How Mauricio Pochettino Plans to Transform USMNT into Global Superpower

The U.S. men’s national team manager has a vision of the team becoming “one of the most powerful countries in soccer.”

Mauricio Pochettino has high hopes for the start of the next World Cup quadrennial. | Alex Livesey/FIFA/Getty Images

Weeks away from reuniting his squad for the first time since the 2026 FIFA World Cup, U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino has a clear goal for the new quadrennial: to make the USMNT one of the “most powerful” international teams in global soccer. 

“We want to try to perform in the World Cup and to create something special with the fans,” Pochettino told a small group of reporters this week, after crashing out in the round of 16 this summer. “Now it’s about being a part of the legacy that the federation wants to create—becoming one of the most powerful countries in soccer. That is a dream, no? It’s amazing. If we can be part of that, we will be so excited and so happy.”

In the coming weeks, that process of becoming a global superpower will begin, starting with the September-October window, which includes four friendly matches against Peru, Chile, Canada and Mexico.

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Fall Friendlies, New Roster Beckons

Mauricio Pochettino (right) is set to call up a new roster for fall friendlies, including a clash with Jesse Marsch's (left) Canada, whom he has yet to beat. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pochettino is on a fresh new contract that lasts through the 2030 tournament. He will begin now the years-long process of trialing and honing his roster for that future date.

“It’s an exciting moment, and to settle the new rules, the new view,” the manager said. “To build something different and to establish the U.S., improve in every season and to, of course, arrive at the World Cup and try to arrive within the conditions to be a real contender. It’s going to be tough because you always need time, but I think that is not only our desire or wish, but to feel confident that we can arrive in four years being a real contender.”

After the four fall friendlies, the USMNT will turn its attention to the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals in November, its first opportunity to play competitively. That window will also likely mark the team’s first games off U.S. soil since Nov. 2024, with 28 games—including the World Cup, all played at home. It will, thus, be the perfect opportunity for the team to experience what it would be like to compete in unfamiliar surroundings, similar to those that would present themselves at the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Should the USMNT advance past the Nations League quarterfinals, it would be bound for a single-location semifinal and final window in March, with the ambition of rectifying a dismal fourth-place finish in 2024–25. The Stars and Stripes will then compete in next summer’s 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup, the next opportunity to lift silverware and prove themselves a top global competitor.

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Pochettino With Expanded Role and Key Demands

Mauricio Pochettino (right) has high demands for Christian Pulisic (left) and the rest of the USMNT. | Fran Santiago/Getty Images

Pochettino’s new deal with U.S. Soccer gives him expanded responsibilities, involving him more in the procedural and developmental sides of the game in addition to coaching the men’s national team. 

The former Premier League manager is set to help steer the direction of youth soccer, meaning he will have a hand in tracking the progress of the U.S.’s brightest young stars and those expected to be integral in the senior squad come 2030. 

In addition to new responsibilities, Pochettino has new standards for the team, ones he believes are required to build a superpower. They start with the USMNT player pool’s commitment levels. In 2025, several players opted to skip friendlies and the Gold Cup to rest, most notably U.S. Soccer poster player Christian Pulisic, whose 2025 absence didn’t even lead to a healthy or successful World Cup performance this summer.

The team’s often-unrestrained nature is a factor the Argentine doesn’t want to deal with anymore and believes needs to change immediately.

“We were talking about the habits. Before, it was difficult to make the roster for the Gold Cup one year before because the mindset was different. They’d say, ‘Oh, if I have no holidays, I cannot arrive fresh for the World Cup,’” Pochettino said. 

“With time, [we] know now that is bulls---, no? It's [time] to change this type of idea [and] to build the mindset with the coaches, with the people in the organization and in the clubs, and, of course, with the players in the way we will plan."

The time to experiment with the USMNT and form better habits is now. Performing at the highest levels for the 2027 Nations League and Gold Cup titles will also be top of mind, before kicking off Concacaf World Cup qualifying in 2028.

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