everything’s really intense. The highs are high, the lows are lows because every win means you get closer to to doing something special and every loss usually means the end of a tournament.
“So it’s a different experience, but I I’ve loved that. I have experienced that. If that happens and Poch will, I mean the US, they’re emerging as a nation, and I think they want to take the next step where they can make an impact at a World Cup. There’s definitely talent there, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”
Postecoglou, of course, is no stranger to management in international football, having coached not only Australia’s U17 (between 2000 and 2005; won three trophies) and U20 (between 2005 and 2007; won three trophies) men’s national teams, but also their senior men’s team (between 2013 and 2017; won the Asian Cup in 2015). (Honours source: Transfermarkt)
Once adored at the N17, Postecoglou drove his reputation into the ground by becoming Chelsea’s manager where he did not last for more than one season. Tottenham still admire the coach for what he gave us but the attachment is similar to what we would have felt had Harry Kane left Spurs last season to move to the Blues.
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Bring on 2026
Goes without saying that Pochettino’s time as USMNT coach will be monitored with interest, especially given this is his first international job.
We know from his time at Southampton and Spurs that the Argentine is quite good at getting a relatively-limited set of players punch above their weight, and the US team definitely need to do better than their recent outings under Gregg Berhalter.
Of course, the pressure for silverware will always be there, especially in the CONCACAF circuit, but US Soccer appointing Pochettino clearly hints at a going-big attempt for the home World Cup in two years’ time. Let’s see how “Poch” goes about doing that.
