USMNT faces open search as Mauricio Pochettino nears Manchester United move
Mauricio Pochettino is set to leave his position as head coach of the United States men's national team to join Manchester United after the club agreed a deal to replace Michael Carrick, who was fired on Thursday, the Guardian reported on 12 November 2026. His probable departure forces US Soccer to begin a high-profile search for a successor.
US Soccer has previously said it maintains succession planning for key roles: “We have a process of, on a regular basis, always reviewing sort of succession planning for all of our key roles at US Soccer,” JT Batson, the federation CEO, told ESPN in April. “We’re ready when anything happens, whether it’s CFO, whether it’s a head coach or anything in between.” Pochettino spent two years leading the US program and was credited by program insiders with changing the team’s culture after Gregg Berhalter’s six-year tenure. His half-cycle term has raised the bar for what the US now seeks in a coach as the nation enters the 2030 World Cup cycle.
Pep Guardiola is identified as a leading theoretical option: he is currently unattached and, according to the piece, would be the only unemployed manager widely viewed as an upgrade on Pochettino. The article notes Guardiola turned down the Italy job this summer and groups him alongside Antonio Conte as a high-profile coach whose appetite for the job could be affected by Concacaf’s comparative standing and the tournament profile available between now and 2030. The Guardian describes both Guardiola and Conte as workaholics whose willingness to commit to a Concacaf project might be limited given the confederation’s lower global status.
The piece argues Concacaf’s lesser esteem could also dissuade the next tier of experienced international managers, listing Rudi Garcia, Sebastián Beccacece and Diego Alonso as potential names whose interest might be tempered by the confederation’s profile. It raises the question of whether the Gold Cup, the Nations League and regional fixtures would satisfy coaches accustomed to the top continental competitions found in other confederations.
Historically, the US has frequently turned to its domestic coaching pool when filling the national job: Bruce Arena was appointed in 1998 after building MLS’s first dynasty, Bob Bradley was one of the league’s most successful coaches by 2006, and Gregg Berhalter returned after the failure to qualify for Russia 2018 following a notable run with Columbus. The article frames that domestic tendency as a likely influence on the next appointment.
Several US-linked candidates are examined in detail. Jesse Marsch, currently the Canada head coach, has repeatedly been linked in public discussion but told Time magazine in July: “Let me make it really clear: I never will coach the US national team. Ever,” adding: “And that’s no problem. There was the possibility of me at one point, but I’m done with it. I don’t even care any more.” Pellegrino Matarazzo, a New Jersey native who studied at Columbia University and built a coaching career in Germany with stops at Stuttgart and Hoffenheim, now manages Real Sociedad and last spring became the first US manager to lift a trophy in Europe’s big five leagues by winning the Copa Del Rey.
Other domestic names receive attention for different reasons. BJ Callaghan, who led the US to a Gold Cup win between Berhalter’s terms, moved to club management in 2024 and transformed Nashville SC; Nashville signed him to an extension in February that runs through the 2028-29 MLS season. The article cites Steve Cherundolo, the former US defender and current U-20/U-23 boss, as having won an MLS Cup but notes his Los Angeles FC tenure was criticised for tactical timidity in big games. It also references Wilfried Nancy and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Jesper Sørensen as top MLS coaches whose styles might not translate easily to international windows, and mentions Thierry Henry’s mixed club record and his Olympic silver with France’s U-23s.
The Guardian concludes that no clear successor stands out and that the federation faces a difficult choice between pursuing an elite international name, retaining continuity from the domestic pool, or selecting another path. The decision will shape the program’s direction as the US moves into the 2030 World Cup cycle.