Pochettino Leaves USMNT for Manchester United
Mauricio Pochettino is leaving the United States men's national team to take one of the biggest jobs in football. Manchester United confirmed on Friday 13 November 2026 that the Argentine will become the club's new head coach, on a two-and-a-half-year contract, taking over on 18 November with his first match at Liverpool four days later.
It is a move that stunned American soccer. Just three months ago, Pochettino signed a new contract to lead the US through the 2030 World Cup. On Friday, sitting between US Soccer's chief executive and president in Fayetteville, Georgia, he was in tears as he explained why he was walking away from it. "It's difficult to talk now," he said. Leaving the US team, he added, was "the most difficult decision of [his] career."
The Appointment
The move came together in a whirlwind week. From seemingly out of nowhere, Pochettino was installed as the favourite to replace Michael Carrick as Manchester United manager. Talk quickly became action: United fired Carrick, their legendary former midfielder, on Thursday 12 November, and Pochettino was confirmed as the club's new boss less than 24 hours later, reportedly on a two-and-a-half-year contract running until the summer of 2029.
Manchester United announced the appointment on Friday, and US Soccer confirmed that Pochettino and his staff will be released from their US contracts after the current international break. He will officially take over at Old Trafford on Wednesday 18 November, and his first game in charge will be against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday 22 November — about as demanding a debut as English football can offer.
Pochettino, 54, replaces Carrick after United's worst league start in 40 years. The 20-time English champions sit 18th in the 20-team Premier League after 10 games — in the relegation zone. He becomes United's eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
According to The Athletic's Adam Crafton and David Ornstein, Manchester United triggered a reported $10-million release clause in Pochettino's US Soccer contract to prise him away. US Soccer had announced his contract extension through the 2030 World Cup only in August — a deal that also involved him deeply in the federation's youth pathways and initiatives.
Why He Left
Pochettino has been open for years about his dream of one day managing Manchester United. At Friday's press conference, originally scheduled to preview Saturday's CONCACAF Nations League match against Haiti, he did not hide how hard the decision had been. "Yes, I had signed a new deal until 2030, but the [US Soccer] federation knows not so many opportunities appear in your life like Manchester United," he said.
His gratitude toward the American job was genuine, and it shaped the terms of his departure: he insisted on seeing out the November camp, staying on the touchline for both legs of the Nations League quarter-final against Haiti before packing his bags for the Premier League. That, rather than a clean break, was the compromise he asked for — and both sides agreed to it.
For United, the attraction is clear. Pochettino is one of the most respected coaches of his generation: a former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain manager who built a young Tottenham side into Champions League finalists, and who took over an ailing US team in 2024 and led the co-host Americans to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. He is a builder of teams, and United — 18th in the league, on their eighth manager in 13 years — need building.
For Pochettino, the attraction is the job itself. Manchester United remains, whatever its recent record, one of the biggest clubs in the world. A coach who has waited years for the call does not turn it down when it finally comes — even three months after signing a contract through 2030.
What He Leaves Behind at the USMNT
Pochettino manned the USMNT's helm for just over two years, assuming the role in September 2024. He took over a team that had underperformed and, within two years, led the co-host Americans to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup on home soil. It was a solid return — not a triumph, but a clear step forward for a programme that had been drifting.
His departure leaves US Soccer with a problem it did not expect to have in November 2026. The federation had planned its next four-year cycle around him, with the 2030 World Cup as the destination and Pochettino involved in youth pathways as well as the senior team. All of that now has to be rebuilt around someone else, with the next World Cup cycle already under way.
The short-term answer is Steve Cherundolo, the U-23 Olympics team manager and former US international who previously coached LAFC in Major League Soccer. Cherundolo will take over as interim head coach, starting with the December camp, while US Soccer searches for a permanent replacement. Reports say Pep Guardiola is the federation's top target as a successor — an ambitious name, and a measure of how highly US Soccer now values the job.
The longer-term question is whether the progress Pochettino made survives his departure. He leaves behind a team that knows how to compete at a World Cup, a youth structure he helped to shape, and a federation that now has to find a coach of similar standing on short notice. That is a harder job in November than it would have been in the summer.
The Job at Old Trafford
The job Pochettino inherits is, as USMNT legend Tony Meola put it, starting from the bottom. United are 18th after 10 games, their worst start in 40 years, and the squad that finished the last campaign in mid-table has not improved. Carrick, a club legend as a player, lasted only months in the job before being dismissed for overseeing that start.
Pochettino's first test could hardly be harder: Liverpool at Anfield on 22 November, four days after he takes over, against the club's fiercest rivals. After that comes the slower work — rebuilding confidence, organising a defence, and turning a squad of expensive individuals into a team. It is the kind of work he did best at Tottenham, where he took a young squad and made it one of the best in Europe.
