Getty ImagesThe two coaches were hired by U.S. Soccer 13 years apart and with different objectives, but there are lessons to be learned
Even with the month-long buildup, there was still palpable excitement when American soccer finally got their man, and Mauricio Pochettino was announced as the new U.S. men's national team coach in mid-September. The USMNT needed a spark, especially after the Copa America failure, and Pochettino seemed to be exactly the right name at exactly the right time.
Pochettino isn't the first big swing this program has taken, of course. More than a decade before Pochettino arrived in New York for an glitzy introductory news conference, Jurgen Klinsmann found himself in the very same situation, explaining his vision for changing American soccer.
In some ways, those news conferences are where their similarities end, aside from a Tottenham connection. The USMNT's two most famous head coaching hires are two very different people brought in to do two very different jobs at two very different times.
When hired in 2011, Klinsmann was cast as the dreamer and the visionary. Pochettino, on the contrary, is the pragmatist brought on for the sole purpose of achieving results, with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.
Their approaches, mindsets and resumes are entirely different. So, too, is the USMNT situation they inherited. Klinsmann, like everyone else who follows American soccer, will be watching on to see how Pochettino fares. And like many other observers and fans alike, he's excited about Pochettini's arrival.
"I think he is a fantastic appointment," Klinsmann told ESPN. "I think he lifts the mood with all the soccer fans in this country, because, obviously, he has experience on the highest level. He played the game himself, so he can show the players a bit where he comes from as a player. But then also look at that resume he has as a manager, being in different parts of the world, having a lot of experience, and having a good idea also what it means on the Hispanic side of things, which is a big part in the United States.
"I think it's a massive appointment. It's exciting. I'm really thrilled about it and keeping my fingers crossed for him."
How does Pochettino compare to Klinsmann? How do they contrast? And what overlap will there be in how they approach their time as USMNT boss? GOAL takes a look
