Pochettino is finally in charge, so what approach will he take and what impact will he have?
For the last month, American soccer has been hyperfixed on landing Mauricio Pochettino as head coach of the U.S. men's national team. Thanks to the official announcement Tuesday night that the former Chelsea, Tottenham and PSG manager will now be leading the USMNT, the topic immediately shifts.
It's no longer when. It's now what.
What approach will he take? What tactics will he deploy? What style best fits the U.S. roster? And what impact will he have?
When it comes to international coaching, there's always a focus on tactics, and Pocehttino will bring fresh ideas in that regard. However, it is worth acknowledging the realities of international management: implementing grand plans can be a challenge.
Pochettino will try, though. He'll bring his style and his mentality to a USMNT group that is lacking both. This summer – crashing out of Copa America, then failing to beat either Canada or New Zealand over the past week – reminded us of that fact.
This team is still very much a work in progress, and there's a limited window to make the progress needed before the World Cup begins in June of 2026, in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
What kind of ideas will Pochettino bring? What will his strengths be? What will it all look like on the pitch? GOAL takes a look.
GettyUSMNT under Gregg Berhalter
Every coach has their own identity, both on and off the pitch. For the last few years, the USMNT has been defined by Gregg Berhalter.
Even when Berhalter was away from the team and the U.S. was led by interim coaches Anthony Hudson, B.J. Callaghan and Mikey Varas, the principles were always similar. Under Berhalter, the U.S. largely played in a 4-3-3, although that had shifted to more of a 4-2-3-1 over the last year. There were times when Berhalter threw in wrinkles, such as a 4-4-2 against England at the World Cup, but the setup has largely been consistent.
In terms of style, the U.S. has been a ball-dominant team. One of Berhalter's big goals was to change the perception of American soccer, both through substance and style. Stylistically, he wanted the U.S. to be the protagonist, to be the team that controlled the pace of play and forced teams to play on the back foot. It was a substantial change from the old U.S. teams, which were largely based on counterattacking.
You can expect a big difference between Berhalter and Pochettino. With a new coach coming in, expect a more aggressive approach than the USMNT have played over the past six years.
AdvertisementImagoThe bread-and-butter tactics
Marlon Fossey put it well after the USMNT's draw with New Zealand: the USMNT's players better be ready to run.
"He likes fitness a lot," Fossey said. "But I think, yeah, it'll be different for us to have a coach of that caliber, a coach of that experience. These are exciting times.
"He's very hard on the players. He likes the fitness element, but also, I've heard that he's a very good man-manager, very good from a player-to-player perspective. It should be fun."
Pochettino is known for asking his team to press and press hard. He generally sets his team up in a 4-2-3-1 designed to counter-press, to win the ball back in good areas and to dictate the game from there. Much of his style is centered around intensity. If you don't bring it, he'll find someone else who will.
Part of the reason Pochettino is so effective with young players is that they tend to be more malleable and more willing to do the endurance work required to make his system work.
The Argentine is also known for his flexibility, though. He's had to be, considering the different style of teams he's coached. Paris Saint-Germain can't play the same way as, say, Southampton. It's the nature of these things.
As a result, Pochettino isn't married to a set formation or necessarily a set style. The intensity and energy, though, always remain. Because of that, you can expect major adjustments, particularly after recent USMNT performances that have lacked any semblance of pace, poise or persistence.
GettyPlayers Poch will love
The toughest part of being an international coach is the inability to pick your players. There are no transfer windows to allow a coach to simply sign a new starter. He has to work with the players available at a national level.
Based on Pochettino's past work, you can look at this U.S. team and project several players he will love, and several players that will really benefit from working with him.
Chief among them? Christian Pulisic. Pochetino knows how to work with superstars and, straight tallk, Pulisic is this team's only real superstar. Consider what Pochettino did with Heung-min Son on the wing, and you begin to wonder what kind of ideas he'll have for Pulisic.
"Football is about scoring and if you want to do that, you have to go forward," Son said of his time under Pochettino. "That is what he wants me to do. I don't want to do difficult things, just go straight."
There are other players that will remind Pochettino of some of the best he's worked with. Yunus Musah has the potential to be a Moussa Dembele-like presence. Folarin Balogun will benefit from the type of advice and coaching that made Harry Kane a star. Could Gio Reyna, when healthy, turn into a Dele Alli type of player for this team?
Because of his success particularly at Southampton and Tottenham, Pochettino is known as a coach that takes good players and makes them great. He's known for taking decent teams and helping them compete against the best. And based on the recent sample size, that's exactly what this team needs.
Getty ImagesDeveloping young stars
At the 2022 World Cup, the USMNT was the second-youngest team in the competition. Though there are countless familiar names, many of this team's players are still not yet in their prime.
Pulisic, who turns 26 next week, is getting there. Weston McKennie just turned 26, while Tyler Adams is 25. Aside from Tim Ream and Matt Turner, every Copa America starter for the USMNT was under 27. This team is still very young compared to most that will be in their path at the 2026 World Cup.
That includes the likes of Musah and Reyna, both of whom are 21. Balogun is just 22. These players, despite all of their experience, are just getting started. Their careers are only just getting started.
And while that youthfulness can sometimes explain mistakes and inconsistent play, at some point soon, youth won't be an excuse. Particularly when the World Cup arrives, this team won't be able to blame inexperience for losses. By 2026, this group needs to be hitting their stride, regardless of age.
That's where Pochettino comes in. He's a coach who thrives on building teams that, when he walks in, aren't a finished product. The USMNT is nowhere close. This summer was proof of that. There are still a lot of lessons this team needs to learn when it comes to intensity, effort and winning.
Pochettino is a coach that can teach them. He's been hailed by many as a fantastic man-manager, one that convinces players to buy in both on and off the field. It's why so many Chelsea players were sad to see him go this summer despite all of the chaos around the club.
"As a man-manager, he would push you if you slack off," said rising star Cole Palmer. "He’s been really good for me. He kept me relaxed and we had a really good relationship. He had a tough job, half the team has been injured – some very important players, too – so it’s been difficult for him, but everyone loved him. All the players did and he’s been very important for me as well.”
The nature of the international game means that Pochettino won't be around these USMNT players on a daily basis, but he will still be able to make them better in his limited time with them. That part of it is worth remembering, though: Pochettino's impact will be different on the international side than as a club-level coach.