What he cannot do is rebuild overnight. United's problems are structural as much as tactical: eight permanent managers in 13 years tells its own story about a club that has changed coaches faster than it has changed its fortunes. Pochettino's two-and-a-half-year contract gives him time, but the Premier League does not give managers much of it. The Liverpool match will be watched as a first impression; the months after it will decide whether the appointment works.
What Happens Next
Pochettino and his assistants will remain with the US for the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals against Haiti — on Saturday 14 November and Tuesday 17 November — before departing for Manchester. Those are his final matches in charge of the US, after a 26-month stay.
He will begin operations at Old Trafford officially on Wednesday 18 November, and take charge of his first match at Liverpool on Sunday 22 November. US Soccer, meanwhile, begins its search for a permanent successor in earnest, with Cherundolo holding the team through the December camp.
For American soccer, the next few weeks will be a test of how much of Pochettino's work survives without him. For Manchester United, they will be the start of yet another rebuild — this time under a manager who has wanted the job for years.
Timeline
- September 2024: Pochettino takes over as head coach of the US men's national team.
- Summer 2026: he leads the co-host United States to the round of 16 at the World Cup.
- August 2026: US Soccer announces his new contract to lead the Americans through the 2030 World Cup.
- Thursday 12 November 2026: Manchester United fire Michael Carrick after the club's worst league start in 40 years.
- Friday 13 November 2026: United confirm Pochettino as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract; a tearful Pochettino calls leaving the USMNT "the most difficult decision of [his] career".
- Saturday 14 November 2026: Pochettino coaches the US against Haiti in the Nations League quarter-final, first leg.
- Tuesday 17 November 2026: the second leg against Haiti — his final match in charge of the US.
- Wednesday 18 November 2026: Pochettino officially takes over at Manchester United.
- Sunday 22 November 2026: his first match in charge: Liverpool at Anfield.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mauricio Pochettino the new Manchester United manager?
Yes. Manchester United confirmed on Friday, 13 November 2026, that Pochettino will become the club's new head coach. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract running until the summer of 2029 and will officially take over on 18 November.
When is Pochettino's first match in charge of Manchester United?
His first match will be against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, 22 November 2026 — one of the biggest fixtures in English football, four days after he takes over.
Who did Pochettino replace at Manchester United?
Michael Carrick, the former United midfielder, who was fired on Thursday, 12 November, after overseeing the club's worst league start in 40 years. United are 18th in the 20-team Premier League after 10 games.
Why did Pochettino leave the US national team?
He called it his dream job. Pochettino has said for years that he wanted to manage Manchester United one day. At a tearful press conference on 13 November, he called leaving the US team "the most difficult decision of [his] career" — but said an opportunity like Manchester United does not come often. United reportedly triggered a $10-million release clause in his US Soccer contract.
How long was Pochettino in charge of the USMNT?
Just over two years. He took over in September 2024 and led the co-host Americans to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. In August 2026 he had signed a new contract to lead the team through the 2030 World Cup — three months before leaving for United.
Is Pochettino still coaching the US team against Haiti?
Yes. He and his staff will stay with the US for the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals against Haiti on Saturday, 14 November and Tuesday, 17 November, before departing for Manchester. Those are his final matches in charge.
Who will coach the US men's national team now?
Steve Cherundolo, the U-23 Olympics team manager and former US international, will take over as interim head coach, starting with the December camp. US Soccer is searching for a permanent replacement, and Pep Guardiola is reportedly the federation's top target.
How many managers has Manchester United had since Alex Ferguson?
Pochettino is the eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. He takes over a club in the relegation zone after 10 games of the Premier League season.
Related Reading
- Premier League Matchday 8 Preview — the season that put United in the relegation zone.
- FAA Nationwide Ground Stop: All US Flights Halted — Friday's other big story from the US.
Sources
- Associated Press (via Sportsnet) — Man United appoints USMNT coach Pochettino as new manager — the AP report: the 2.5-year contract, the 18 November start, the Liverpool debut and the 18th-place league position.
- Sports Illustrated — Tearful Mauricio Pochettino Claims USMNT Exit the 'Most Difficult Decision' — the tearful press conference, the Haiti farewell matches, the August 2030 extension and the $10-million release clause.
- theScore — Pochettino leaving USMNT to become Manchester United coach — the Friday confirmation, the contract to summer 2029, and the 22 November Liverpool debut.
- NPR (via WCMU) — USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino is leaving for Manchester United — the World Cup round of 16, the August extension, Cherundolo as interim and the December camp.
This article was published on 15 November 2026. Pochettino's first match in charge of Manchester United is scheduled for 22 November 2026 at Liverpool.