Pochettino Out as U.S. Manager

The Manager Has Signed a Two-and-a-Half-Year Deal at Manchester United

Mauricio Pochettino is leaving the U.S. men’s national team to become Manchester United’s head coach, just 102 days after signing a four-year contract with U.S. Soccer.

United announced Friday that Pochettino will take over Nov. 18. He will lead the Americans in their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series against Haiti on Saturday in Miami and Tuesday in Cincinnati before departing. United replaces Michael Carrick, who was fired Thursday after the club’s worst start to a season in 40 years left it 18th in the Premier League.

A tearful Pochettino called the decision “very sad” and said he is “a very emotional guy.” He said he never wanted to return to Europe but that few opportunities compare to United. “When it arrives, it’s difficult to turn down,” he said.

The 54-year-old Argentine led the U.S. to the round of 16 at this summer’s World Cup, where it lost to Belgium. U.S. Soccer included a $10 million release clause in his contract. BBC Sport reported United paid about 7.4 million pounds, plus a further fee for his staff.

U.S. Soccer CEO J.T. Batson said Pochettino and his staff “have raised the standard.” The federation will begin a coaching search immediately, with women’s national team coach Emma Hayes assisting. Under-23 coach Steve Cherundolo will lead a camp without European-based players next month. The full squad will not regroup until mid-March.

Pochettino’s résumé includes stints at Espanyol, Southampton, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. At Tottenham, he led the club to four straight Champions League qualifications and its first final in the competition in 2019. United first considered hiring him in 2016. His first match in charge will be Nov. 22 at Liverpool.

Haiti Ready for the Americans

Haitians Are Prepared to Spoil Pochettino's Final U.S. Matches

Haiti’s national team arrives at its CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against the U.S. with a rich history and a new coach on the bench.

The Haitian Football Federation was founded in 1904, and Haiti has been a FIFA member since 1934. It is a founding member of CONCACAF and the only Caribbean nation to win the confederation’s championship, which it did in 1973. That title sent Haiti to the 1974 World Cup, where it lost to Italy, Poland and Argentina but scored its first World Cup goal against Italy. Haiti returned to the sport’s biggest stage in 2026 after beating Nicaragua 2-0 in Curaçao on the final qualifying matchday. Drawn into a group with Brazil, Morocco and Scotland, it did not advance to the knockout rounds. Haiti’s best Gold Cup finish was a semifinal run in 2019.

Spanish coach David Badía took over soon after the World Cup. A former defender, he began coaching in FC Barcelona’s academy and later held assistant jobs in Turkey and Spain. He got his first head coaching job in 2021 at Cyprus club Ethnikos Achna, where he returned in 2024 before joining Haiti.

Les Grenadiers finished second in their Nations League group with nine points from four matches. They beat Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic before losing 2-0 to Costa Rica.

Several key players are based in the U.S., including Atlanta United forward Fafà Picault, who also earned two caps with the U.S., and Philadelphia Union midfielder Danley Jean Jacques. Both started all four group matches. Picault won the 2025 MLS Cup with Inter Miami. Goalkeeper Alexandre Pierre, 25, became the starter after longtime captain Johny Placide retired following the World Cup. Pierre kept two clean sheets in the group stage.

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde withdrew from the squad with a minor injury.

U.S. Versus Haiti: A Soccer History

The Two CONCACAF Nations Have a Storied History, Dating Back Over 70 Years

The U.S. men’s national team will renew one of its oldest international rivalries this month, meeting Haiti twice in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, on Nov. 14 in Miami and Nov. 17 in Cincinnati.

The series dates to April 1954, when the Americans won 3-2 and 3-0 in World Cup qualifying in Port-au-Prince. Bill Looby scored three goals across those matches. Haiti’s connection to U.S. soccer history runs deeper, though. Joe Gaetjens scored the winning goal in the Americans’ 1-0 upset of England at the 1950 World Cup. He played for Haiti in 1944 and again in 1953, earning three caps for each country.

