Mauricio Pochettino leaves behind a negligible legacy at USMNT... where raised standards never materialized into results as tearful Argentine bolts for Man United

Perhaps it's incredibly cynical, and maybe too harsh, to call the tears that fell down the face of Mauricio Pochettino 'performative.' But it's the first word that came to mind – followed by 'surprising' and 'a bit much.'

It was only four months ago when the Argentine who had been atop the United States' men's national team since 2024 signed a contract extension to stay on board for another four years.

'We want to try to have a lasting impact on the sport in the country that has welcomed us so warmly and for that impact to extend beyond results on the field,' Pochettino said when his contract was signed.

Yet, after a few months and one international window, that experiment to make a 'lasting impact' has ended. Pochettino may have cried because he fell in love with the country, but it's not like he got fired. Instead, he's off to lead one of the world's greatest football brands in Manchester United.

So now the question turns to the legacy Pochettino leaves behind. Plenty of American soccer writers and fans point to the spirit the former Chelsea boss created and how he helped to energize a team which had been bogged down by past coaches.

But Pochettino's results don't scream success. The World Cup finish was nothing special compared to his peers, his record against the best nations the USA faced was poor and he'll leave as the first full-time USMNT manager in nearly 30 years to not win at least one trophy.

Mauricio Pochettino cried as he left the United States' top job for Manchester United

Pochettino's USMNT played exciting football, but ultimately didn't progress past the norm

But any potential for further growth evaporated when the Argentine returned to England

By all accounts, the greatest thing Pochettino did was install a hungry, all-in-or-nothing culture in a team bogged down by an earth-rocking scandal and a poor 2024 Copa America run.

But he did so in a way that often left the biggest players of the USMNT system behind. Rather than keep a consistent core of his best players around, he seemed intent on tinkering with the lineup in each window.

The results reflect that instability. Leading to the World Cup, Pochettino played 12 games against sides in the top 30 of the FIFA World Rankings. He won just three fixtures – drawing once and losing the remaining eight.

All the while, he was linked to returns to Europe. Pochettino may have said in his exit press conference that he 'never said I wanted to go back to the Premier League' but the Premier League certainly wanted him – especially Tottenham.

Come World Cup time, Pochettino's team finally seemed to gel with a scintillating style of play never before seen in the USMNT.

But it all crashed down after the Round of 32 game against Bosnia when Folarin Balogun's red card was (as this American will admit) deviously overturned. The noise and controversy led to the Americans' embarrassment at the hands of Belgium on home soil.

A summer of exciting soccer for the USMNT followed years of hard resets and mixed results

It all fell apart with a demolition by Belgium, leaving Pochettino without any success

The Yanks were not expected to go much further than the last 16. But branding Pochettino's time atop the USMNT a 'success' on the back of this World Cup performance is giving him too much credit – especially considering the four prior managers to take the US to the World Cup all made it to that stage of the tournament as well.

With his departure confirmed, Pochettino is the first USMNT manager to leave the post without any silverware since the 1998 departure of Steve Sampson, who hadn't been a professional manager before being appointed to the job.

Even though he achieved little in terms of results, players praised Pochettino's leadership and development skills, which shouldn't be ignored.

Middlesbrough midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said: 'He's meant so much to me and he's helped me develop as a player and as a person. And as a player, that's all you can ask for, to have that trust and have that belief in you.'

But not every player in the system was tripping over themselves to play under Poch. Just ask Christian Pulisic, who took the entire summer off in 2025 to rest before the World Cup – only to put up a goose egg in his home country.

Any hope for further progress under Pochettino evaporated when United came calling

All of this being said, there was reason for hope in the future. By re-signing Pochettino, the chance to cement that work ethic, culture and leadership presented itself.

With his extension, Pochettino had the chance to build a foundation in US Soccer to engender future success for decades to come.

Now, that's all gone. Now, Pochettino's time in charge will be remembered more for unfulfilled potential than culture shifting. After all, how do you expect to keep a culture if its chief architect leaves?

US Soccer now is faced with a quagmire of either hiring the biggest possible name again (Guardiola, if you believe the rumors) or hiring someone who will treat the position less like a stepping stone and more like a cornerstone.

It never seemed like Pochettino fully embraced the US, despite the tears on Friday. He'll be off for Old Trafford and a United squad bogged down by perpetual disappointment, all while leaving behind the biggest "What If" in the still-growing history of the American game.