Who is USA Soccer Coach Mauricio Pochettino? Fast Facts Amid the World Cup 2026

The United States men's national team is still in the World Cup.

The U.S. played Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday in the first elimination round, where if you lose, you're out of the tournament.

The U.S. won 2–0 on goals from Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman. Thanks to that win, the U.S. is advancing to the Round of 16, where it'll take on Belgium. That game is set for Monday, July 6.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is at the helm of the USMNT. He first started coaching the team in the fall of 2024. While Christian Pulisic gets a lot of attention for being the most famous player on the USMNT, Pochettino is the brains behind the operation.

Who is Mauricio Pochettino?

Pochettino is the head coach and manager of the United States men's national team. He took over after the team parted ways with Gregg Berhalter.

Pochettino came to the U.S. team with a wealth of experience. He's a two-time winner of the Copa del Rey in Spain as a player. He also collected 20 caps for the Argentina National Team, including appearances in all three of its matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

"Known to favor a high-pressing, attacking style of soccer, during his career he has coached and mentored some of the top players in the world, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar Jr. and Harry Kane," his official profile states.

Where Did Mauricio Pochettino Grow Up?

Pochettino is from Murphy, Argentina, according to his profile. He was born on March 2, 1972.

Before coming to the United States team, Pochettino was the manager for Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Tottenham. Even though he has a lot of experience, the U.S. marks the first national team that Pochettino has ever coached.

What is Mauricio Pochettino's Salary?

According to research from U.S. Soccer's tax information, Pochettino has a $6,040,600 base salary when annualizing the sum in the filing.

So, he's actually the third-highest-paid international men's coach, only trailing England's Thomas Tuchel and Brazil's Carlo Ancelotti, according to Salary Leaks.

How can the U.S. afford such a salary? Billionaire and hedge fund manager Ken Griffin is helping out with a donation.

Scott Goodwin, another hedge fund manager, asked Griffin to help pay for the cost of hiring Pochettino as the U.S. men's national soccer team's coach, according to a report from Reuters. So, Griffin made the largest private donation toward Pochettino's contract.

The exact amount hasn't been made public, but it's believed to be several million dollars. That obviously was a big help in hiring one of the world's top soccer coaches.

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