Mauricio Pochettino and USMNT: What’s the hold up with appointing him head coach?

Mauricio Pochettino looks set to become the next head coach of the U.S. men’s national team — but his appointment is not straightforward.

While the Argentine is out of work following his departure from Chelsea in May, there are more hurdles to be cleared before he can be formally confirmed in his new role.

So what is the hold-up and how quickly could things be resolved?

The Athletic has spoken to several sources with knowledge of the situation, who all asked to remain anonymous to protect their positions and because of the sensitivities around the negotiations, to try and answer those questions.

What has happened so far?

U.S. Soccer has been searching for a new head coach for its men’s national team since Gregg Berhalter was sacked on July 10 following a disappointing performance in the Copa America.

A day later, The Athletic reported that U.S. Soccer (USSF) had approached the former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to gauge his interest in taking over, only for the German to politely decline the opportunity, saying he wanted to take a break from football.

Pochettino then emerged as the governing body’s preferred candidate and, on Thursday, The Athletic revealed that he had agreed to take the head coach role. Neither Pochettino nor the USSF has said anything publicly on the matter since the story broke.

So why is the contract not signed?

The terms of Chelsea’s severance package with Pochettino are where things get a bit more complicated.

Pochettino left Chelsea one year into a contract which originally stretched to two years, with the option of a third.

He has verbally committed to taking the USMNT job. Pochettino is free and clear to do so — there is nothing in his Chelsea contract preventing that and club sources insist no money is owed if he takes another position.

Pochettino left Chelsea with a year left on his contract (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Given national team roles tend to pay less than their club equivalents, Chelsea are actively discussing with Pochettino possible solutions involving third-party sponsorships and other ways to support making the situation financially feasible for the Argentine.

His Chelsea contract only applies a prohibition on the top-six Premier League clubs for six months. Chelsea retain a strong relationship with Pochettino — Laurence Stewart, their technical director, even sent the USSF a glowing reference for him — and are continuing dialogue with him to enable him to proceed with the USMNT opportunity.

Do we know what the USSF will pay Pochettino?

Pochettino’s proposed salary at U.S. Soccer is not yet known, and — as reported above — how exactly it will afford a former Premier League manager who has worked for some of Europe’s biggest clubs is a key question.

Pochettino may have endured a disappointing season last year — even if Chelsea did recover from a poor start to finish sixth and qualify for the Europa Conference League — but he is still one of the most highly regarded coaches in the game.

His CV includes spells with Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain, and he has regularly been linked with the manager’s job at Manchester United and high-profile positions in Spain.

Securing a coach of his caliber will not come cheap, and his terms would certainly eclipse those offered to Berhalter, who coached in Major League Soccer before taking the USMNT job the first time.

According to the USSF’s tax filing, which was reported by AP, in 2022 Berhalter had a base salary of $1,391,136, and earned $900,000 in bonuses. By way of comparison, when Emma Hayes signed on as head coach of the women’s national team in November 2023, The Athletic reported that she would earn close to $2 million per year.

Matt Crocker, U.S. Soccer sporting director, said after Berhalter’s sacking that his search for a replacement would not be constrained by finances. “I just want to get the best coach possible that can help the team win,” he said. “Whether they’re from the U.S. or elsewhere. There has been progress made but now is the time to turn that progress into winning.”

How could the USSF find the money?

The USSF will understand that hiring a head coach of Pochettino’s status, especially ahead of a home World Cup, necessitates a bigger budget than they would ordinarily contemplate. But it is also true that they will not be able to afford the kind of salary that a top-six Premier League club could offer and they might need to get creative to accommodate the cost of hiring Pochettino.

When Canada hired Jesse Marsch as their new men’s head coach in May, the deal was only made possible thanks to significant financial contributions from the country’s three Major League Soccer clubs — CF Montreal, Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps. The total sum donated to Canada Soccer was around $1.5 million. That meant Marsch’s official title became ‘MLS Canada Men’s National Team Head Coach’.

Marsch’s Canada wage includes help from MLS teams (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

According to conversations The Athletic has had with American MLS club owners, there is no appetite at this stage for a similar arrangement with Pochettino and the USMNT.

An alternative route would be for the shortfall to be bridged through sponsors. There is a precedent for this, too: when Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, the transfer was facilitated by the player being offered a revenue share with some of MLS’ key partners, including Apple, Adidas and the clothing firm Fanatics.

Exploring more possibilities like this — capitalizing on their prospective head coach’s global profile — seems to be a more likely route for the USSF to be able to afford Pochettino.

Chelsea, currently without a front-of-shirt sponsor for the new Premier League season, are trying to help facilitate this.

Will this be resolved — and, if so, when?

There is an expectation that an agreement will be reached between all parties, given it is in everyone’s interests to do so.

One possible outcome is that Chelsea pay the difference between what the USSF are offering Pochettino and what the club would have to pay him if he stayed out of work. In that scenario — which is not uncommon in soccer — Chelsea would not have to pay the maximum amount they are liable for under the current severance agreement with Pochettino, but he would still get the full amount he is owed.

The USSF is hoping to conclude the deal within the next 48 hours, although that decision will need to be ratified at a board meeting. That, however, is likely to be a formality.

The next USMNT matches are the friendly games against Canada and New Zealand on September 7 and 10 respectively.

(Top photos: Getty Images)