Mauricio Pochettino targets U.S. 2026 World Cup success with USWNT the ‘inspiration’

Mauricio Pochettino says the U.S. men’s national team can take inspiration from the USWNT and Emma Hayes as he targets a successful World Cup on home soil in just 21 months’ time.

The newly appointed head coach of the USMNT took his first public comments on Friday as an opportunity to set high expectations for what he hopes to achieve over the next two years. His contract runs through the 2026 World Cup.

USWNT head coach Hayes and Pochettino became friends at Chelsea last season, with the pair leading the respective men’s and women’s sides, and Pochettino says the recently crowned Olympic champions have provided his side with an “objective to match”.

“One of the most important things that we can be inspired by is the women’s team,” Pochettino said. “We have Emma (Hayes) that, for me, is the best coach in the world … and the women’s team in history has won everything. For me, it’s so close to us.

“I think that is going to be our inspiration,” he said. “That is the objective to match.”

The 52-year-old arrives at U.S. Soccer as the most high-profile candidate to take on the challenge of guiding the men’s national team. While Pochettino has never coached a national team, he has an extensive resume at the club level across Europe.

His most recent stint was at Chelsea. While only in charge for 11 months, Pochettino led the team to a top-six finish in the Premier League, the Carabao Cup final and an FA Cup semi-final in season riddled with its own unique challenges.

In taking the role with the U.S. team, Pocchetino said he was drawn by the unique challenges of unlocking the potential of a young team in a nation that will soon host a World Cup. He was also drawn by the growing popularity of soccer in the U.S., boosted last year with the arrival of Lionel Messi to Major League Soccer.

“I believe that the evolution of football here in the U.S. is obvious, no? We had the opportunity over the years with different teams – Tottenham, Chelsea – to come and play in summer tournaments and we saw and felt how the fan base is growing, how clubs are developing and evolving,” Pochettino added. “So it’s exciting to see how quickly this evolution is happening, no?

“I believe with the additional help from people like the Federation, like MLS, I believe that is all important contributions to the development of soccer here in the U.S. It’s happening very quickly. The arrival of important players in the league also helps that development.

“The arrival of Leo Messi, too, gave an important boost to how the world perceives the U.S. now, and how people discover soccer here in the U.S. They can start to see that the talent exists, that there are 350million people who like football, that soccer every day is growing more, and I believe that helped the outside world look at the U.S. through different eyes.

“Plus, the hosting of the World Cup in 2026 I believe also helps us a bit be, on this day, the center of the world. The focus is here on the U.S., no?”

Pochettino was formally appointed on Tuesday, following reports by The Athletic he verbally accepted the job weeks prior. His appointment was delayed because of accounting issues with his previous employer, Chelsea. The two agreed to mutually part ways after one season. Pochettino quickly rose to the top as a potential candidate for the U.S., and soon received a call from Matt Crocker, U.S. Soccer’s Sporting Director.

The Argentine takes over a vacancy left behind by Gregg Berhalter, who was fired on July 10 after the team’s disappointing group stage exit at Copa America. Now, U.S. Soccer hopes Pochettino can steer its “golden generation” to a successful World Cup in 2026.

Pochettino began his managerial career at Espanyol in Spain, where he also played. He later coached Southampton, becoming only the second Argentine to coach in the Premier League. It was there Pochettino crossed paths with Crocker. He also had spells at Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain, before eventually landing at Chelsea.

U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said on Friday that Pochettino’s resume was important when considering him for the job, as was his interest in developing a foundation within the program that will flourish beyond his tenure. She has high expectations for what Pochettino can achieve with the men’s national team.

“With his experience in player development, his experience in coaching at the highest levels in the world, I think we are going to see a lot of changes – not only till ’26, but far beyond ’26,” Parlow Cone said. “So that’s what we’re looking for, someone who can come in from day one, like Emma did, right? She had 8 weeks to win a gold medal and turn the women’s team around, and I think Poch has the same abilities to do something similar with the men’s team.”

GO DEEPER

How USMNT landed Pochettino: Hayes’ role, Chelsea delays and Argentine steak

(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)