Manchester United close in on Pochettino as U.S. prepares for Haiti

Manchester United are moving to take Mauricio Pochettino from the U.S. men's national team. According to ESPN, the club has contacted U.S. Soccer before triggering the $10 million release clause in his contract, and it is closing in on a deal to make him its next manager.

The vacancy has not opened yet. ESPN reported that United executives plan to meet Michael Carrick on Thursday and expect to relieve the 45-year-old of his duties. The club has said nothing publicly about Carrick's future. On Wednesday he was at Carrington, United's training ground, working with the players who were not away on international duty.

Hiring Pochettino would cost United more than the release fee. ESPN reported the club would likely pay about $2 million more to bring in his staff, including longtime assistant Jesus Perez. That puts the likely outlay near $12 million before anyone signs a contract. ESPN also reported that United chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox met minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco on Wednesday to prepare for the Carrick meeting.

What it means for the U.S. team

The timing could hardly be worse for U.S. Soccer. The Americans face Haiti in a two-leg Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal. Violence and political instability in Haiti have kept the team from playing at home, so the first leg is set for Saturday in Miami. The second leg is Tuesday, Nov. 17, in Cincinnati.

For now, the federation expects Pochettino to coach both games. The Athletic first reported his status for the two matches. When ESPN asked whether that still held, a federation source said, "That's the plan." Pochettino ran training on Wednesday at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center in Georgia.

The plan has limits. ESPN reported that if United dismiss Carrick, Pochettino gets to decide when he leaves. Because he is expected to take his entire staff to Manchester, an early exit would leave the federation looking for a replacement with only days to spare. Steve Cherundolo, the U.S. under-23 coach, is in Spain running a training camp. Under-20 coach Gonzalo Segares, whose team is training at the same Georgia facility as the senior squad, is another option ESPN identified.

The likeliest outcome looks like Pochettino finishing the window and leaving afterward. United's next match is at Liverpool on Nov. 22, five days after the Cincinnati leg. Arriving after the Haiti series would leave him almost no practice time before a trip to Anfield. Leaving early would buy only a few extra training sessions while costing the U.S. its coach in the middle of a knockout tie. Even if he stays, a team playing for a manager with one foot out the door is an awkward setup for a quarterfinal.

U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams described the players' mood in neutral terms. "Until we're told otherwise, we have an opportunity to work with a great coach," he told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday, adding that the squad's focus was on beating Haiti.

The squad has reason to want continuity. The U.S. won all four of its games in the September and October window, and this summer it reached the World Cup round of 16. After that run, Pochettino signed a four-year extension in August that runs through 2030.

That extension is now the federation's biggest problem. ESPN reported that it includes an escape clause letting Pochettino talk to a major European club willing to pay the $10 million fee. Clauses like that are common when a national federation hires a manager who still has club ambitions, and they may have been the price of keeping him after the World Cup. Still, an exit three months after a long-term renewal shows how little a four-year deal protects the federation when one of England's biggest clubs calls. The fee is real money, but it does not replace a coach with a full staff and two years of work with the player pool.

United's case for a familiar name

United's urgency is easy to explain. With one win in 10 Premier League games, the club is off to its worst start of the Premier League era. It sits 18th, inside the relegation zone, and its lone victory came in August against newly promoted Ipswich. Carrick, a former United midfielder, signed a two-year contract only in May.

Pochettino is hardly an unknown option. He has been a candidate for the United job several times before, most recently in 2024, and ESPN reported that he still keeps a family home in London. His Premier League experience runs through Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea, and he has also managed Paris Saint-Germain. His strongest work came at Tottenham, where he built a team that reached the 2019 Champions League final.

That record supports the hire, with some caveats. Pochettino has shown he can develop young players and make a club more competitive than its spending would suggest, and United need structure more than another expensive rebuild. His time at Chelsea and PSG was less convincing, though. A team in the relegation zone needs points quickly, not a long rebuilding plan.

United's leadership also looks to be taking the obvious option rather than a bold one. The club has passed on Pochettino before. Hiring him now, after giving Carrick a contract in May, suggests a front office reacting to a crisis more than following a long-term plan. If it works, the hire will have been worth the wait. If it doesn't, United will be looking for yet another manager.

ESPN reported that the timing of the club's moves remains unknown. The next fixed points are the expected Carrick meeting on Thursday, the Haiti games in Miami on Saturday and in Cincinnati on Nov. 17, and United's match at Anfield on Nov. 22.