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Mauricio Pochettino looks set to become the next coach of the U.S. men's national team – but his appointment is not easy.
Although the Argentine coach has been out of work since leaving Chelsea last May, there are more hurdles to overcome before his appointment is officially confirmed in his new position.
So what is the cause and when can things be resolved?
The athlete The newspaper spoke to several sources familiar with the situation, all of whom requested anonymity to protect their positions and because of the sensitivities surrounding the negotiations, to try to answer these questions.
What happened so far?
The U.S. Soccer Federation has been searching for a new coach for the men's national team since Gregg Berhalter was fired on July 10 after a disappointing performance at the Copa America.
And after one day, The athlete The US Soccer Federation reportedly reached out to former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to see if he would be interested in taking over, but the German politely declined the opportunity, saying he wanted to take a break from football.
Pochettino then emerged as the governing body's favourite, and on Thursday, The athlete He revealed that he had agreed to take over as head coach. Neither Pochettino nor the US Soccer Federation have said anything publicly on the matter since the story broke.
Why was the contract not signed?
Things get a little more complicated when Chelsea's management agrees with Pochettino on the terms of the bonus.
Pochettino left Chelsea after one year of a contract that was originally set to run for two years, with an option to extend for a third year.
He has verbally committed to taking over as U.S. national team manager. Pochettino is free and clear to do so – there is nothing in his Chelsea contract preventing it and club sources insist no money is due if he takes another job.
Pochettino left Chelsea a year before the end of his contract (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Given that the roles played by players in the national team are usually less than their club counterparts, Chelsea are actively discussing with Pochettino possible solutions that include third-party sponsorship and other ways of supporting to make the situation financially feasible for the Argentine.
His Chelsea contract only applies to the Premier League’s top six clubs for six months. Chelsea maintain a strong relationship with Pochettino – even their manager Lawrence Stewart sent a glowing note to the U.S. Soccer Federation – and are continuing to talk to him about moving forward with the U.S. national team opportunity.
Do we know how much the US Soccer Federation will pay Pochettino?
Pochettino's proposed salary at the NFL is not yet known, and as mentioned above the main question is how he will be able to afford it for a former Premier League manager who has worked with some of Europe's biggest clubs.
Pochettino may have endured a disappointing season last year – even if Chelsea recovered from a poor start to finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League – but he remains one of the most respected managers in the game.
His CV includes spells at Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain, and he has been regularly linked with the Manchester United managerial job and senior positions in Spain.
Securing a coach of his caliber won't be cheap, and his terms will certainly trump those offered to Berhalter, who coached in Major League Soccer before taking over as U.S. national team coach for the first time.
According to the NFL's tax filing, which was The Associated Press reportedIn 2022, Berhalter’s base salary was $1,391,136, and he received $900,000 in bonuses. By comparison, when Emma Hayes signed a contract as head coach of the women’s national team in November 2023, The athlete She said she would earn nearly $2 million a year.
Matt Crocker, the US Soccer Federation’s sporting director, said after Berhalter’s firing that his search for a replacement would not be limited by finances. “I just want to get the best coach possible that can help the team win,” he said. “Whether it’s from the United States or anywhere else. Progress has been made, but now is the time to turn that progress into winning.”
How can the US Soccer Federation find the money?
The US Soccer Federation will understand that hiring a coach of Pochettino’s caliber, especially ahead of a World Cup that his country is hosting, requires a larger budget than it might normally imagine. But it’s also true that the federation won’t be able to afford the salaries that a top-six Premier League club might offer, and may need to get creative to absorb the cost of hiring Pochettino.
When Canada hired Jesse Marsch as its new men’s national team coach in May, the deal was only possible thanks to significant financial contributions from the country’s three Major League Soccer clubs — CF Montreal, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The total donation to the Canadian Soccer Association was about $1.5 million. That meant Marsch’s official title was “MLS Men’s National Team Coach.”
Marsh's salary in Canada includes assistance from Major League Soccer teams (Charlie Triballio/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the conversations The athlete Despite negotiations with MLS club owners, there is no desire at this stage to reach a similar agreement with Pochettino and the US national team.
An alternative route is to bridge the gap through sponsors. There’s precedent for that, too: When Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, the transfer was facilitated by offering the player a revenue share from some of MLS’s major partners, including Apple, Adidas and clothing company Fanatics.
Exploring more possibilities like this – capitalising on the global profile of their potential coach – seems the most likely route for the NFL to be able to afford Pochettino.
Chelsea, who currently do not have a shirt sponsor for the new Premier League season, are trying to help facilitate this.
Will this problem be solved – and if so, when?
It is expected that an agreement will be reached between all parties, as it is in everyone's interest.
One possible outcome is that Chelsea would have to pay the difference between what the NFL offers Pochettino and what the club would have to pay him if he remained out of work. In that scenario — not uncommon in football — Chelsea would not have to pay the maximum amount it is liable for under its current severance agreement with Pochettino, but would still receive the full amount owed to him.
The NFL hopes to close the deal within the next 48 hours, though the decision would need to be ratified at a board meeting. However, this is likely to be just a formality.
The U.S. national soccer team's next matches are friendlies against Canada and New Zealand on September 7 and 10, respectively.
(Top images: Getty Images)
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