Mauricio Pochettino's penultimate game in charge of the USA ended in a 6-0 rout of Haiti in Miami, in the first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals. The result gave him a strong send-off before he heads to Manchester United, but the match itself stood on its own as a lopsided win built early and finished late.
Miami's one-sided first leg
Auston Trusty opened the scoring in the ninth minute, and USA never really let Haiti breathe after that. The home side were 8 goals scored and 4 conceded across Group D, while Haiti have lost all 3 group matches and scored just 2. That gap showed in Miami, where the Americans looked in control from the start.
The sixth and final goal arrived in the 82nd minute through Folarin Balogun, which closed out a result that felt finished well before full time. Pochettino has been in charge since 2024, and A Bola reported that US Soccer officials have been impressed despite the World Cup round-of-16 exit last summer.
Pochettino's final game in Cincinnati
Pochettino's farewell from the United States national team is scheduled for Tuesday in Cincinnati, when the second leg of the tie is played. The Miami result will not settle every view of his spell, but it does mean he leaves on a result that looked sharp, ruthless and controlled.
For the USA, the immediate task is to carry that level into the return leg. For Pochettino, the move to Manchester now comes after a 6-0 win, not a flat finish.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
