FACTS
Manchester United named Mauricio Pochettino its men’s head coach on Friday, Nov. 13, a day after the English club dismissed Michael Carrick. Pochettino, 54, is leaving his job as head coach of the U.S. men’s national soccer team after two Concacaf Nations League games against Haiti, U.S. Soccer said.
Mauricio Pochettino’s deal with Manchester United
Pochettino signed a two-and-a-half-year contract that runs through the summer of 2029, according to RTE and Sky Sports. The agreement was finalized Thursday, Nov. 12, ESPN reported.
In its announcement, the club said, “Pochettino has consistently performed at the highest level of football across multiple leagues,” Sky Sports and ESPN reported. ESPN, citing sources, reported that United chief executive Omar Berrada told U.S. Soccer on Wednesday, Nov. 11, that the club was willing to trigger a $10 million (7.5 million pound) release clause in Pochettino’s contract. Sky Sports put the buyout at about 7.4 million pounds.
Sky Sports and ESPN reported that Pochettino was the only coach United spoke with directly about the job and was the unanimous choice of the club’s leadership, with approval from co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and, according to ESPN, the Glazer family. He is to start work at the club’s training ground on Wednesday, Nov. 18, ESPN reported. His first match is set for Sunday, Nov. 22, against Liverpool at Anfield, according to Al Jazeera.
“It’s the most difficult decision of my career, but we need to move forward,” Pochettino said Friday, according to ESPN. “When it arrives, it’s difficult to turn down.”
Pochettino previously managed Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. He led Tottenham to a Champions League final and won the French league title with PSG, Al Jazeera reported. He becomes United’s eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson left in May 2013, Al Jazeera reported.
Why the Manchester United job opened
United announced Carrick’s departure on Thursday, Nov. 12. “Manchester United can confirm that Michael Carrick has departed his role as men’s first-team head coach,” the club said, according to Al Jazeera.
Carrick took over on an interim basis in January after Ruben Amorim was dismissed and moved the team from seventh to third last season, earning a Champions League place, Al Jazeera reported. He signed a two-year contract in May, ESPN reported. This season, United have won one of 10 Premier League games, with five draws and four losses, and sit 18th, in the relegation zone, with eight points, according to Al Jazeera. RTE described it as the club’s worst start to a season since 1986.
Record with the U.S. men’s national team
U.S. Soccer said the team went 21-12-2 in 35 matches under Pochettino, who was hired in September 2024. The U.S. reached the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final. At the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. co-hosted, the team won its group and its first knockout-round game since 2002 before exiting in the round of 16, the federation said. Belgium beat the U.S. 4-1 in that game on July 6 in Seattle, according to MLSsoccer.com. U.S. Soccer said Pochettino’s three World Cup wins are the most of any U.S. men’s coach.
Pochettino had signed a new deal in August to coach the team through the 2030 World Cup, MLSsoccer.com reported.
“The opportunity to represent the USA crest was one of the greatest honors of my career,” Pochettino said, according to MLSsoccer.com and ESPN.
U.S. Soccer chief executive JT Batson said, “Mauricio has left a lasting mark on U.S. Soccer through his leadership, professionalism and commitment,” RTE reported. “What we are most proud of goes beyond the wins,” Batson said, according to MLSsoccer.com.
Who leads the USMNT next
Pochettino and his staff will coach the Nations League quarterfinal against Haiti, with the first leg set for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 4:30 p.m. ET at Nu Stadium in Miami and the second on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. ET at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, according to U.S. Soccer.
U.S. Soccer has not named a successor or an interim head coach. Steve Cherundolo, who oversees the U.S. under-23 team, will lead the previously scheduled December camp, which will feature a mostly MLS-based roster, the federation said. Batson and chief operating officer Dan Helfrich will lead the search for the next head coach, along with a leadership group that includes U.S. women’s coach Emma Hayes and Oguchi Onyewu.
More coverage is in the Stay Current News Sports section.
Photo: File photo of the inside of Old Trafford, Manchester United’s stadium, during a preseason friendly. Christopher Czermak / Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
