A billionaire's backing – and lifelong love of soccer – helped bring Mauricio Pochettino to Team USA
The Citadel founder provided the largest individual contribution among benefactors who secured Pochettino in 2024
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A billionaire's contribution helped the U.S. men's national team secure the services of Mauricio Pochettino as the team's head coach two years ago, as the squad now looks to progress into the World Cup quarterfinals as one of the competition's host nations.
Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin provided the largest philanthropic contribution as a group of benefactors worked to bring Pochettino, an Argentine who previously served as the manager of several of the world's most prominent club soccer teams, including Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
Pochettino's base salary is a little over $6 million after calculating an annualized pay rate based on figures from the U.S. Soccer Federation's most recent tax filings, which represented a significant boost from his predecessor's salary.
"Mauricio has a well-deserved reputation for excellence, high standards, and bringing out the best in the teams he leads," Griffin recently told The Wall Street Journal. "Those are timeless qualities I admire, and they are exactly what U.S. Soccer needed at this moment."
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U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino speaks with Folarin Balogun and Weston McKennie during the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 32 match between the USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California. (John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)
Securing Pochettino as the head coach of the U.S. men's national team in 2024 helped set the stage for the team's success at World Cup 2026, which the U.S. is hosting along with Canada and Mexico.
The U.S. defeated Paraguay 4-1 in its opening group stage match and then clinched the top spot in the group with a 2-0 win over Australia, advancing into the competition's knockout stage despite a 3-2 loss to Turkey in the final match of the group stage.
Team USA followed that up with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, despite a controversial red card issued to striker Folarin Balogun that was subsequently suspended by FIFA, allowing him to avoid a one-match ban.
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The final of World Cup 2026 will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
That set the stage for Team USA's round of 16 matchup with Belgium, which will be played Monday night in Seattle.
A win to advance into the quarterfinals would mark the deepest World Cup run for Team USA since 2002, and Pochettino's leadership has instilled a "why not us?" mentality in the team that helped spur the results to put the team on the brink of a historic result on its home soil.
Griffin's interest in supporting the team developed out of a lifelong love of the sport, as he grew up a soccer fan and played the sport in high school and college.
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Citadel CEO Ken Griffin was recognized as the U.S. Soccer Federation's most impactful philanthropist with the group's #10 Award. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
He has also coached his children's soccer teams, and has made donations through a philanthropic organization called Griffin Catalyst.
Griffin donated $3 million in 2017 to fund 50 mini-pitches in Chicago and $5 million in 2023 to build another 50 mini-pitches in Miami-Dade County to expand access to safe soccer fields in underserved communities.
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Earlier this year, Griffin was given the U.S. Soccer Federation's #10 Award as the group's most impactful philanthropist ahead of the World Cup.