U.S. players are waiting to find out if Mauricio Pochettino will be hired as their new coach as they get ready for friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.
All 24 players on the team practiced on Tuesday with interim coach Mikey Varas, who is an assistant to Gregg Berhalter and will lead the team for these matches. The U.S. Soccer Federation started talks with Pochettino three weeks ago but hasn’t made any public statements about the process.
“We know as much as everybody else,” defender Tim Ream said. “We were told a few weeks ago that the search was going well, and that’s where things stand right now.
We’re aware that when something is decided, we will find out quickly, but we haven’t been told that anything is final yet.”
Berhalter was let go on July 10, shortly after the U.S. was knocked out in the first round of Copa America. The new coach will have 21 months to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico.
Ream knows Pochettino from their time in the Premier League, where he played for Fulham against Tottenham and Chelsea, both managed by Pochettino.
“His teams are always tough to play against,” Ream said. “He’s a high-quality manager. His teams are well organized and very strong in attack.”
If hired, Pochettino would be the U.S.’s 10th coach in the past 14 years, including four interim coaches and Berhalter during two separate terms. Players are used to adapting quickly when a new coach comes in.
