‘Coaching is taking a player where they can’t take themselves’ is one of José Mourinho’s most iconic insights into the art of management, focusing on the relationship between a player and a coach. Managing a squad of roughly 32+ players can cause one to lose their hair (figuratively and realistically) but US Soccer CEO JT Batson believes he has found the person to lead both the USMNT and USWNT at the same time. 

Yes, it’s Emma Hayes who previously mentioned that job-sharing management roles already exist in various soccer college programs but did not mention the possibility of taking over the USMNT from Mauricio Pochettino. For JT Batson on the other hand, he has already set the wheels in motion for this initiative. 

“Absolutely,” Baston told CNN reporter Amanda Davies when asked about the job-sharing role. “One of the driving factors behind us building a national training center for the first time is around creating those opportunities for a lot more mentorship, a lot more job-sharing, a lot more seconds, a lot more opportunities to collaborate as folks are growing in their career.”

This follows Washington Spirit owner and businesswoman Michele Kang’s generous $30 million donation to the U.S. Soccer Federation’s programs focused on young girls and women in the sport. For Hayes’ side, she has nearly three years to prepare for the 2027 World Cup and will be counting on the development of young talent through the program to add more to her squad of stars. 

Having joined the national team setup this year, Hayes has already clinched an Olympic Gold. Historically, the Women’s team has outperformed their male counterparts, so perhaps we could see Hayes manage both sides one day. While there is little precedent for a manager overseeing two national teams simultaneously, it’s not exactly an impossible feat. 

Managers with club and national duties 

Yes, there have been instances where managers took on the responsibility of managing both a club and a national team at the same time. A prime example would be Sir Alex Ferguson who took over Scotland’s national team while being the manager of Aberdeen. The job was entrusted to the Manchester United legend after Jock Stein tragically collapsed and passed away on September 10, 1985, at the end of a World Cup match against Australia. 

Another example is Dutch manager Guus Hiddink who led Russia to the Euro semifinals in 2008 and Chelsea to a Champions League semifinal in the same season. It wasn’t his first time working two jobs, after previously managing PSV Eindhoven and Australia. 

So yes, history does show that managers have occasionally taken on both club and national team roles, but these instances are often due to unique circumstances. If either Emma Hayes or Mauricio Pochettino were to manage both the USWNT and USMNT at the same time, it would make them pioneers in soccer history. But realistically, this feat is far from ever happening, or is it?