Sports
Manchester United name Mauricio Pochettino head coach as he leaves the U.S. men's national team
Pochettino signed a deal of two and a half years with United. He will coach the U.S. against Haiti twice before his first United game at Liverpool on Nov. 22.
Manchester United have their new head coach. The club confirmed Friday that Mauricio Pochettino is leaving the U.S. men's national team to take over at Old Trafford.
The move came just over a day after United fired Michael Carrick. Pochettino signed a contract of two and a half years.
He is not leaving the Americans right away. Pochettino and his staff will coach the U.S. in two Concacaf Nations League games against Haiti on Saturday and Tuesday. He officially starts at United on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
A tough first test
His first game in charge is about as hard as it gets. United visit rival Liverpool at Anfield on Nov. 22.
United are 18th in the Premier League with one win and eight points from 10 games. They sit just one point above last-place Crystal Palace.
Carrick was let go only 15 games into the two-year deal he signed in May. Pochettino becomes United's eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
United triggered a $10 million release clause in Pochettino's U.S. Soccer contract. The club said he was the only candidate it spoke to directly.
The Argentine has coached Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea in England. He also led Paris Saint-Germain, where his dressing room included Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
What he leaves behind
Pochettino took the U.S. job in September 2024. His teams went 21-12-2 in 35 matches.
The Americans reached the 2025 Gold Cup final. At the 2026 World Cup on home soil they won their group and reached the round of 16. It was their first knockout-round win at a World Cup since 2002.
His three wins at the tournament are the most World Cup wins by any coach in U.S. history. Only three months ago the federation had announced a new deal to keep him through the 2030 World Cup.
"The opportunity to represent the USA crest was one of the greatest honors of my career," Pochettino said.
Search for a new U.S. coach
U.S. Soccer did not name a replacement. The federation said women's national team coach Emma Hayes will help with the search alongside its top leaders.
"We are looking for a leader with the talent, experience and belief to match our ambition," U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said.
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