If someone had said that one of the big names on the U.S. men’s national team would be joining Manchester United in the aftermath of the 2026 World Cup, you would have thought a player.
Instead, it will be Mauricio Pochettino. The 54-year-old Argentinian was named as Manchester United’s new manager on Nov. 13, after having signed a contract extension with U.S. Soccer in August that would have run through the 2030 World Cup.
But before he leaves for Old Trafford, Pochettino will lead the Americans for two final games, on Saturday and Tuesday vs. Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. Pochettino’s first game with the beleaguered Premier League powerhouse will be the Nov. 22 trip to rivals Liverpool.
So how is Pochettino technically in charge of both the USMNT and Manchester United at the same time? It’s more of a matter of timing. With Man United on break due to the international window (when players go back to their national teams for official FIFA matches), it allowed Pochettino to finish out the games vs. Haiti with the U.S. squad.
Of course, it would have put the USA in a lurch had Pochettino immediately departed, since his coaching staff was also hired by Manchester United.
“It all was so quick,” an emotional Pochettino said Friday after he confirmed his exit.
As part of the agreement with Manchester United, the club paid U.S. Soccer a reported $10 million to release Pochettino from his contract – along with an additional $2 million for the staff.
“Those funds are used to help us hire great coaches,” U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said Friday. “Our supporters, our sponsors, our donors, our fans are very supportive around making sure that we have the resources to achieve our goals, including having a world-class coach.”
Two Jobs At Once: Does It Happen Often?
It’s very rare for a coach to be in charge of two teams at once. It occasionally happens when a club coach steps in as an interim manager for a national team.
If you go way back in time, Alex Ferguson (before adding “Sir” to his name due to becoming a Manchester United legend) led Aberdeen while serving as an interim for Scotland’s national team in 1986. In 2009, Dutch manager Guus Hiddink was Russia’s manager while also serving as an interim for Chelsea. Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti was Mexico’s caretaker on three occasions (1993, 2013, 2015) throughout his storied Liga MX managerial career.
Probably the most recent and infamous time someone was briefly in charge for both club and country was when Spain manager Julen Lopetegui was announced to take over Real Madrid two days before the 2018 World Cup. The plan was for him to take over following the tournament, but the Spanish football federation promptly sacked him the next day. Spain exited the tournament under Fernando Hierro, and Lopetegui’s time at Real Madrid barely lasted two months.