USMNT’s Mauricio Pochettino Makes Bold Premier League Pledge

Pochettino is aiming to right the wrongs from his past coaching experiences.

Mauricio Pochettino finished as a Premier League runner-up in 2016–17. | Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images

U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino reiterated his desire to return to Premier League management and warned that he was “still young” enough to win England’s top flight and the Champions League.

Pochettino has made little secret of his affection for the game in England—which is where he continues to call home despite taking over the USMNT in September 2024. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea coach signed a two-year contract with the Stars and Stripes, while talk of staggering compensation fees ensure that it will not be broken before this summer’s World Cup.

The U.S. are co-hosts and have been given a relatively kind group. Pochettino has already overseen victories against their two confirmed opponents—Australia and Paraguay—while he will be confident against the playoff winner from UEFA’s pathway C, which could be any of Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.

Nevertheless, England’s top flight is still at the forefront of Pochettino’s mind.

“The Premier League is the best in the world,” he told BBC Sport in an interview released on the day after the World Cup draw. “Of course I miss it. I am so happy in the USA, but I am always thinking about returning one day. It is the most competitive league, and of course I would love to come back again.”

---

Mauricio Pochettino’s Premier League Record

Season	Club	League Position
2012–13	Southampton	14th
2013–14	Southampton	8th
2014–15	Tottenham	5th
2015–16	Tottenham	3rd
2016–17	Tottenham	2nd
2017–18	Tottenham	3rd
2018–19	Tottenham	4th
2019–20	Tottenham	14th
2023–24	Chelsea	6th

---

Pochettino Aiming for Trophies on Premier League Return

Mauricio Pochettino finished second the Champions League and Premier League with Tottenham. | David Ramos/Getty Images

Pochettino doesn’t just want to come back to England, he wants to finish what he started. After catching the eye with a full-throttle pressing style at Southampton, the former defender spent half a decade at Tottenham. Pochettino never finished lower than fifth with Spurs and took the north London outfit to second place in 2016–17.

Tottenham also reached the 2019 Champions League final under Pochettino’s watch, losing 2–0 to Liverpool in a demoralizing showpiece.

When asked by the BBC for one burning career ambition which he still hopes to achieve, Pochettino didn’t hesitate: “To win the Premier League and the Champions League.”

“We were so close in Tottenham,” he lamented. “I want to achieve this. I am still young, I have the energy, experience and motivation to try in the future.”

Winning the World Cup—the ambition set by his current employers—oddly wasn’t addressed by the USMNT manager.

---