Mauricio Pochettino and Rafa Benítez linked with vacant USMNT job

The United States continue their search for a new coach to restart the project ahead of the 2026 World Cup. After Gregg Berhalter’s departure following a terrible Copa América, Matt Crocker, US Soccer’s sporting director, is already working on the search for a successor.

The first option was the German Jürgen Klopp. However, he rejected the call which meant they had to look for alternatives, among which are the Argentine Mauricio Pochettino and the Spanish Rafael Benítez.

According to Diario Olé, the former Chelsea coach is on the list of candidates to be the new coach of the Stars and Stripes, in addition to the fact that he is a free agent after ending his contract with the ‘Blues’.

The 52-year-old Argentinean has experience in Europe and led Tottenham to play in the Champions League. To add, he would have a promising crop of young players, which the manager likes to work with.

Pochettino comes off the back of a difficult spell with Chelsea, but he still managed to get the club to the Conference League and finish with a 59% success rate during his time with the London club.

Pochettino’s style is one of high pressing, a direct attack and compact defence, all while minimising transition time, qualities that he could bring to the North American team and make them grow for the 2026 World Cup.

In addition to the Argentinean, according to CBS Sports, Rafael Benítez has also his name forward and has even taken the initiative of contacting the top officials of the U.S. Federation to show interest in the project.

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Despite being without a team since March 12, 2024, Benítez has a lot of experience and is another interesting option for the U.S. national team, after coaching teams such as Real Madrid, Napoli, Liverpool, among others.

As for Benítez, he prioritises order, both when attacking and defending. His teams also tend to implement a system of quick and vertical attacks towards the opposing goal.