The rivalry turned in Haiti’s favor from 1968 to 1983. Following a 6-3 U.S. win in October 1968, the Americans went winless in their next nine meetings, losing six straight in friendlies and World Cup qualifying before three consecutive scoreless draws in 1976. Twelve of the first 13 matches were played in Port-au-Prince.

The U.S. has not lost to Haiti since 1983, when it won 2-0 in Port-au-Prince. The teams have since met twice in Miami, with the Americans winning 3-0 at the Orange Bowl in the 2000 Gold Cup before Danny Califf’s late equalizer salvaged a 1-1 draw in 2004. Saturday’s match will be the third in Miami.

The Gold Cup has produced most of the recent meetings. The teams drew 2-2 in 2009, and the U.S. won 1-0 in both 2015 and 2021. The most recent matchup came in the 2025 group stage, when Malik Tillman and Patrick Agyemang scored in a 2-1 U.S. victory in Arlington, Texas.

The Americans hold an all-time record of 8-5-6 (WDL) against Haiti, are unbeaten in 11 meetings since 1983 and have won the last three. Mauricio Pochettino’s team is ranked 16th in the FIFA rankings, while Haiti is 84th.

No World Cup for the U-17s

Youth National Team Pulls Out of the World Cup in Qatar

U.S. Soccer has withdrawn its Under-17 men’s national team from the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, citing safety concerns less than two weeks before the tournament begins.

The federation informed players of the decision Wednesday in a letter. It pointed to the U.S. State Department’s Level 3 travel advisory for Qatar, issued Oct. 23, which urges Americans to “reconsider travel to Qatar due to risk of armed conflict.” The advisory followed deadly missile strikes by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Riyadh’s international airport in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

“Unfortunately, in light of current circumstances … we are no longer able to participate in the tournament,” the letter read. “The well-being of our players and staff will always be our top priority.”

FIFA said it was informed of the decision and that “the applicable tournament regulations will be followed.” Those rules call for a fine of 20,000 Swiss francs (about $24,000) for a team that withdraws within 30 days of the start. The governing body said its security assessments remain unchanged and that no new developments have affected the tournament’s security situation. It noted that Qatar has hosted several international events in recent months, including MotoGP and the Doha Diamond League.

The 48-team tournament is scheduled to begin Nov. 19 in Doha and end Dec. 13. The U.S., coached by Alex Aldaz, was drawn into Group J with Montenegro, Chile and Algeria and was set to open against Montenegro on Nov. 21. Aldaz named a 21-player roster last week. The Americans reached the round of 32 in the 2025 edition, also held in Qatar.

The withdrawal comes amid regional conflicts that have disrupted other events. The 2027 Asian Cup, planned for Saudi Arabia in January, has been postponed by nearly a year, and the Dakar Rally is being moved. Formula One still plans to race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to close its season.

Pulisic Continues Scoring Form

Winger Scored The Eventual Winner Against Genoa Sunday, His Third in Last Four League Matches

Christian Pulisic gave his club-form credentials a timely boost on Sunday, scoring in AC Milan’s 2-1 win at Genoa just before he links up with the U.S. Men’s National Team for the Haiti series.

Pulisic was one of five changes Ruben Amorim made after Thursday’s 2-0 Europa League loss to Ferencváros, and he was involved in both of Milan’s first-half goals. His pressing forced the error that led to Alphadjo Cissé’s opener in the 13th minute. Six minutes later, Milan pounced on another Genoa mistake in their own half. Gonçalo Ramos intercepted the ball and, rather than shoot himself, squared it to Pulisic, who fired low into the bottom corner for a 2-0 lead. It was his fourth goal of the season.

That tally fits a recent upswing. Pulisic had scored three times in his previous six matches, and his goal came a little over a week after Milan beat Inter in the derby. He was booked in the 75th minute and replaced by Ardon Jashari soon after.

The win was hardly comfortable. Genoa, who came in on a run of three straight victories, had 17 shots and were rewarded when Mikael Ellertsson struck from distance in the 87th minute, setting up a tense finish. Milan held on, though, to move into fourth place in Serie A on 24 points and ease some of the pressure heading into the break.

