It’s a hot-seat that has chomped up pretty much everyone who’s ever sat in it; now is the turn of Mauricio Pochettino. He may not be the Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp that so many American fans ambitiously craved, but appointing the Argentine is a huge coup and a significant statement of intent.

But what does this say about Pochettino and his goals? What now for his career? Is this but a pit stop or something far greater?

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    Previous victims

    We need to establish the context first. To start with, it’s worth stressing that not every manager in the history of the USMNT has been a failure. Far from it, in some cases.

    In recent times, all of Bob Bradley, Jurgen Klinsmann, Bruce Arena and Gregg Berhalter have enjoyed moderate levels of success – usually the odd World Cup appearance and maybe a Gold Cup title – but they have never turned ‘soccer’ into ‘football’.

    Some of those names were more adored than others, though they all eventually suffered the same fate. They were the nearly-men who dared to dream of a brighter America in the realms of this sport.

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  State of play

  Pochettino has hardly walked into the perfect job, but the silver linings are that he relishes such a challenge and most roles in football nowadays are, if anything, designed and contorted to be convoluted.

  The USMNT are coming off a massively disappointing Copa America on home soil, which was largely seen as the team’s warm-up for the 2026 World Cup. Their dismal group-stage exit has left the public short of confidence in the playing squad, and Pochettino has work to do in order to reverse that narrative.

  There is undoubtedly quality in the ranks that has underperformed as a collective to this point. But the players have no more excuses with an elite manager at the helm.

  For Pochettino, he is back in a high-profile job only months after controversially being let go by Chelsea. After a nigh-on disastrous start, he managed to steady the Stamford Bridge ship and lay some needed foundations for the Blues’ future, only to be relieved of his duties by Todd Boehly & Co.

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  Not worth the risk?

  But Pochettino’s decision to take his talents stateside raised eyebrows across Europe and his native South America. Why would he step into international football at this juncture of his career?

  From the outside looking in, Pochettino seemingly still had more to give to the club game. Though his Chelsea stint was far from rosy, he replenished his credit in the bank and would surely have been a leading contender for any major job with a vacancy (looking at you, Manchester United).

  With Pochettino’s reputation comes the demand for success and the promise of a brighter future. In USMNT terms, that will come in the form of a deep run at the World Cup and breaking through the sport’s glass ceiling in the country.

  It’s quite the ask of any manager, even one as accomplished as Pochettino. If he fails to deliver the goods, the prospects of his next job are bleak, while the USMNT will have trouble pitching to successors that their dugout isn’t actually cursed.

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  Method behind the madness

  Let’s get this straight, though – the USMNT were not in a position to overlook a manager like Pochettino. It’s a hire they had to make and one they should have few regrets about even if it all goes up in flames when it’s said and done.

  Pochettino, meanwhile, will also view this as a challenge worth getting stuck into. There is a prestige about this job that few others can really rival, while it could merely represent an opportune break from his club career.

  The politics behind Pochettino’s last few roles will almost certainly have taken their toll on him. His exit from Tottenham, a club he essentially rebuilt in the modern day, was unfair and undignified considering all he had done for them. At Paris Saint-Germain, he walked into a club run by the star players, while he was caught in the crossfire of Chelsea’s ‘civil war’.

  The most important person in the USMNT setup now is unquestionably Pochettino, and those upstairs who have had previous decisions questioned need to fall in line. He has that command and that level of immediate respect. Perhaps this is a want he wasn’t going to get with any other team.

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  Enormous upside

  It’s hardly beyond the realms of possibility that Pochettino makes a success of his time in the U.S. It’s only a little harder to envisage because of what will occur as a result of that success.

  The Argentine, though not used to the sparser nature of international football, should be able to implement a few habits which have followed him from job to job. The locker room will be more united than ever, spirits will be high, whatever team begins that fateful World Cup little under two years from now will be prepared to die for one another.

  Such unity will be undeniable, but it’ll count for little if results don’t follow. Once that hurdle is overcome, Americans will experience a new sensation – pride in a winning football team.

  Pochettino is at his best when he’s punching upwards, when he has doubters to disprove and critics to ignore. He’s not a total tactician like a Guardiola, but does have the nous to swing games and upset the applecart.

  That does, in some ways, make this task a more natural fit for Pochettino. And if he follows through with his aim of making the USMNT a troublesome adversary to football’s major players, then the country may finally grow to love and embrace the sport, rather than merely tolerate and dabble in it.

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  Unique opportunity

  Known for his love of lemons and the ‘universal energy’ they bring, Pochettino is an emotional man who will connect with the U.S. in a way few, if any of his predecessors have. There’ll be talk-show appearances and a new celebrity culture to embrace, the chance to become an A-lister. And that’s even before his team kicks-off at the World Cup on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles.

  Pochettino, at heart, is a warm soul who will defend his players to the death, but be the one to deflect praise from himself to them. There’s still a charm offensive, but not one based on ego or image. He’s authentically himself and doesn’t change that for anyone. These are qualities which will endear him to the American public, who at this point are desperate for a leader to do the serious talking more so from a results and culture perspective.

  The young talent, both coming through and already established as core players, is the ideal setup for Pochettino. They too will appreciate his CV and gravitas, his respect and record.

  Should he prove to really be the answer to American prayers, then Pochettino will sit alone in history as the guy who made men’s football a big deal, the equivalent of David Beckham and Lionel Messi to Major League Soccer, but on a larger scale.

  That kind of legacy might mean more to Pochettino than a trophy or two in the club game. This would be a genuinely unparalleled achievement. It could open up more doors in the game, or better yet, be the pinnacle of a fascinating career. It might not even matter what he does afterwards.