Expectations soared when Mauricio Pochettino took the USMNT job in September 2024. Here was an elite European manager, formerly of PSG, Chelsea and Tottenham. A serial winner, known for teams that played good soccer, and understanding that winning was always going to be the mandate in a complicated job.
Whether those have been met surpassed or not is up for debate, and it might just be too early to tell. Pochettino has won three of his first four matches at the helm, and the U.S look like more of a team than they have in years. The next two tests including upcoming matches against Venezuela on Jan. 18 and Costa Rica on Jan. 22.
There certainly have been good vibes. A new manager comes in, develops a culture, reenergizes a group. We have heard this story before. But there are also the technicalities, the numbers of figures that back it all up. And all of the right numbers – possession, shots, chance creation – look promising. There is a statistical basis here to believe that this is something more than merely a good start.
GOAL breaks down five key numbers in the early days of Pochettino’s era as the USMNT boss.