US coach Pochettino's viral shirt gives Hugo Boss welcome buzz

By Danielle Kaye and Alessandro Parodi

NEW YORK, July 7 (Reuters) - U.S. national soccer team coach Mauricio Pochettino fell short of getting the World Cup co-hosts into the quarter-finals. But his signature attire by the pitch — a sleek blue Hugo Boss shirt — stole the show, giving the struggling German brand a welcome publicity win.

Pochettino, known for treating his outfits as lucky charms, wore the $499 super-lightweight virgin wool Boss shirt and matching pants at every game of the tournament, attracting fans' attention.

"He looks like Russell Crowe playing a soccer coach," an Instagram user said of the 54-year-old Argentinian, who has coached the U.S. team since 2024.

Pochettino's outfit could not prevent Monday's 4-1 defeat against Belgium in Seattle, which ended both his lucky streak and the U.S.' World Cup dreams.

But his style went viral on social media, sending shoppers hunting for the same attire.

The shirt model quickly sold out online, Hugo Boss said in an emailed statement to Reuters. 

"We can confirm that the shirt generated significant customer interest," the statement said. "Availability currently remains very limited. The public mention in the press further drove brand awareness and also had a positive impact on perception, especially in the US."

An employee at a Hugo Boss store in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood told Reuters the blue button-down shirt the U.S. coach had been wearing was still in stock but had been selling more since the World Cup started.

The unexpected attention is welcome for Hugo Boss, whose shares are languishing at half the price they stood at three years ago even after a €2 billion takeover offer in June by top shareholder Frasers Group.

However, like the U.S. presence at the World Cup, the buzz surrounding Hugo Boss may not last.

($1 = 0.8758 euros)

(Reporting by Alessandro Parodi in Gdansk and Danielle Kaye in New York; Editing by Lisa Jucca and Tomasz Janowski)