Not that long ago, Mauricio Pochettino was one of the most exciting young managers in the world. spells at Espanyol and Southampton helped him land a job at Tottenham Hotspur.
While he could not win a trophy with the Premier League club, he took Spurs to a Champions League final and had them regularly fighting for domestic honours in England. With the world seemingly at his feet, fairly uninspiring spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea then followed.
Even so, it was a big surprise to European football fans when he left the continent, and club football itself, to become manager of the United States men's national team. Pochettino has now overseen eight games, but how is he getting on?
USMNT endure "miserable" international break
With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, as a host nation, Pochettino has more pressure on him than perhaps any USMNT head coach in history. Even Donald Trump has been enquiring about the success of the team. He recently asked Gianni Infantino: "Can we win the World Cup?" In response, Infantino boldly claimed they could.
However, back-to-back defeats in the March international break has left fans feeling a lot less optimistic. Playing in the semi-final of the Concacaf Nations League, Panama picked up a 1-0 win with forward Cecilio Waterman securing a historic win in the 94th – he then made headlines for his joyous celebration with Thierry Henry.
In the aftermath there was plenty of criticism for Pochettino forcing Tyler Adams to come out and defend his coach, saying: "I’ve never blamed a coach in my entire career. I mean, the losses depend on the players unless you go out and try something completely random. There was not a lack of communication after today. We knew exactly what we needed to do. We knew we needed to be competitive. I don’t think we were as competitive as we needed to be."
stats of Mauricio Pochettino at USA
After that, things got worse as they then lost 2-1 to Canada in the competition's third-place playoff match. Speaking after the game, pundit Alexi Lalas spoke critically of the manager when asked what would happen if a third loss in a row occurred:
"Nothing happens to Pochettino. He will continue to make $6 mil a year and ultimately be judged entirely by what happens in the 2026 World Cup. But support for, relevance of, and belief in him and the #USMNT will continue to erode at a time when you’d like it trending upward."
ESPN called the latest international break a "miserable window for Pochettino's USMNT." Elsewhere, The New York Times has written: "The Argentine is charming, for certain, but his guile will mean nothing if he can’t accomplish his stated goals."
Sargent Related
USMNT Fans, Pundits React to Shock Loss to Panama in Concacaf Nations League
The United States lost 1-0 to Panama on Thursday night after Cecilio Waterman scored in second-half stoppage time.
Fans Slam Pochettino Amid Poor Form
"He won't have a job before 2026"
Pochettino USMNT
Fans have been pretty unforgiving in recent times too. After the two recent losses, it's fair to say many are starting to doubt the former Tottenham and Chelsea boss. One ironically wrote:
"Pochettino masterfully setting rock bottom expectations for the World Cup so when we score a goal it will be considered a huge win."
Another added: "He’s hot garbage." Similar sentiments followed: "This team is trash I can’t watch this game."
And: "[Gregg] Berhalter got better results out of this team… Poch has been awful since he became coach." While one damningly predicted: "He won't have a job before 2026."
Stats via SofaScore and Fox Sports - correct as of 24/03/25