Christian Pulisic Takes Vicious Shot At Former USMNT Coaching Staff Following Mauricio Pochettino Hire

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The worst-kept secret in soccer officially became a reality on Tuesday with the U.S. Men's National Team announcing that it has hired Mauricio Pochettino as its next manager to lead them into the 2026 World Cup. Not one person who is even remotely associated with the USMNT is upset that the squad has moved on from Gregg Berhalter and hired a proven manager in Pochettino, including the most-important player on the team, Christian Pulisic.

The USMNT put together a poor performance in a 1-1 draw against a bad New Zealand team on Tuesday night, but after the match Pulisic was asked what he wants to see with Pochettino and a new staff coming in to take over. He immediately spoke about a much-needed culture change, proving that the culture within the locker room with Berhalter was abysmal, which is something anyone paying any attention already assumed.

"Hopefully a culture that is willing to fight, that is willing to take risks," Pulisic explained. "There’s a lot of things that need to change. Just the mentality and the culture of the group. I think we have the quality, but I know hopefully that’s the first thing he's going to want to change."

While Pochettino has never coached at the international level, he brings more accolades to the USMNT managerial position than anyone else who has manned the role before. The 52-year-old managed Chelsea last season, took Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2019, and previously won a league title with Paris Saint-Germain.

With the 2026 World Cup in North America fast approaching and a proven manager in the fold for the USMNT, expectations have never been higher for an American men's side. Pochettino and Pulisic will carry the most weight from now until the tournament kicks off, which isn't a bad scenario given the two have proven themselves at almost every level of world-class soccer.

There is excitement about the USMNT for the first time in many, many years.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.