San Diego Waves surprised everyone by announcing Landon Donovan as their interim head coach. It was not long ago they handed the command to Paul Buckle as their temporary manager before the NWSL side thought it was time to move on from Casey Stoney. In the eyes of Alexi Lalas, however, the pundit sees Donovan as a better fit in the USMNT under soon-to-be new coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The Waves announced on their social media platform X, that the USMNT icon will be serving the California-based club until the end of the 2024 season. This news caught the eyes of Lalas, who retweeted the post by writing, “Congratulations to @landondonovan on the new interim coaching gig. Like to see Pochettino maybe bring him into the #USMNT set-up. 🇺🇸⚽️.”

Lalas believes Pochettino could encourage the U.S. Soccer Federation to bring Donovan into his coaching staff. While it’s undoubtedly solid advice that both the USSF and the Argentine coach might consider, it’s unlikely that Donovan will join the former Spurs boss anytime soon. The 42-year-old will look to brush up his tactical acumen with the Waves and take on the challenge of bringing the California-based club back on track.

Alex Morgan and Co. are trailing at 10th place in the NWSL with just 15 points in 16 games. Interestingly, before taking on the domestic journey, Landon will lead the Diego ladies for the CONCACAF W Champions Cup opening group stage fixture against Panama’s Santa Fe FC. The Waves will be looking to make a mark under their other interim coach quickly.

Notably, the reason Donovan was called up is because Waves revealed that Paul Buckle left the role to return to ‘personal commitments.’ In the meantime, we’ll see if the former U.S. forward can turn things around for the NWSL side. As for uniting with Pochettino, there’s still time on that front, given that the 52-year-old is expected to take longer than anticipated to arrive.

Mauricio Pochettino will take more time to become USMNT manager

US Men’s National Team insider Jeff Carlisle gave details for Mauricio Pochettino’s potential arrival to America and start managing the American boys. Forget the September friendlies, we might not see the former Paris Saint-Germain manager before October. This is because Pochettino will take significant time to select his best coaching staff. Additionally, the period will also give him some time to understand the dynamics of the USSF.

While Jeff Carlisle highlighted the importance of Mauricio Pochettino starting as soon as possible for the USMNT, he also pointed out there’s an upside to the delay. “They [Pochettino and USSF] want to make sure the eyes are dotted, the T’s are crossed, and everything is above board so that when he [Pochettino] can start, he can do that with no distractions on the contractual side and is ready to begin his work,” the insider concluded.

The rest is up to the federation and Pochettino. Meanwhile, the players can prepare themselves, knowing they’ll now have a coach who will undoubtedly push them hard. This message is also for Landon Donovan if he wishes to join the revolutionary coup.