Christian Pulisic has welcomed increasing speculation linking Mauricio Pochettino to the US men’s national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Last week, it was reported that Pochettino and the US Soccer Federation were in talks over an agreement for the former coach of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham to become the men’s national team coach.
Gregg Berhalter was dismissed as the national team coach after the US’ group-stage exit from this summer’s Copa America.
‘I think it’s good news,’ Pulisic, 25, told CBS before scoring in AC Milan’s 2-1 loss to Parma on Saturday.
‘I think it’s time for a change, it’s time for us to take another step and really improve as a team and leading up to this World Cup we need to find some good results and build some momentum leading up to that.’
Christian Pulisic has endorsed the US men’s national team’s pursuit of Mauricio Pochettino
According to ESPN, Pochettino’s contractual situation with former club Chelsea has yet to be resolved before his hiring can be confirmed by the US Soccer Federation.
The Premier League club owes an undisclosed amount of money to the Argentine coach following his departure at the end of last season.
Former US under-20 coach Mikey Varas will be in charge for the upcoming friendly games in September, regardless of whether Pochettino will be appointed before then, according to ESPN.
The US will first host Canada in Kansas City on Sept. 7 and New Zealand in Cincinnati three days later, while Pochettino familiarizes himself with the US Soccer Federation and its setup, including homegrown players and those plying their trade abroad.
Former US U-20 coach Mikey Varas will be in charge of the USMNT for its September games
Earlier this week, Pochettino’s potential arrival was encouraged by US and PSV full-back Sergino Dest.
‘Yeah, it is [exciting],’ Dest told ESPN while being a guest at this weekend’s Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix. ‘Obviously, he’s been a coach for big clubs and he’s a well-known coach. That will be a nice experience to train under him.
‘We’ll see and hopefully it can help all of us… to have a really great result at the World Cup, you know? Because we are the home country.’
Pulisic’s AC Milan and US teammate, midfielder Yunus Musah, has also endorsed the potential hire.
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