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Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondent
Former United States under-20 coach Mikey Varas will lead the U.S. men’s national team on an interim basis during the upcoming September international window, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Varas will be in charge even if Mauricio Pochettino is officially named manager of the USMNT prior to the window, enabling Pochettino time to familiarize himself with the U.S. Soccer Federation and broader American soccer landscape.
The U.S. will host Canada in Kansas City, Kansas, on Sept. 7 and New Zealand in Cincinnati, Ohio, three days later in a pair of friendlies.
Previously, both the Washington Post and The Athletic reported that Varas would take over on a temporary basis.
ESPN reported on Thursday that Pochettino has agreed to succeed Gregg Berhalter as the new permanent USMNT coach.
No final agreement has been signed between the two parties, sources told ESPN, and the USSF board of directors is yet to sign off on any deal. A regular board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 23, though a special meeting could be called before then to finalize the appointment, a source added.
A separate source told ESPN Thursday that Pochettino’s situation with former club Chelsea remains unresolved. He is owed money by the Premier League club and until a resolution is found he cannot sign a contract to take over the USMNT.
Varas most recently served on the staff of former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter at the Copa América, where the U.S. was eliminated in the group stage.
Prior to that stint, Varas was in charge of the U.S. men’s U20 team from 2021-23, where his side claimed the 2022 Concacaf Championship, a title that officially qualified the U.S. for the 2024 Olympic Games.
At the subsequent 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup, Varas led the U20s to the quarterfinal stage, where it was defeated 2-0 by Uruguay.
Varas was an assistant on the staff at FC Dallas from 2016-19 under Luchi Gonzalez. Prior to that assignment he worked in the academies of Dallas and the Sacramento Republic.