Mauricio Pochettino was one of the world’s most exciting young managers not so long ago. He was hired by Tottenham Hotspur after stints at Espanyol and Southampton.
He led Spurs to a Champions League final and had them contending for domestic trophies in England on a regular basis, despite the fact that he was unable to win a title with the Premier League team. Then came very lacklustre stints at Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, where it seemed like the world was at his feet.
However, when he departed the continent and club football in general to take a position as manager of the U.S. men’s national team, it came as a huge shock to European football fans. How is Pochettino doing now that he has managed eight games?
Following consecutive losses, the media starts to turn against Pochettino.
The “miserable” international break endured by the USMNT
CECILIO WATERMAN AT THE DEATH🔥
PANAMA ARE HEADED TO THE CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE FINAL 🇵🇦 pic.twitter.com/3mKdPR668Y
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) March 21, 2025
As the host nation for the 2026 World Cup, Pochettino under more pressure than any other USMNT head coach in history. Donald Trump has even been asking about the team’s performance. Gianni Infantino was recently questioned, “Can we win the World Cup?” Infantino replied brashly that they could.
However, supporters are feeling much less hopeful after back-to-back losses during the March international break. With forward Cecilio Waterman scoring a historic goal in the 94th minute, Panama won 1-0 in the Concacaf Nations League semi-final. He then made headlines for his jubilant celebration with Thierry Henry.
Tyler Adams was forced to publicly defend his coach after Pochettino received a lot of criticism, stating: “I’ve never blamed a coach in my entire career.” Unless you try something totally out of the blue, the players determine the losses. After today, there was no lack of communication. We were fully aware of what we had to do. We were aware that we had to be competitive. We weren’t as competitive as we should have been, in my opinion.
Then, in the competition’s third-place playoff match, they fell 2-1 to Canada, which made matters worse. When asked what would happen if the team suffered a third straight defeat, commentator Alexi Lalas criticised the manager in his post-game remarks:
Nothing occurs with Pochettino. He will still earn $6 million annually, and the outcome of the 2026 World Cup will be the only factor used to evaluate him. But just when you want it to be heading upward, support for, relevance of, and faith in him and the #USMNT will continue to diminish.”
According to ESPN, the most recent international break was a “miserable window for Pochettino’s USMNT.” The New York Times has said elsewhere that “the Argentine is charming, for certain, but his guile will mean nothing if he can’t accomplish his stated goals.”
For the first time since the two nations started playing each other in 1925, the USMNT has now lost consecutive home games to Canada.
Due to his poor performance, fans criticise Pochettino, saying, “He won’t have a job before 2026.”
Fans Slam Pochettino Amid Poor Form
“He won’t have a job before 2026”
In recent years, fans have also been somewhat harsh. It’s safe to assume that many people are beginning to have their doubts about the former Chelsea and Tottenham manager after the two recent defeats. Ironically, one wrote:
“Pochettino masterfully setting rock bottom expectations for the World Cup so when we score a goal it will be considered a huge win.”
He said this a few hours ago 😭 #USMNT pic.twitter.com/uxn65ODNDt
— Edgar (@ConcacafEdgar) March 21, 2025
Then someone else said, “He’s hot garbage.” The comments that followed were similar: “I can’t watch this game because this team is garbage.”
Additionally: “[Gregg] Berhalter produced greater outcomes from this team. Since taking over as coach, Poch has been terrible. However, one scathing prediction was that “He won’t have a job before 2026.”
