Better job: U.S. or England?
Which position is more attractive to big name managers?
First, let me comment on the news that U.S. Soccer hired Mauricio Pochettino as its man’s senior team manager. I will have more to say tonight on Daniel Feuerstein’s show at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT but here are a few initial reactions:
I’m surprised few people (including me) didn’t have him higher on the potential managers’ list. Crocker’s previous working relationship with him at Southampton plus his availability post-Chelsea in retrospect made him an obvious choice if USSF was swinging for the fences, even more so than Klopp.
I’ve said all along I wanted a manager who has international experience, and he does not check that box. That said, he checks a lot of others and I think overall is a good hire.
Let’s see what his coaching staff looks like, that may be the biggest indicator of future success if he has the right mix of people.
With Emma Hayes and Pochettino on board, Crocker has shown he dreams big and the Federation at the moment is letting him.
Moving on to the topic of today’s post. Pochettino was coveted by both the English FA and USSF and according to the UK media was a favorite to replace Gareth Southgate. To say they are gob smacked this morning that the U.S. poached their managerial candidate is an understatement.
But are they right to be? Is the England job a better job this World Cup cycle?
This question has been floating in my mind recently and yesterday’s hire pushed it to the top. I want to focus on which is better between now and 2026 because (1) this World Cup cycle has some very unique circumstances and (2) looking too far into the future can be a fool’s errand. I suspect this will drive a few comments and disagreements, so here we go: below is why I believe each position is superior to the other:
Why the England manager is a better position
Just look at the squad. Even if you, like me, joke that any squad with Harry Kane cannot win a trophy, you still have one of the world’s best strikers. You also have players with tons of trophy-winning experience and a mix of established veterans and exciting younger players. The English youth set-up has been recently very successful so that talent pool is world-class deep. Contrast that with the U.S. which has a wide but shallow pool of talent. Not that they aren’t talented, but just not at the same club level.
If you can win the 2026 World Cup, you can be an utter failure in everything else and still be considered a god in England. And let’s be frank - England may not be THE favorites but they will be one of the favorites in this tournament. So it’s not an unreachable dream, like so many other World Cup cycles are.
There’s something to be said to being a small nation where your senior team players do not need to be playing elsewhere to get to games at the highest level. Sure it’s fun to jet off to Germany and Spain to watch a relegation scrap to ID a potential call-up, but in England most of your pool is a train-ride away to watch.
Why the U.S. manager is a better position
You don’t need to qualify for the World Cup, you’re (co-)hosting. While there are definite downsides to not playing in competitive matches, this is a MAJOR advantage. England, despite their talent, still need to navigate UEFA and that’s always a tough go.
The U.S. has a higher upside and England has a larger potential fall. Under Gareth Southgate, England have made two finals, a semifinal, and a quarterfinal of four major tournaments. The only way to beat that in 2026 is to win the World Cup. Piece of cake! While expectations are high for the U.S., it’s not like the men’s team has been soaring at the highest heights. The new manager will be expected to do more with this team, and there’s enough potential there to do that.
Related to this, the expectation game is different. Both nations have unrealistic expectations for their men’s senior teams but England’s annual trophy or bust mentality is wild, even in tournaments when it is realistic. While U.S. fans always think their team is better than it actually is, England still has a slightly more unrealistic expectation. Finishing third in World Cup 2026 won’t cut it for the Three Lions, but will make Pochettino a hero in the U.S.
The U.S. is (co-)hosting the 2026 World Cup. That’s always a major plus.
Share your thoughts in the comments, and I will “see” you tonight on Feuerstein’s Fire.