Mauricio Pochettino says the United States have an “amazing future” after his penultimate match as head coach ended with a 6-0 win over Haiti.
Christian Pulisic scored twice at Nu Stadium in Miami as the USA took firm control of their Nations League quarter-final tie.
Auston Trusty, Julian Hall, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun were also on target in a dominant performance.
Although the match was played in Miami, it was officially the USA’s away fixture because of continuing security concerns in Haiti.
Pochettino will leave his position after Tuesday’s second leg in Cincinnati and move directly to Manchester United, where he will replace Michael Carrick.
“I think we have an amazing future, brilliant future in this country with the national team,” said the Argentine.
“I think if we want to go for big things, that is in the way of the construction of the structure and the principles I think are here now and it’s only continuing.”
The former Tottenham and Chelsea manager said his players had handled the uncertainty around his future with maturity, ensuring his impending departure did not affect their preparation or performance.
“They were very, very professional from day one when they started to see all the rumours and then when we confirmed it a few days ago,” Pochettino said.
“And I think if you say to me, what we feel proud of, we feel so proud of the players and how they manage the situation in a mature way.
“In the last two years, the kids, the young kids that appear and you can see how they play very relaxed because of what the experienced players provide, that platform to perform.”
The match was Pulisic’s first appearance for the national team since the World Cup, and his two goals moved him above Eric Wynalda into fourth place on the USA’s all-time goalscoring list.
The winger now has 35 goals in 91 international appearances.
Pulisic had suffered a microfracture to his right tibia and fibula during the USA’s 4-1 defeat by Belgium at the World Cup. His return to international football brought an immediate impact.
He said he understood why Pochettino had chosen to take the Manchester United job.
“I think he has a big opportunity there and yeah, we just have to continue as we’re doing and try to continue to grow as a team,” Pulisic said.
“I think we had some good moments, and he brought a lot of excitement to the team. So I think he’ll leave that behind.”
