The two future managers met in an exhibition match in Washington, D.C. in the sweltering summer of 1999
Most of the big moments in United States soccer history are associated with certain plays. Who can forget Ian Darke's famous "Go, Go, USA?" call? Highlights, by their very nature, live long in the collective memory (and it helps if they can can be easily found on YouTube).
But some key incidents don't happen in a second. Some are protracted over 90 minutes, a series of moments that – seemingly insignificant at the time – become oddly relevant in the future.
Bruce Arena, the U.S. manager 25 years ago, would be the first to say his team played poorly against Argentina on June 28, 1999. Despite a 1-0 win by the USMNT – a victory that might have been pivotal in shaping the squad that would overperform at the 2002 World Cup – Arena wasn’t impressed.
Yet, if you look at the players who featured in that match, you'll find a rare coincidence. Mauricio Pochettino, who has reportedly agreed to become the next USMNT manager, played the full 90 minutes that day for Argentina. And on the other side, Gregg Berhalter, whose tenure as U.S. coach ended after the Copa America this summer, came on as a substitute to help the Americans secure the win.
While some of the specifics have admittedly been lost to time, the match has gained new relevance in September 2024, as two eras of the USMNT are seemingly about to collide.
Here's a look back at that moment, and what it meant, in this edition of… Throwback Thursday.
What happened?
"The Right Direction" read the headline in Soccer America on June 28, 1999. And with good reason. Arena's UMSNT had just done the improbable in a friendly with Argentina, beating 1-0 in a remarkably unwatchable preseason friendly.
There were some hallmark names on display here. Marcelo Bielsa coached Argentina. Javier Zanetti and Diego Simeone started for the visitors. The USMNT ran out names such as Claudio Reyna and Cobi Jones.
But in the 69th minute, something of more lasting importance happened. Arena turned to his bench, and brought on a center-back who practiced his club football at Dutch side Cambuur. His name? Gregg Berhalter. And a certain Mauricio Pochettino played all 90 minutes for Argentina in a summer match in a swampy-like RFK Stadium in D.C.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWhy it mattered
These days, it's one of those strange soccer coincidences – one future USMNT manager meeting his expected successor. Berhalter, of course, was fired after the U.S.'s disappointing Copa America campaign.
Pochettino, meanwhile, appears to be next in line. Should the move become official, it will be a real statement hire for the U.S. Pochettino is an elite manager, who has coached top clubs like Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea, and will follow one who never quite reached the heights that he perhaps should have. For a brief moment on the pitch a quarter century ago, though, they were rivals.
GettyFrom those who were there
Duncan Irving of Soccer America observed that the USMNT's defensive performance left a lot to be desired on the day, remarking that the Arena-coached side struggled to execute the "flimsiest of offside traps." Arena wasn't much more optimistic.
Before the contest, he promised that it would take the U.S. "at least a year" to rebuild the program. After the win, he didn't offer much more, saying "All this means is we are rebuilding our program. We are back in the right direction, but I wouldn't say more than that."
Forward Jovan Kirovski provided a more positive assessment, although he acknowledged that Argentina could have also snatched a win: "It was a great result. I thought we fought really hard as a team, we played well and created some good chances. Honestly, the game could have gone either way."
GettyWhat came next
The result is relatively meaningless, overall, but the day has renewed interest because of the meeting of two future managers.
Both would go on to have successful careers as players. Berhalter collected 44 caps for the U.S., appearing regularly over a 12-year period from 1994-2006. He eventually retired from the professional game in 2011 with more than 400 appearances under his belt. He won the Nations League twice as USMNT head coach, but will perhaps ultimately be remembered for his failure to get the U.S. out of its group at the 2024 Copa America.
Pochettino, too, enjoyed a long stint in the pitch. He eclipsed the 500-appearance mark in club soccer, and concluded his time at the professional level in 2006. He was less involved for his national team, making 20 appearances for