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Mauricio Pochettino is named the new coach of the U.S. men's national soccer team
U.S. Soccer has tapped Mauricio Pochettino to be the next coach of the men’s national team. Pochettino, the former manager of Chelsea, is shown here last December in a Premier League match between Luton Town and Chelsea in Luton, England.
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Mauricio Pochettino, the Argentinian soccer coach who has led some of Europe’s top club teams over the past decade, has been named to lead the U.S. men’s national soccer team through a much-anticipated run at the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
“Mauricio is a serial winner with a deep passion for player development and a proven ability to build cohesive and competitive teams,” said Matt Crocker, U.S. Soccer’s sporting director.
The selection of Pochettino is seen by many in the soccer world as a high-profile get for the U.S. national team job. Positions at top-tier European clubs, like the ones where Pochettino has coached most recently, are generally the most coveted and lucrative jobs in the sport.
After a successful career as a player, Pochettino began his coaching career in Spain. But it was in England where he rose to prominence, helping to steer Tottenham Hotspur back to relevance in the second half of the 2010s after decades of mediocrity. Pochettino then went on to short stints at two of Europe’s biggest clubs, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
All told, Pochettino has perhaps the most prestigious soccer resume of any head coach ever hired by the U.S. men’s national team, which has more often drawn its managers from Major League Soccer.
“His passion for the game, his innovative approach to coaching, and his ability to inspire and connect with players make him the perfect fit for this role. We are excited to have him leading our Men’s National Team,” said U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone.
The 16th-ranked U.S. men’s team is scheduled to play a friendly match against New Zealand on Tuesday evening, though Pochettino will not coach that game. Pochettino’s first matches will come in October, when the team plays against Mexico and Panama.
The U.S. has long punched below its weight in international men’s soccer, outdone regularly by countries where soccer is king of sports.
But hopes for the team are perennially high — especially now, with the U.S. on the cusp of co-hosting the FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada in 2026.
It was with 2026 in mind that U.S. Soccer decided to part ways with previous coach Gregg Berhalter, who was brought on six years ago after a disastrous cycle in which the men’s team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Under Berhalter’s leadership, the U.S. men did reach the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, a modest but promising sign of an upward trajectory.
But this summer, the team struggled at the Copa América tournament, where the U.S. failed to advance out of the group stage at its last consequential international event before the 2026 World Cup. He lost support of vocal fan groups and former players. Shortly afterward, Berhalter was fired.
Now, Pochettino’s hire marks what officials and fans alike hope will be a new era for the men’s team.
Pochettino has never coached a national team. But he has long held a reputation for an interest in player development and working in close coordination with youth teams. Among his laurels is the elevation of a young Harry Kane to a regular starter at Tottenham, where Kane went on to become the club’s all-time leading scorer and, eventually, captain of the English national team.
“You feel proud when you arrive and the young player starts to play and they get to the level where England or a different national team picks them,” Pochettino told The Guardian in 2015. “I think for the club, and for us and for the supporters, it is a great thing.”
Eric Dier, a defensive midfielder for the English national team who played his formative years at Tottenham, said in a 2022 podcast interview that he had been “extremely lucky” to play under Pochettino.
Mauricio Pochettino, new U.S. men’s national team coach, arrives at the stadium prior to a Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and his former club, Chelsea FC, on May 19, 2024 in London, England.
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“He instilled his faith in me. And he did that over and over again with players,” Dier told the High Performance Podcast. “If you were ready, you were ready. It didn’t matter the occasion. He was great like that.”
As a player, Pochettino played for years with La Liga’s Espanyol and later Paris Saint-Germain. He also represented Argentina at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
His managerial career began at Espanyol, then he moved to England to lead Southampton and soon Tottenham, leading Spurs to the team’s best Premier League finishes since 1990 and their first-ever appearance in the Champions League final. In a short stint at PSG, Pochettino led that squad to a Ligue 1 title and a Coupe de France win.
Most recently, he managed Chelsea but parted ways with the club after only one season amid reports of disagreements with team administrators over strategy and roster decisions.
At least about two dozen people have died amid the perilous climate crisis-driven heatwave that has scorched swaths of the US with record temperatures.
As a huge heat dome sits over the county’s eastern half, extreme heat gripped millions of people in the days leading up to the US’s semiquincentennial on Saturday – and beyond it. More than 20 states experienced have reported stifling temperatures more than 100F (38C), marring celebrations. And more than 140 million people remained under active heat alerts across the US on Sunday.
Officials in New Jersey believe the extreme heat was a factor in the deaths of 22 people across 10 counties there, mostly in central and northern parts of the state. Many of the individuals were found in homes with no air conditioning, outside their residences, on the street and in parked cars, according to officials.
The first of those deaths occurred on Thursday, and the ages of the deceased in question mostly range from their mid-30s to their 80s. Preliminary findings cause investigators to believe the deaths are heat-related, though the chief state medical examiner for New Jersey would later determine the exact cause of death for each.
“This is not a typical summer heatwave,” the New Jersey department of public health said in a statement. “This type of heat can quickly become life-threatening to humans and to animals of all ages.”
The National Weather Service (NWS) has said cool air from the north in the coming days is going to lower some of the most extreme temperatures in the region, including New Jersey. The Fifa World Cup final is scheduled to be held in the New Jersey city of East Rutherford on 19 July.
Elsewhere, a heat-related death was reported in Cook county, Illinois, Natalia Derevyanny, a government spokesperson, told NBC News. The cause of that death was recorded as organic cardiovascular disease – with heat stress as a contributing factor.
