Will USA job define Mauricio Pochettino's managerial legacy?

Pochettino has a chance to change the fortunes of USMNT.

Mauricio Pochettino had a positive start to his new job as USA head coach when his side beat Panama 2-0. It was a new chapter in his life after the Argentine left Chelsea following a season with them.

Pochettino is managing a national team for the first time in his career. There will be a great deal of pressure given the USA are 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosts along with Canada and Mexico.

What does this, however, mean for Pochettino and his objectives? What does his career look like now? Is this merely a stopover or something much bigger?

Pochettino hasn’t exactly landed the ideal position, but at least he enjoys a challenge. Most football positions these days are, if anything, crafted to be complex.

The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) had a very poor Copa America 2024 at home, which was mainly viewed as a preparation procedure for the 2026 World Cup. The public lacked trust in the playing squad after a disappointing group-stage exit. Pochettino has work to do to change that perception.

Although USA have underperformed thus far, there is definitely quality within them. However, with a top-tier manager leading the team, the players have no more excuses.

Pochettino has returned to a prominent position just a few months after being controversially fired by Chelsea. He stabilized the Stamford Bridge ship and laid some necessary groundwork for the Blues’ future. After an almost terrible start, he had led them to sixth finish in the Premier League. However, it didn’t convince the board enough as Todd Boehly & Co. relieved him of his responsibilities.

How USA job can impact the managerial career of Mauricio Pochettino?

THAT ONE'S FOR YOU, #USMNT FANS 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/LbSvb8j8ue

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) October 13, 2024

Pochettino’s choice to bring his managerial acumen to the United States caused a stir in both his home, South America and Europe.

It appeared from the outside that Pochettino still had more to offer to club football. Even if his time at Chelsea was far from ideal, he improved his credit and would have been a strong candidate for any important position. He was even linked to Manchester United and many other Premier League jobs.

Pochettino’s reputation carries with it the expectation of success and the hope for a better future. In terms of the USMNT, that will mean performing in the World Cup and shattering the glass ceiling in the sport.

Even for a manager as successful as Pochettino, it’s quite the ask. His chances of landing his next position are slim if he doesn’t deliver. It will also make USMNT struggle to convince successors that their dugout isn’t truly cursed.

Pochettino, on the other hand, has seen this as a challenge worth taking on. Although it could just be a good diversion from his club career, this job has a status that few others can truly match.

Pochettino will most likely have suffered from the politics of his previous positions. Given everything he had done for Tottenham, a team he essentially created in the modern era, his departure was unjust and degrading. He entered a club dominated by the best players at Paris Saint-Germain while he was caught in the middle of Chelsea’s “civil war.”

Suppose he turns out to be the response to America’s prayers. In that case, Pochettino will go down in memory as the man who turned United States men’s football into a huge deal—the Major League Soccer equivalent of David Beckham and Lionel Messi, but on a bigger scale.

A trophy or two in the club game might not matter as much to Pochettino as the kind of legacy he can create in USA football. This would truly be an unprecedented accomplishment. It might lead to new opportunities in the game or, even better, the culmination of an exciting career, and what he does later might not even matter.

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