АНУ-ын шигшээ багийн ахлах дасгалжуулагч Маурисио Почеттино гэрээгээ сунгаснаас 102 хоногийн дараа албан тушаалаасаа огцорч, Манчестер Юнайтед-ийн удирдах зөвлөлтэй нэгдэхээр болжээ.
Маурисио Почеттино АНУ-ын шигшээ багтай дөрвөн жилийн гэрээ байгуулснаас хойш богино хугацааны дараа ийнхүү ажлаа хүлээлгэн өгч байгаа нь олны анхаарлыг татаад байна. Тэрээр ирэх долоо хоногт Манчестер Юнайтед-ийн ахлах дасгалжуулагчийн албыг хүлээн авах бөгөөд энэ шийдвэрээ гаргахдаа сэтгэл хөдлөлөө барьж чадалгүй нулимс унагажээ. Почеттиногийн хувьд АНУ-ын шигшээ багтай хамтран ажилласан хугацаа нь “гайхалтай төсөл” байсан хэдий ч Манчестер Юнайтед-ээс ирсэн санал нь татгалзахад хэцүү боломж байсан хэмээн тайлбарлав.
АНУ-ын хөлбөмбөгийн холбоо (USSF) гэрээнд 10 сая ам.долларын нөхөн төлбөрийн заалт тусгасан байсан тул Манчестер Юнайтед энэхүү дүнг төлөх юм. Почеттиногийн удирдлага дор АНУ-ын шигшээ баг тодорхой ахиц дэвшил гаргаж, багийн соёл болон тоглолтын арга барил сайжирсан гэж тус холбооны гүйцэтгэх захирал Ж.Т.Батсон онцоллоо. Тэрээр АНУ-ын шигшээ багтайгаа хамт ирэх бямба гарагт Майамид, мягмар гарагт Цинциннатид Гаитийн эсрэг CONCACAF Nations League-ийн шөвгийн наймын тоглолтуудыг хийхээр төлөвлөж байна.
Шинэ дасгалжуулагчийг томилох үйл явцыг Ж.Т.Батсон болон үйл ажиллагаа хариуцсан захирал Дан Хелфрич нар удирдан явуулахаар болсон бөгөөд эмэгтэйчүүдийн шигшээ багийн дасгалжуулагч Эмма Хэйс энэ ажилд туслалцаа үзүүлэх юм. Одоогоор 23 хүртэлх насны шигшээ багийг удирдаж буй Стив Черундоло ирэх сард болох цугларалтыг хариуцан ажиллахаар болсон байна. АНУ-ын шигшээ баг ирэх гуравдугаар сар хүртэл бүрэн бүрэлдэхүүнээрээ цуглахгүй бөгөөд шинэ дасгалжуулагчийн асуудал энэ хугацаанд тодорхой болох эсэх нь одоогоор тодорхойгүй байна.
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — No matter how many times Mauricio Pochettino says he was in it for the long run, cynics will probably never accept his second term as U.S. coach was ever going to last through the 2030 World Cup.
Four years is an eternity in the life of a high-end boss accustomed to the 90-minute dopamine rush of the European club scene.
And on Friday, just 102 days after signing a four-year contract to continue the productive work he began in the fall of 2024 and carried through this summer’s World Cup, Pochettino struggled to hold back tears at a news conference announcing he will depart next week to become Manchester United’s head coach.
“I’m talking with my heart,” he said while choking up.
His U.S. farewell will come after the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti on Saturday in Miami and Tuesday in Cincinnati. Then it’s off to Old Trafford.
A suitor with less prestige might not have drawn him away from what he called “an amazing project” with the U.S.
But this wasn’t just any suitor; it was Manchester bloody-freakin’ United — a club that had spoken to Pochettino on three other occasions over the years and now is in desperate need of help amid its worst start in 40 years.
“I never said that I want to go back” to Europe, Pochettino said of suggestions he wasn’t going to stay with the U.S. until 2030. “They know not too many opportunities can happen in your career like Manchester United. And of course, when that arrives, it’s difficult to turn down that situation. But what I want to make clear, when we decide [to re-sign] together to extend our commitment,” he was looking to 2030.
With a portfolio that includes a Champions League runner-up medal at Tottenham Hotspur, plus spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, Pochettino was commonly mentioned during his U.S. tenure as a possible replacement somewhere in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A or the other major European circuits.
Tottenham and AC Milan were reportedly pursuing him in his first 18 months on the job. And while he wouldn’t have thumbed his nose at either club, the World Cup — his first World Cup as a coach — was on the horizon. He wasn’t going to leave his U.S. bosses hanging.
Now it was different. Not only was United calling, but he had left the U.S. program in a good place and with the luxury of a long run-up to major competition and ultimately the next World Cup.
Pochettino said working for the U.S. was “a project and a program we were evolving together. That is why it makes it more difficult — a decision that, in some part, is a very sad decision, and in another part, we are professional and we need also to try to find the next step and try to make your dreams come true.”
Pochettino aimed to make U.S. dreams come true this summer, though he fell short of getting beyond the World Cup’s Round of 16 — the frustratingly typical American exit ramp.
He is, though, leaving the program in a much better place than it was when he arrived — with greater depth, a stronger culture, a pleasant playing style and heightened confidence and pride. Playing the World Cup on home soil, the U.S. performance (until the Belgium elimination match) captured hearts and elevated enthusiasm in not just the program but soccer at large.
“We have a team with great momentum. … Mauricio and his staff have raised the standard,” chief executive J.T. Batson said. “The belief of what’s possible for soccer in this country has never been higher.”
There is, though, a lingering sense that Batson and his colleagues should have seen this coming, if not after 102 days but in the coming months. Pochettino is Argentine but he’s very much European, and he’s very much a club coach at heart.
The USSF was smart enough to include a $10 million release clause in Pochettino’s contract — a figure United must fork over to the USSF.
“Those funds are available for us to invest to make the biggest impact on our goals [and] making sure we have the resources to achieve our goals, including have a world-class coach,” Batson said.
In other words, if another big pile of cash is needed to secure the next coach, the USSF will tap into it. Pochettino earned about $6 million, a USSF record. Getting him on board two years ago, though, was made possible by outside benefactors.
In the sign of the times in sports, Pochettino gave thanks to hedge fund manager Scott Goodwin, who, along with billionaire Ken Griffin, helped buffer his salary. It’s unclear whether the benefactors will ask the USSF for a return on their investment, so to speak, or continue bolstering the federation’s efforts.
The coaching search, led by Batson and chief operating officer Dan Helfrich, will commence right away. Emma Hayes, the gold medal-winning women’s coach, will assist. Steve Cherundolo — the under-23 coach prepping the 2028 Olympic team and a possible senior candidate — will handle a low-key camp without European players next month. The full squad won’t regather until mid-March.
“Our ambition is high,” Batson said, “and we believe this is one of the great coaching jobs in the world.”
It’s unclear if, by March, the new boss will be in place. But Pochettino could keep the momentum going by leading the U.S. to that Nations League’s final four — a place it’s been in each of the previous four editions of the regional tournament.
He might be a lame duck, but Pochettino insisted he won’t let his mind wander to the massive challenge awaiting him in Manchester. On Friday, he repeatedly said he and the U.S. team’s focus is on the Haiti matches.
“For sure, they are going to perform,” he said. “We are very optimistic, and I think it’s a very natural way to finish our partnership.”
Given his abrupt departure, getting the most out of the team is the least he could do.
