USMNT Face Glaring Problems Over Immediate Replacement for Mauricio Pochettino

The United States men’s national team will be in a bind if Mauricio Pochettino becomes the next Manchester United manager in the coming days.

The timing is beneficial in one sense because whoever replaces the Argentine on a permanent basis will have almost four full years to prepare for the 2030 World Cup. The cash injection from Pochettino’s $10 million breakout clause and additional compensation for his support staff also has a massive upside because it can be reinvested into the project.

But United—if the final decision is indeed made to split with Michael Carrick—would want Pochettino in position in good time before the club faces Liverpool on Nov. 22.

Separate to the Carrick question, one of the issues still being ironed out in talks is the finer details of Pochettino’s potential transfer. The Overlap’s Mike Keegan reports that one of those points is whether the 54-year-old still leads the USMNT in two matches against Haiti—in Miami and Cincinnati—that make up the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal.

Those matches are being played on Nov. 14 and Nov. 18. Were Pochettino to remain in charge, it could mean taking charge of his first United game with only a day or two’s preparation.

That makes the exact timing a small but still important detail. Although United can essentially bypass U.S. Soccer by indicating that they will pay the $10 million clause, it is now necessary for U.S. Soccer to be “involved in talks.”

If Pochettino goes, his core coaching staff—Jesús Pérez, Miki D’Agostino, Toni Jiménez, Sebastiano Pochettino—will follow. United will need to pay more on top to secure their respective releases, but it’s non-negotiable for Pochettino. Where he goes, they go.

It means that there will be no assistant coach picking up the slack in the short term.

U.S. Soccer will have to look elsewhere for an interim to cover this month, but the two reported contingency candidates already have other pressing commitments.

Steve Cherundolo, the former USMNT captain and MLS Cup-winning manager, leads the Under-23 national team and is an obvious choice. But the 47-year-old, hired in July for the start of a two-year arc culminating in the 2028 Olympics on American soil, traveled to Spain at the weekend for a training camp until Nov. 17.

U.S. Soccer could pull Cherundolo to return home to manage the senior roster, but it’s literally his first camp with the U–23s, and immediately threatens to derail any early authority, squad building and bonding at such an important moment in his process.

The other name being talked about is B.J. Callaghan. The 45-year-old was previously a USMNT assistant and stepped into guide the Stars and Stripes to Nations League glory three years ago between Gregg Berhalter’s two spells. He has just completed the 2026 Major League Soccer regular season with Nashville SC, winning the Supporters’ Shield and setting a new record points tally, making him a very credible candidate to get the permanent job.

However, Nashville’s MLS Cup run starts on Nov. 22 in round one of the Eastern Conference bracket. Callaghan taking his eyes off that three-game series against either Orlando City or FC Cincinnati would be an unhelpful distraction at best—potentially disastrous at worst.

U.S. Soccer still doesn’t even have a sporting director after Matt Crocker left the job in April to take up a similar role in Saudi Arabia’s soccer federation.

These matches are hugely important for U.S. Soccer. Not only has Haiti not beaten the USMNT since 1973, winning the Nations League for the fourth time, having relinquished the trophy to Mexico two years ago, would be a show of strength in the region.

Haiti, having qualified for the 2026 World Cup at the expense of Costa Rica, is dangerous enough to be a serious threat if American eyes are even remotely distracted.