SOCCER
How much money will Mauricio Pochettino make as the USMNT head coach? Salary and contract years
The former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss will become the highest-paid coach in the history of the United States men’s national team.
The United States take on New Zealand on Tuesday in their second fixture of the international break. The team will be eager to bounce back from Saturday’s loss to Canada and yet, whatever the score at TQL Stadium, the real story came ahead of kick-off.
After much speculation, US Soccer have finally announced that Mauricio Pochettino will take over as head coach. He replaces Gregg Berhalter, who saw the second of his two stints with USMNT end in a bleak showing at the summer’s Copa America.
Pochettino is considered the ideal candidate for the job; bringing the lustre of a career at the elite level in Europe, while maintaining a reputation as a hard-working improver of talented players. For US Soccer, it’s the perfect combination. And one that doesn’t come cheap.
What is Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT salary?
Pochettino’s first major success as a coach came with Tottenham Hotspur, whom he transformed into one of the Premier League’s top sides and led to the final of the Champions League. After leaving Spurs he went on to coach Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, two of the richest clubs in world soccer.
Accordingly, his recent contracts were extremely well-paid.
ESPN report that Pochettino will receive a salary of $6 million per year while in charge of USMNT, comfortably the highest-paid coach in the history of the national team. For comparison, Berhalter earned $2.3 million in 2022, which included a $900,000 bonus for reaching the second round of the World Cup.
A proportion of that salary may be funded by former team Chelsea, who dismissed Pochettino earlier this summer with one year remaining on his deal. US Soccer’s announcement also indicated that other partners had been enlisted to help fund the deal, including a “philanthropic leadership gift” from Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst.
Will Mauricio Pochettino be a success with USMNT?
With less than two years to go until the 2026 World Cup on home soil, the status of the United States Men’s National Team could well be described as ‘sub-optimal’. The summer’s Copa America was a key staging post on the route to 2026 and the US flopped, failing to emerge from a group at the expense of minnows Panama.
Pochettino has vast experience of elite level coaching and will command instant respect from his new charges. But a key part of the Argentine’s remit will be bringing through a new generation of young players, blooding them in time to feature prominently at the upcoming World Cup.
At Tottenham Pochettino formed an exciting team around young English players, including Harry Kane, Dele Ali and Eric Dier. At Chelsea he oversaw the explosion of Cole Palmer as a Premier League star, handing the youngster real freedom to express himself.
In a statement confirming Pochettino’s imminent arrival, US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker praised the new head coach’s “deep passion for player development,” adding: “His track record speaks for itself, and I am confident that he is the right choice to harness the immense potential within our talented squad.”