Mauricio Pochettino has emerged as a leading candidate to become the next USMNT coach.

The former Chelsea, PSG and Tottenham coach has emerged a favorite within US Soccer according to The Athletic – who say the organization is in talks with his camp.

Gregg Berhalter was fired in July after USA’s disastrous Copa America campaign saw the team crash out at the group stage. 

Pochettino worked alongside Matt Crocker, the sporting director of U.S. soccer, during his time as Southampton coach with Crocker leading the team’s academy. 

Pochettino steered Southampton to an eight-place finish in the Premier League before leaving for Tottenham where he got them to the 2019 Champions League final.

A former Argentina international as a player, Pochettino left Chelsea at the end of the last Premier League season – ending a campaign of turbulence in London with a respectable sixth-place finish. 

He coached Lionel Messi – now at Inter Miami – Kylian Mbappe and Neymar during his time in France as Paris Saint-Germain boss. He won the French league but was fired due to a lack of Champions League success.

The USA vacancy holds added appeal given the United States is hosting the next World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico. 

DailyMail.Com columnist Tim Howard has already backed Pochettino for the role. In his piece on July 12, the former Manchester United goalkeeper said: ‘I’ve always loved Mauricio Pochettino. 

‘His teams have a real identity and attacking flair. He would suit this USMNT, which is set up for success – young, dynamic and full of skill.’

As Howard said, the team has an array of talented young players and has been widely judged to have underperformed with Berhalter. Indeed, the Copa America failure with the tournament on home turf was nothing short of disastrous.

After winning the opening game against Bolivia, the USMNT surrendered a 1-0 lead against Panama, playing most of the game with 10-men after Juventus forward Tim Weah was sent off for violent conduct in the first half.

Heading into the final group game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, USA lost 1-0 to Uruguay to be eliminated, a result that brought the curtain down on Berhalter’s tenure.

USA fans have long felt that Berhalter was far too cautious in his tactical setup of the team. The squad boasts attacking talents such as Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, Gio Reyna and Weah – as well as distinguished midfielders such as Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Brendan Aaronson.

Speaking on Wednesday, Adams called for a ‘ruthless’ coach to take Berhalter’s place in an interview on the Men in Blazers podcast. 

‘For myself and a young team for where we are at, we need someone that is almost a little bit ruthless, coming in and putting everyone in their place and understanding that listen, this what needs to be done,’ Adams said. ‘This is the way that we are going to do it and there are no, really, if ands or buts.

‘It’s not a conversation, more of a decision that is made and this is the way we are going to play. I think that’s always the best way when you have a short period of time. 

‘The best way to get results is bringing someone in and having someone that you know what they are going to do before they come in. I don’t think we have a huge amount of time.

‘If everyone wants to focus on the goal of the 2026 World Cup and the best results possible, you have to get someone who has gotten results.’

Unlocking that potential will be key for whoever succeeds Berhalter, but appointing a coach of Pochettino’s pedigree would ignite a huge sense of excitement around the team ahead of the 2026 tournament.