Mauricio Pochettino wants to become the new head coach of the USA, despite being linked with the vacant post in England following the departure of Gareth Southgate

Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly agreed to become the new head coach of the United States national soccer team.

The former Tottenham manager has been out of work since parting ways with Chelsea at the end of last season. The Argentine had been linked with the vacant England manager position following the departure of Gareth Southgate last month.

His signing by the North American team, which fired its former head coach Gregg Berhalter in July after a weak Copa America season, is a major coup.

In just two years, the United States will be co-hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1994. According to The Telegraph, Pochettino has now agreed to become their new coach after speculation about his move.

The length of his contract has not yet been announced, but his task will be to improve the team’s winning streak, which has faltered in recent years, before hosting the tournament in 2026.

Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly agreed to become the new head coach of the United States men’s national team.

Gregg Berhalter (left) was fired last month after the United States became the first Copa America host nation to fail to advance past the group stage.

Earlier this month, the United States became the first Copa America host nation to fail to advance past the group stage, a failure that was the last straw for Berhalter in his second term in office.

In his first tenure as coach of the U.S. national team from December 2018 to December 2022, Berhalter won 61 percent of his 60 games as coach, but in his second tenure of just 11 months, that percentage dropped to 50 percent.

Berhalter’s contract had previously expired at the end of the 2022 World Cup and he was embroiled in an off-field scandal involving his former teammate Claudio Reyna.

Berhalter criticized Reyna’s son Gio – a member of the U.S. team at the World Cup – which led his mother, Danielle, to inform U.S. Soccer leadership about a 1992 domestic violence incident involving Berhalter and his then-girlfriend and now-wife.

This sparked a lengthy investigation that resulted in Berhalter being away from the team for six months before he was officially reinstated for a second term.

The US soccer bosses had eagerly asked former Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp for the position, but their attempt was rejected by the German.

However, the signing of Pochettino is a real sign of intent, especially given his links to the Three Lions job.

Pochettino was one of the candidates to succeed Gareth Southgate as England coach after his departure after the European Championship

Pochettino has been unemployed since leaving Chelsea at the end of last season

U21 coach Lee Carsely has been appointed interim manager of the team for the upcoming matches while a permanent replacement for Southgate is sought.

Pochettino remains one of the most respected coaches in world football, having enjoyed success at Southampton, Spurs and PSG. His brief stay in west London was turbulent, but by the end of the season he had managed to turn the team’s fortunes around.

And his departure came as a surprise after he had led the team to sixth place and European qualification.