Pochettino agrees to become United States coach

Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the new United States coach with the responsibility of leading the team into the 2026 World Cup, a source told ESPN on Thursday.

Pochettino, 52, has been out of work since leaving Chelsea by mutual consent earlier this summer after just one season in charge at Stamford Bridge.

A source told ESPN that the former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain coach agreed to succeed Gregg Berhalter as USMNT head coach following lengthy discussions with Matt Crocker, the USSF technical director.

Crocker, who previously worked with Premier League team Southampton and the English Football Association, had been charged with recruiting a world-class coach to ensure the USMNT goes into the 2026 World Cup -- the U.S. are joint hosts with Canada and Mexico -- as a competitive nation, capable of running into the latter stages of the competition.

Efforts to recruit Jürgen Klopp following his summer exit from Liverpool failed to get off the ground, but Pochettino agreeing to take on the role is a major coup for the USSF.

Pochettino is expected to be installed in time to take charge of the USMNT game against Canada in Kansas City, Kansas, on Sept. 7.

Source: ESPN