Mauricio Pochettino is not even one year into his reign as U.S. men’s national team head coach but believes the program could achieve new heights, even after his time in the role.
Pochettino is currently preparing his squad for Thursday’s CONCACAF Nations League semifinal vs. Panama. The Argentine head coach has helped the Americans reach the Final Four of the competition for the fourth-consecutive edition, continuing a recent trend of winning for the USMNT.
U.S. Soccer has continued to provide growing opportunities for its programs, which featured the plan to build a national training center in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank committed in $50 million for the project, which will give U.S. Soccer a central hub for its programs to meet during home international windows.
Pochettino praised the future impact that the national training center will have on the program and how the sport is continuing to grow in the United States.
“The eight countries which have won the World Cup all have amazing training centers,” Pochettino said in an interview with Sky Sports. “When you go to the U.S. now [for training camps], one time you go to Los Angeles, then it’s New York, Chicago, Miami, Orlando or St. Louis. Where is the center for football? If you look at the training centers of the NFL and baseball, you say: ‘Wow.’ With football, it is: ‘Where is the team going to train?’ We need to ask the colleges and universities.
“Before the World Cup, U.S. Soccer is building an amazing training center in Atlanta and that is going to be one of the most unbelievable training centers in the world,” he said. “That is going to be the base of soccer. It is the moment where people can see, soccer is going to be a serious sport because it has a home.”
Pochettino’s contract as USMNT boss will take him through the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted on North American soil. It will be a historical time for the USMNT, who will aim to bring home the trophy for the first time in program history.
Although Pochettino won’t be leading the program into the next decade, he does believes the World Cup impact could lead to major factors for the next generation.
“We need to congratulate the federation, and all the donors involved, who are helping to grow the sport, because it’s No. 1 in the world,” Pochettino said. “Because in five or 10 years, for sure we can be No. 1 in the world. It could be.”
Should Pochettino lead the USMNT to a Nations League title on March 23, it will be his first trophy win as national team boss.