For Mauricio Pochettino, the timing could hardly be better. Pulisic returns to the national team for the first time since the World Cup and arrives as the squad’s most-capped player, with 90 caps. He missed the September-October window, an absence Pochettino chose not to explain, and Pochettino has already pointed to his potential partnership with young wingers like Cavan Sullivan as something to watch in camp.

Mehmeti Scores Second of the Season

Teenage Midfielder Finished the MLS Regular Season with His Second Goal

Adri Mehmeti capped a promising season with the New York Red Bulls by scoring the opening goal in a 3-0 win over Atlanta United on the final day of the MLS regular season, just days before he joins the U.S. Men’s National Team for the Haiti series.

The 17-year-old homegrown midfielder struck in the 31st minute. Ronald Donkor slipped a pass into the box for Mehmeti, whose first shot Atlanta goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert kick-saved. Mehmeti reacted quickest to the rebound, dribbled once around the diving keeper, and finished into the open net. It was his second goal of the 2026 season, and he has 11 goal contributions in all.

Cade Cowell doubled the lead in the 54th minute after a through ball from Sekou Koné, and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty sealed the win with a free kick into the top corner in the 81st, his first goal for the club. Ethan Horvath needed just one save to keep a clean sheet. Both sides were already out of playoff contention, but the result gave New York a 10th-place finish and ended a stretch in which the team had lost four of its previous five. 

Mehmeti is one of eight young players returning from the September-October window for the Nations League quarterfinals. He made his national team debut during that stretch and has three caps. He is also eligible to represent Albania, so an appearance against Haiti would further cement his commitment to the U.S.

Teammate Julian Hall, also in camp, finished the regular season with 13 goals, one short of the MLS teenage record.

Sullivan Strong in Season Finale

The Teenager Scored Twice in Philadelphia's Victory, One Assisted By His Brother

Cavan Sullivan closed his breakout MLS regular season in style, scoring twice in the Philadelphia Union’s 4-1 win over Toronto FC. The result locked up the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and a best-of-three opening series against the third-seeded New England Revolution.

It was a family affair. Older brother Quinn set up Cavan’s second goal, a one-touch finish in the 58th minute that made it 3-1. Quinn led the breakaway after a flick header from Bruno Damiani, then slipped the ball to his trailing brother. Quinn also converted a penalty in the 41st minute and helped set up the opener, which Cavan tapped into an empty net in the 28th minute. The pair became the third set of brothers in MLS history to score for the same club in the same match, joining Gonzalo and Federico Higuaín and Diego and Yimmi Chará.

The two goals pushed Cavan to nine goals and 14 assists, including secondary assists. His 23 goal contributions are the most by a teenager in a single MLS regular season, passing the 20 Diego Fagúndez recorded in 2013. The 17-year-old is slated to join Manchester City after he turns 18.

The finish also caps a remarkable stretch for the teenager. Cavan became the youngest scorer in USMNT history against Mexico, lofting the ball over the goalkeeper after pressing him. Earlier, he had become the youngest player to win MLS Player of the Month, an honor he earned for September.

Philadelphia has surged since Ryan Richter took over as interim coach during the World Cup break, collecting 43 of a possible 57 points. Cavan has been central to that run. Quinn, meanwhile, appears to be rediscovering the form he showed before a torn ACL. Captain Alejandro Bedoya also made his final regular-season appearance as a late substitute.

Cavan will now join the USMNT for the Nations League series against Haiti before the Union’s playoff opener.

Reyna and Campbell Replaced

Duo Suffered Injuries During the Week, McGlynn and McKenzie to Replace

The U.S. Men’s National Team has already had to alter its roster for the Haiti series, with injuries to Gio Reyna and George Campbell forcing Mauricio Pochettino to bring in replacements before camp has even begun.

Campbell was the first to go. The West Bromwich Albion defender, who earned his first call-up in 2025 and saw action last window, suffered a groin injury in a club match on Tuesday and was ruled out. Pochettino had said he would wait on medical information and was already weighing other options. Toulouse’s Mark McKenzie, 27, is the replacement. He has 30 caps, started against Türkiye at the World Cup and was part of the team that beat Haiti at the 2025 Gold Cup. This is his first call-up since the World Cup.

