The US men's national team officially kicks off the Mauricio Pochettino era on Saturday with an international friendly against Panama.
How to watch & stream
- English: TNT, Max, Peacock
- Spanish: Telemundo, Universo
When
- Saturday, Oct. 12 | 9 pm ET/6 pm PT
Where
- Q2 Stadium | Austin, Texas
Pochettino's debut at Austin FC's Q2 Stadium will be followed by a visit to archrivals and FIFA 2026 World Cup co-hosts Mexico three days later in Guadalajara.
The former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur head coach took over the USMNT last month with the stated mission of making a historic World Cup run on home soil. Pochettino has less than two years and just nine international windows between now and then, beginning with this October window.
It's a new dawn for the USMNT, with Pochettino taking the reins as arguably the program's most high-profile manager ever. The intention is clear: compete at the highest level and, as the new boss said during his introductory press conference, try to win the World Cup.
Pochettino's first roster includes four MLS players and established stars such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah.
Although it's a friendly, the US are focused on leaving a good first impression under Pochettino and returning to winning ways. They're winless in their last four matches (0W-3L-1D), most recently playing to a 1-1 draw against New Zealand in September.
Saturday's opponent, Panama, began the USMNT's current winless streak by defeating the then-Gregg Berhalter-coached side 2-1 in the Copa América 2024 group stage.
In that same game, Houston Dynamo midfielder Coco Carrasquilla saw a late red card and was given a two-match suspension, leaving Los Canaleros without one of their best players as they eventually fell in the quarterfinals to Colombia.
Nashville SC's AnĂbal Godoy, who missed the Copa AmĂ©rica due to injury, is back in head coach Thomas Christiansen's roster for the October window.
