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Hello! The USMNT threw everything at Mauricio Pochettino — and it looks like they’ve got their man.
Plus: Kylian Mbappe wows Real Madrid, and the reasons behind Kevin Durant’s Paris Saint-Germain investment.
Pochettino Going Stateside
(Getty Images; design by Eamonn Dalton)
What’s happened?
Massive news coming out of the United States today, and we’re bringing it to you fresh as wet paint: Mauricio Pochettino has agreed a deal to become the USMNT’s next head coach.
There’s no need to dress this up. It’s a gigantic catch for U.S. Soccer, which delivers its top target and swiftly concludes the hunt for Gregg Berhalter’s replacement. The appointment of Pochettino isn’t official at this stage but, barring any spanners in the works, it should be soon.
On the back of a woeful Copa America showing, Berhalter had to go. And in response to his sacking, U.S. Soccer had to think big. Jurgen Klopp was touted as an option but Pochettino presented a far more realistic candidate. In coaching terms, he’s a vast leap forward from Berhalter.
Matt Crocker, U.S. Soccer’s sporting director, promised money wouldn’t limit the search. It hasn’t. Poch is easily the USMNT’s most high-profile boss since Jurgen Klinsmann in 2011 — and probably their most high-profile ever. Welcome to a brave new world.
Is this a good fit?
The timing feels right for Pochettino, too. His stock’s still high in club circles but, after a miserable year at Chelsea, the USMNT gig is a fresh start and a different challenge: his first international job.
The Argentinian will bring clear tactics. He’ll work the squad hard. It’ll be a less-cosy environment than it was with Berhalter — and that’s surely no bad thing. That’s not to assume that the partnership will automatically work, though.
I asked The Athletic’s editor-in-chief Laura Williamson to give TAFC her take on this breaking story:
This would be mega for the USMNT, no?
Yes. ‘Poch’ is a name which resonates around global soccer, at a time when USMNT fans are hungry for stardust. He’s been linked with the England job, while Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur are the last three clubs on his CV. Not too shabby, eh?
Why has U.S. Soccer gone for Poch?
With a World Cup on home soil in 2026, the USMNT needs improvement… quickly. Perhaps what Pochettino lacks in international coaching experience he makes up for in man-management, and the way he wants to play the game — and, crucially, sell it to people new to football.
Is he actually a good fit?
Well, he won’t come cheap so it would be a risk in that sense. But a big-name coach with an attacking philosophy who likes his teams to press feels like a good place to start.
The USMNT have three games coming up in September, the first is against Canada in Kansas City. Get Poch over the line and something tells me the ground will be mobbed.
Mbappe’s Dream Debut
For UK readers:
IT JUST HAD TO BE HIM!
Kylian Mbappé scores on his Real Madrid debut ⚪️👏
📺 Watch live on @tntsports and @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/lKrh271rhC
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 14, 2024
For US readers:
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ HAS ARRIVED 💥 pic.twitter.com/Ku6YnxFSy2
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) August 14, 2024
What did you expect?
Kylian Mbappe has what every footballer craves: star quality. There was no chance of a slow start to his Real Madrid career, and a debut last night was all it took to get the ball rolling.
When the line-up for Madrid’s Super Cup game against Atalanta was announced, all eyes looked for Mbappe’s name, but the team in its entirety was ludicrous: Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham. Don’t worry about how the talent fits best. Just ram it in.
Mbappe played up top and stole the show with a quality goal (see above). It had to be. Bellingham turned in a grandiose second half, and Thibaut Courtois pulled off the save of a season which hasn’t even started. A 2-0 win gave Madrid their sixth Super Cup. Their trophy cabinet must be the size of a house.
Back when they were desperately holding off Manchester City in the Champions League in April, TAFC wondered if a new era of Madrid dominance was coming. City don’t look stronger. Madrid do. Look out, Pep.
