The new coach is officially on the job, and he’s not wasting any time as he prepares for his first camp
If you’re trying to track down Mauricio Pochettino over the next month, good luck.
The Argentine’s time as U.S. men’s national team manager is officially underway, and these first few weeks will be a multi-continental whirlwind that will lay the foundation for his tenure. The job is just getting started, and Pochettino won’t be wasting any time.
Before the globetrotting starts, though, Pochettino is due for a quick trip to Atlanta. There are important matters to attend to.
“I think next weekend, we’re all heading down to Atlanta,” U.S. Soccer CEO J.T. Batson said, referencing the site of the federation’s new headquarters. “We’ll get some barbecue and do some house hunting.”
What comes after will be vital, too. Over the next month, Pochettino will lay the foundation for his coaching tenure, one in which U.S. Soccer hope can transform the American game forever.
For now, Pochettino just needs to get things ready for October. In less than a month, he’ll take charge of the USMNT for the first time in Austin, Texas when they take on Panama in the first of two friendlies. In that month, he’ll have much to accomplish.
By the time players gather in Texas for his first USMNT camp, he’ll almost certainly be relieved. That’s the light at the end of the tunnel but, before that, he has an enormous amount of logistics to sort.
From strategic meetings to player evaluations to relationship building, Pochettino has a considerable to-do list. So how will Pochettino’s first month play out? GOAL takes a look