Hinds county in Mississippi reported the death of 74-year-old Mitchell Ray Cooley due to heat exposure on Thursday, state officials said. Cooley had been reported missing, and his body was found the next day behind a gas station, the county coroner said in a statement.
“Mr Cooley suffered from a medical condition that impaired his judgment,” the coroner’s office said. “Based on the investigative findings, scene examination, and subsequent evaluation, the cause of death has been determined to be weather-related heat exposure. At this time, there is no indication of foul play.”
Meanwhile, on 27 June, Martha Irene Van Egmond, 83, died in Bolton, Mississippi, after falling in her garden. When her husband, Rick, tried to help her up, he fell too. The couple were unable to get up and spent hours in the heat.
Rick Van Egmond said he and his wife called out for help, and eventually two men from a nearby apartment complex came – but it was too late for Martha. She died surrounded by flowers, doing what she loved, he said to local news outlet WAPT.
Jeramiah Howard, Hinds county’s chief death investigator, attributed her death to the heat combined with her age, WAPT reported.
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As Donald Trump spoke during rain-dampened celebrations in Washington DC on Saturday, emergency services there had treated 51 people with heat-related issues as of 8pm ET, with 12 taken to nearby hospitals, according to local emergency response officials.
Other events scheduled for Saturday – including the Independence Day parade in DC – were cancelled amid the blistering heat. Among other weather-related disruptions, Trump’s so-called Great American State Fair on the National Mall also temporarily closed down on Friday after reports that 44 visitors had been treated for heat-related illnesses.
The worst of the heat started moving out of the US’s north-east and midwest regions by Sunday, shifting farther south into the mid-Atlantic and south-eastern parts of the country.
But scientists warn that heatwaves with extreme temperatures are indications that the world must lower the greenhouse gas pollution driving the global climate crisis.
The NWS is urging the public to avoid heat sickness by drinking plenty of fluids as well as staying out of the sun and in air-conditioned environments. Officials have also asked people to check on relatives and neighbors.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her husband Paul arrive at the funeral services for Clive Davis at Central Synagogue in New York, Monday, June 29, 2026.
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LOS ANGELES — The husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was involved in a hit-and-run in California that left a parked car with “major” damage authorities said Saturday, and he could face misdemeanor charges.
Paul Pelosi was driving his brown convertible Friday in Yountville, a town in the heart of wine country, when he struck a legally parked car on the side of the road, briefly stopped and then drove away, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. No injuries were reported.
A witness saw the collision and called 911. Shortly afterward sheriff’s deputies found Pelosi with damage to the front of his car on a road roughly a quarter of a mile away. He reportedly told officers he knew he hit something but was not sure when or what caused the damage.
Pelosi, 86, did not have any alcohol in his system, according to the statement. The sheriff’s office referred him to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a process to determine whether he may continue to drive — something that officials say is common for older drivers.
Pelosi was not arrested, and because no one was injured, the sheriff’s office recommended a misdemeanor charge for fleeing the scene of an accident.
A staffer for Nancy Pelosi did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Paul Pelosi pleaded guilty in 2022 to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence in Napa County and was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation. However, he served only two days in jail and received good conduct credit for two other days, leaving just one day to serve in a work program at the courthouse.
As part of his probation, Pelosi was required to attend a three-month drinking driver class and install an ignition interlock device, which forces drivers to provide a breath sample to prove sobriety before the engine will start. He also was ordered to pay about $5,000 in victim restitution for medical bills and lost wages, along with nearly $2,000 in fines.
That same year he was attacked and severely beaten with a hammer at the couple’s San Francisco home.
WASHINGTON (7News) — The thousands of people attending the Great American State Fair and other areas around the National Mall are being ordered to evacuate as stormy weather approaches.
The National Weather Service previously announced a Severe Thunderstorm Warning in the District. Officials are asking attendees to seek shelter.
SEE ALSO: Historic Fourth of July fireworks to light up National Mall: How to watch live
The DC Homeland Security & Emergency Management released a list of places where the crowds can go to get out of the weather:
Federal Buildings:
- Ronald Reagan Building – 100 Pennsylvania Ave NW
- Dept. of Commerce – 1401 Constitution Ave NW
- Dept. of Agriculture – 1400 Independence Dr SW
- Dept. of Education – 400 Maryland Ave SW
- Internal Revenue Service – 1111 Constitution Ave NW
- Voice of America – 330 Independence Ave SW
- Thomas Jefferson Memorial – 16 E Basin Dr SW
Museums:
- National Museum of American History – 1300 Constitution Ave NW
- National Museum of Natural History – 1000 Constitution Ave NW
- National Museum of African American History and Culture – 1400 Constitution Ave NW
Freedom 250 organizers released this statement:
“The safety of our guests, performers, and staff is our top priority. Due to approaching severe storms, Freedom 250, United States Secret Service, United States Park Police, National Park Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and all public safety partners are asking all guests to evacuate event grounds and seek temporary shelter in a nearby building. Available shelter locations include the Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, Internal Revenue Service, VOA Building, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, the African American Museum, and the Ronald Reagan Building. Please remain calm, follow the directions of law enforcement and event staff, and stay tuned to Freedom 250’s official channels for updates. Freedom 250 will share updates on programming and doors reopening — please stay close to our official channels for updates.”
The Secret Service said they have suspended screening on the National Mall.
“Security screening on the National Mall has been suspended due to dangerous storms,” the Secret Service said. “If you are already on the grounds, follow directions from officers and event staff and move to shelter immediately. Do not shelter under trees.”
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Metro riders are also asked to seek shelter. Commuters should expect heavy crowds at stations near the National Mall and are asked to consider using L’Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, Archives, Federal Triangle or Federal Center SW stations to avoid congestion.
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