PL Predictions
(Getty Images; design by Dan Goldfarb)
City or Arsenal?
It’s Christmas Eve. One more sleep to the new Premier League season and if The Athletic’s writers know their onions, another straight shootout between Manchester City and Arsenal looms.
Fifty-seven per cent of our scribes think City will take the title. Forty-three per cent say Arsenal. That’s worthy of discussion for a few reasons:
- Faith in Arsenal is pretty high, despite the fact City are alwaysthere (and always get it done) when it matters.
- Neither club are killing it on the transfer front. City have signed Savinho. Arsenal have done Riccardo Calafiori. Those are incremental improvements, rather than Mbappe-esque game-changers.
- If these neck-and-neck scraps persist season after season, logic says that eventually, one of them will tip Arsenal’s way. Perhaps we’re about to see it.
City won’t be helped by the loss of Oscar Bobb to a fractured leg suffered in training — just when he was on for a big year. Arsenal could yet be aided by the arrival of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad. They’re not letting that one go.
Who’s feeling hopeful?
Something else I noted in our predictions: Brentford tipped for relegation. It’s a fair shout. They’ve been slowly trickling in that direction.
We surveyed fans of the Premier League’s 20 clubs to ask how optimistic they were about the year ahead. The results of the hope-o-meter (that’s trademarked) are pretty damning for Brentford — and awful for Chelsea.
Just 29 per cent of Chelsea’s punters think they’re on for a good time. No surprise. How to feel confident about a squad so big it should be playing American Football?
Transfer Latest
(Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Who’s going where?
Let’s have a quick catch-up on transfers.
Mikel Arteta’s interest in Merino is long-standing. Arsenal have sent sporting director Edu to Spain to try to advance a deal. Merino wants the move and he’s out of contract next summer, so the odds are better than Liverpool’s attempt to sign his team-mate, Martin Zubimendi.
We’ve been picking apart the failed Zubimendi bid on The Athletic FC podcast.
Liverpool have another deal on the go, though. They’re keen on Valencia goalkeeper and top Scrabble score Giorgi Mamardashvili. With Alisson as a clear No 1 at Anfield, Mamardashvili wouldn’t arrive until 2025.
Kalvin Phillips is off to Ipswich Town on loan from Manchester City. He’s clearly finished at Eastlands.
Brighton have activated a £40m ($51m) release clause in the contract of Leeds United forward Georginio Rutter. He’s a rough diamondwith bundles of talent.
It’s not a new signing but Bruno Fernandes signed a contract extension at Manchester United yesterday, tying him down until 2027. From Erik ten Hag’s perspective, it’s important to keep him sweet.
Durant + PSG Explained
Why has he bought in? Does he have a say?
Earlier this week, we brought you the story of NBA pin-up Kevin Durant buying shares in Paris Saint-Germain. He’s following a trend, but every time an athlete or celebrity invests in a football club, we ask the same question: why are they bothering?
Helpfully, Peter Rutzler has put meat on the bones of the Durant equity agreement. Durant hasn’t bought the stake personally. The deal’s been done via his sports, media and entertainment firm Boardroom, which already holds investments in other teams and leagues.
One thing to clear up straight away: he won’t have any influence on PSG’s day-to-day operations. But PSG (already partnered with Michael Jordan’s ‘Jordan’ clothing line) hope to lean on Boardroom’s multi-sports background — and, just as importantly, expand their brand in the United States.
The U.S. is where the money is. It’s where football’s powerhouses are moving and shaking. PSG want their piece of it and Durant’s profile might just open the door further.
Catch A Match
La Liga starts tonight, so fill your boots. Adam Crafton’s been writing today about the prospect of Spanish league fixtures heading to the States…
Athletic Bilbao vs Getafe (1pm ET, 6pm UK), ESPN+, Premier Sports 1
Real Betis vs Girona (3.30pm ET, 8.30pm UK), ESPN+, Premier Sports 1
(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
