Pochettino missing Premier League as USMNT boss eyes return after World Cup

United States men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino has confessed that he misses life in the Premier League and hopes to one day return to English football.

The Argentine took charge of the USMNT in September 2024, just months after parting ways with Chelsea.

He is now preparing to guide the team into the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

“The Premier League is the best league in the world,” he told the BBC.

“Of course I am missing it. I am so happy in America but also thinking one day to come back to the Premier League. It’s the most competitive league.”

Pochettino rose to prominence during his tenure at Tottenham, where he built one of the most exciting sides in the club’s modern history.

Under his management, Spurs reached the Champions League final and competed for two Premier League titles.

“I think we were so close in Tottenham, we nearly touched it [winning a major trophy]. That is a thing that I would want to achieve,” Pochettino said.

The coach also commented on the recent departure of longtime Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who stepped down on September 4 after 24 years at the club.

“I was very surprised [at Levy’s exit]. His legacy is there. It’s amazing what he did for the club,” he added.

“My relationship always was good with him. During my period in Tottenham and after I left.

“He was a really important person because he gave me the possibility to manage a club like Tottenham. That is, for me, one of the best clubs in the world, with an amazing fanbase.”

Impact of Messi

Pochettino, who previously coached Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, praised the influence of his compatriot’s move to Major League Soccer.

Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023 and recently extended his contract, contributing to a surge in attendance and interest across the league.

“I think players like Messi are helping the kids, not only when the kids want to play basketball or American football or baseball, they now want to play also soccer,” Pochettino said.

Pochettino’s main focus now is leading the US national team into a successful home World Cup while continuing to strengthen the sport’s presence across the country.

“The motivation is massive. Sometimes you feel that people don’t understand too much.

“You find some coaches that say: ‘oh you know, you need to know the culture of the American player.’ I say: ‘No, I know the most important thing – the culture of football and soccer. We need to translate the culture of football to the American player.’

“I think after one year we are making great progress. We are building [ideas] with people that the language of football is only one and it doesn’t care if you are American, Brazilian or English. Our football is [to] compete in the way that you need to compete, if you want to win.”