One Year Later: How Mauricio Pochettino Has Implemented His USMNT Vision

One year ago, on Sept. 10, 2024, Mauricio Pochettino was named the U.S. Men’s National Team head coach. The federation sought out a leader to lead the USMNT into one of the biggest moments in U.S. Soccer history as the country co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

One year later, that journey under Pochettino continues with sights set on next summer.

Pochettino, with a year under his belt, coached his 18th match as the U.S. defeated No. 17-ranked Japan 2-0 in Columbus, Ohio. The USMNT split games between Korea Republic and Japan, two of the highest-ranked Asian nations, in the September window.

Overall, Pochettino has a 10W-7L-1D record with the USA, including a run to the Concacaf Gold Cup Final. The first-year international head coach led a relatively inexperienced group that entered the summer with an average of 16 caps to the championship match in July.

When Pochettino was introduced to the media and the U.S. Soccer ecosystem, he emphasized creating a special relationship with his players. One where they feel like the coaching staff cares for players on a personal level, especially when they get extended time together during National Team camps. Veteran center back Tim Ream has worked with several coaches on the club and international level, and the 37-year-old took note of how Pochettino has fostered those bonds in the last year.

“He's very vocal with all the guys on the team and makes sure that he has close connections and conversations with everybody as we're in camp,” Ream said of Pochettino. “I think that's one of his mantras — that close connection, that tight-knit group that he wants to foster and the culture he wants to create. He's really good at that, and the entire staff is really good at creating those one-on-one moments to understand each other and get to know each other better. That can only be a positive going forward.”

Ream said Pochettino makes sure to pull players aside to speak to them individually, whether that’s conversations about the game or open communication about what development the coaching staff wants to see out of players. Ream values that constant communication. It gives the players a sense that the staff notice, that they care. Then the rest is up to the guys on the field to make that vision come to fruition.

“It's down to their communication, but also the rest of the players who have consistently gone through the process with him to make sure we're driving home their ideas and their thought process and the things they're asking to do and just continually communicating that message amongst ourselves as well,” Ream said.

While spending time developing individual players, Pochettino dug deep into the player pool in the last year. A total of 59 players have earned caps under the head coach with 17 different goal scorers in 18 games. Most recently, Pochettino used the September camp as another effort to scour the talent pool before tightening up the roster heading into next summer.

As much as fostering depth and creating a communicative environment is important to Pochettino, developing a winning mentality is just as imperative. However, that doesn’t manifest overnight. The longtime former English Premier League head coach has repeatedly spoken about patience, knowing that arriving at the Group Stage in Los Angeles next June in exceptional form is of the utmost importance.

That’s why the USMNT has faced and will continue to face World Cup-level talent in friendlies leading into the biggest event in sports. Both Korea and Japan are already locked in for the World Cup. Next, the U.S. will take on Ecuador and Australia, two teams that recently qualified for the tournament in October. After that, in the November window, the USMNT will host Uruguay and Paraguay, again, two World Cup-bound teams.

Top-quality competition breeds a high-level squad. The winning culture that continues to develop is one that Pochettino and the USMNT star players alike are on the same page about building.

"The National Team can be tough because you don't spend your day-to-day together,” forward Christian Pulisic said. “I think in the camps we've come in and gotten to know each other. We're starting to really learn each other, learn the team, and how we can both help each other as best we can to go forward and try and win."