FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Barely 100 days into his second term as America’s coach, Mauricio Pochettino is leaving.
Barring a last-minute incident, his planned transfer to Manchester United will become official on Friday, Yahoo Sports has learned.
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An announcement expected at midday in England – and early morning in the United States – will end a whirlwind week of speculation and multi-party negotiations that went not so quietly as he continued to oversee American preparations at the national training center near Atlanta.
Sources said Pochettino, 54, will finish his two-year tenure with the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals against Haiti – Saturday in Miami and Tuesday in Cincinnati – before taking charge of a Premier League club that is off to its worst start in 40 years.
U.S. Soccer officials have not commented on the situation all week.
Pochettino is due to speak to the media on Friday morning, a common practice the day before a match.
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Pochettino will return to his coaching roots on the European club circuit, where he worked for Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, among others, before venturing into international waters for the first time with the United States.
Pochettino had held talks with United three times over the years but never got this bright spot. He is expected to make his debut on November 22 at Liverpool.
Their final in the United States will mark the end of a 37-match period that included a World Cup campaign that galvanized the nation for several weeks over the summer before a humbling last-16 defeat to Belgium.
The split comes just over three months after he and the U.S. Soccer Federation renewed their partnership in hopes he will guide the team for four years and reach new heights at the 2030 World Cup.
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But rehiring a coach with strong ties to the European scene – besides his jobs, he has lived in London and Barcelona and never lived in the United States – carried the risk of his premature departure. Even in the year leading up to this year’s 2026 World Cup, Pochettino was reportedly on the shortlist of both Tottenham and AC Milan.
The USSF should immediately begin searching for a replacement.
Potential candidates include Nashville SC’s BJ Callaghan, assistant on Gregg Berhalter’s 2022 World Cup team and later interim head coach; former Belgium and Portugal boss Roberto Martinez; U.S. under-23 coach Steve Cherundolo, hired this summer to prepare the 2028 Olympic team; and Pelegrino Matarazzo, a New Jersey native with many European credentials who now runs Spain’s Real Sociedad.
Pep Guardiola – the famous former coach of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City – would be on any team’s roster, although he seems much more likely to land another European job and would likely demand a salary that would eclipse Pochettino’s US record of $6 million.
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The USSF is in no hurry. In addition to having an opening just months into a nascent World Cup cycle, the United States won’t play with the full team again until late March. The next major tournament is the CONCACAF Gold Cup next summer. World Cup qualifying won’t begin until next fall.
The road to Pochettino’s departure began on Monday with reports from England that he had become United’s first choice to succeed Michael Carrick, who was in the hot seat after just 10 months at the helm.
In the following days, United began discussions with Pochettino’s representatives and the USSF, who had included a $10 million release clause in the contract signed by the parties after the World Cup.
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Carrick was fired on Thursday, paving the way for United to complete terms with Pochettino and finalize the USSF’s fee.
After signing his new USSF deal in August, Pochettino set out to shape the next four years by introducing a dozen young players for a sweep of four home friendlies during the September-October window – a sign he was very much in it for the long term.
However, hours after camp opened on Monday ahead of the Nations League quarter-finals, his long-term plans with the United States turned to quickly completing the transfer to United.
Gn sports