Reyna’s exit was more dramatic. The 23-year-old scored for Strasbourg in a 3-1 loss to Toulouse, then signaled to the bench a few minutes later and limped off with what appeared to be a thigh injury. U.S. Soccer confirmed his withdrawal the next day. The timing stings, as Reyna was enjoying his longest run of regular club soccer in years and had started all four games in the last window, picking up two assists. He had also emerged as a leader in camp. His history of muscular injuries only adds to the frustration.

Fittingly, McKenzie scored Toulouse’s second goal in that match, heading home a corner, just before Reyna’s goal.

Stoke City midfielder Jack McGlynn takes Reyna’s place and arrives in strong form, having scored in three straight games for his club, including on Saturday.

The U.S. opens the series Nov. 14 in Miami, then hosts the second leg on Nov. 17 in Cincinnati, with a spot in the March semifinals at stake.

Cherundolo Names Roster for Olympic Tune-up

New Manager Gets First Taste of Action With Camp in Spain

Steve Cherundolo is officially on the clock. The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team head coach, hired for the role earlier this year, has named 23 players for the first camp of the 2028 Olympic cycle, running Nov. 9-17 in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain. The Americans, who qualify automatically as hosts of the Los Angeles Games, will play Scotland on Nov. 15 and Ukraine on Nov. 17, both at Pinatar Arena.

“We’re eager to get to work, establish our identity and build a strong foundation for what lies ahead,” Cherundolo said.

The group is built around MLS, with 15 players from the league and eight based abroad, spread across 18 clubs. New England leads the way with three selections, while Philadelphia, San Diego and Seattle each contribute two. Overseas, the contingent includes Stoke City’s Luca Bombino, Parma’s Benjamin Cremaschi, Legia Warsaw’s Robert Deziel Jr., WSG Tirol’s Drew Murray, and German-based forwards Cole Campbell, Andre Gitau and Marvin Dills.

Senior-team experience is a notable feature. Campbell, Damion Downs, Brooklyn Raines and Frankie Westfield all featured for the USMNT in the fall window, while Cremaschi played at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Goalkeepers Julian Eyestone and Andrew Rick trained with the World Cup squad this summer, and 13 players have appeared at a FIFA youth World Cup.

The roster is also defined by who isn’t there. Mauricio Pochettino kept a long list of Olympic-eligible players with the senior team for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti, including Diego Kochen, Cavan Sullivan, Neil Pierre, Reed Baker-Whiting, Julian Hall and Justin Ellis. Peyton Miller, Zavier Gozo and Chris Brady were not named to either squad.

With 18 spots on the final Olympic roster, three of them open to overage players, this is the first of several camps where places will begin to be earned.

New Gold Cup Format

CONCACAF Revamps Format Ahead of 2027 Tournament

CONCACAF has overhauled the Gold Cup group stage, and the change should put the U.S. under more pressure from the opening match of the 2027 tournament. The event runs June 17 to July 11, with the draw set for April 8.

The old format of four groups of four is gone. The 16 teams will be split into two groups of eight, and each side will play four group matches instead of three. Teams are seeded into ranking bands, and a set fixture matrix gives each team one opponent from every band. The top four in each group advance to a single-elimination bracket, and group-stage placement decides the quarterfinal pairings. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani said the goal is to give top teams more chances to meet “earlier in the competition.”

For the U.S., the change ends the soft opening. Heavyweights have often eased through the group stage against much weaker opposition. Now every team will face a spread of opponents, so a ranking-band opponent will be on the schedule no matter what. Because each result counts toward the top-four cut and the quarterfinal draw, a slip in June could mean a tougher road later.

The stakes are also personal. The U.S. has seven Gold Cup titles, behind Mexico’s 10, which include the 2025 edition. Pochettino’s side lost that final with a second-string roster while key stars were absent. He has said the November camp is partly about gaining a clearer picture of how the team will arrive at next summer’s tournament, which will be played closer to a World Cup year than that one was.

First, the U.S. must beat Haiti. Winning the Nations League series clinches a place in the new-look Gold Cup and moves the Americans on to the March finals.