Is Mauricio Pochettino Doomed? How USMNT Managers Have Fared in Second World Cup Cycles

The future of the U.S. men’s national team is set to remain in Mauricio Pochettino’s hands, and U.S. Soccer will hope he can become just the second manager to lead the USMNT at back-to-back World Cups.

A new deal was confirmed on Monday, which extends Pochettino’s tenure through the 2030 tournament, where the Stars and Stripes will hope to advance further than the round of 16 for just the second time in the modern era.

In addition to the World Cup, the USMNT will be on the hunt for other success. So far under Pochettino, the team fell short of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup title and crashed out to a fourth-place finish in the 2024–25 Concacaf Nations League, the team’s first time not winning the competition.

As he heads out on the hunt for other trophies and to build the team ahead of the 2030 showpiece event, Pochettino will have to contend with a troubled past of other USMNT managers who have coached in second cycles.

Here’s how the others have performed. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture for the Argentine boss despite his success at the 2026 World Cup.

Gregg Berhalter: Fired Before 2026 World Cup

Gregg Berhalter, Pulisic — Gregg Berhalter (right) led Christian Pulisic and the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup. | Mohammad Karamali/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Gregg Berhalter’s tenure with the USMNT came in two stints; first, he took over in 2018 after the Bruce Arena-led group fell short of the 2018 World Cup with a disheartening final loss to Trinidad and Tobago. That first stint lasted through the 2022 World Cup, before B.J. Callaghan took over as interim, leading to a near-hiring of Jesse Marsch, before U.S. Soccer backtracked and re-hired Berhalter from 2023–2024.

The longtime MLS manager had plenty of success with the USMNT in his first cycle. He led the team to Concacaf Nations League titles in 2019–20 and 2023–24, while also claiming the Gold Cup in 2021.

Having led the team to a successful qualifying campaign, he then helped them advance from a challenging group of England, Iran and Wales at the 32-team 2022 World Cup in Qatar, before falling to the Netherlands in the round of 16.

His second stint, however, was far from successful. He was fired before the true lead-up to the 2026 World Cup began, largely due to a group stage exit at the 2024 Copa América on home soil.

Jürgen Klinsmann: Fired Before 2018 World Cup

The closest comparable to Pochettino as a big-name, successful manager who had previously spent his coaching career in Europe is Jürgen Klinsmann, who was never going to be a long-term solution for the USMNT.

Things went pretty well for him, though, lasting from 2011 to 2016 and leading the team to the 2013 Gold Cup title, before the invention of the Nations League. The team struggled in friendlies against highly-touted opponents, but his recruitment efforts of German-Americans brought more talent into the team, and the 2014 World Cup saw relative success.

At the tournament in Brazil, the USMNT secured an iconic 2–1 win over Ghana and drew 2–2 with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the second group stage game, before a commendable effort in a 1–0 loss to eventual champions Germany, which proved enough to secure a round of 16 berth and eventual loss to Belgium in extra time.

Things didn’t go as smoothly in his second cycle, even after the USMNT opened the 2018 World Cup cycle with a 1–0 win over Czechia, and then grabbed an emphatic friendly win over the Netherlands and Germany on foreign soil in 2015.

The 2015 Gold Cup didn’t go to plan, though, with a fourth-place finish marking the team’s worst performance in 15 years, and Klinsmann followed it up by leading the U.S. through the first stages of World Cup qualification. Yet, his tenure eventually came to an end after a string of disheartening losses and peculiar tactical decisions in qualifying, before Bruce Arena took over and the U.S. eventually missed the 2018 tournament altogether.

Bob Bradley: Fired Before 2014 World Cup

The USMNT’s Bob Bradley era was incredibly mixed. He came into the team following a disappointing performance at the 2006 World Cup, and picked up a 3–1 win in a friendly debut against Denmark.

While the Stars and Stripes lost all three games at the 2007 Copa América in Venezuela, they bounced back in 2009 to an improbable second-place finish at the FIFA Confederations Cup, which brought the confederation winners from around the world together in the lead-up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The 2010 World Cup saw the USMNT bow out in the usual round of 16, after a group stage saw it draw 1–1 with England, 2–2 with Slovakia and beat Algeria 1–0 on a late goal from Landon Donovan.

Afterwards, Bradley signed a new contract through the 2014 World Cup, but ultimately lost his position in favor of Klinsmann after surrendering a 2–0 lead to Mexico in the 2011 Gold Cup final.

Bruce Arena: Group Stage Exit at 2006 World Cup

Bruce Arena has had two stints as the USMNT manager and is the only person to have coached the team in two World Cups, which Pochettino is poised to do should he see out the future of the reported new deal.

The first cycle of Arena’s USMNT tenure went well. Hired in 1998 after Steve Sampson coached the team to a dismal performance at the 1998 World Cup, Arena took over and led the team to the 2000, and 2005 Gold Cup titles, while also leading the group to the 2002 quarterfinals, the best-ever performance at a World Cup outside of a semifinal run at the inaugural 1930 tournament.

That 2002 World Cup was the high point for the USMNT and Arena led the team to a 3–2 win over Portugal in the opening game, before securing a 1–1 draw against co-hosts South Korea, followed by a 3–1 loss to Poland. Those group stage results led to a second-pace finish in the group, before the USMNT ousted Mexico with a 2–0 win in the round of 16, preceding eventual elimination with a 1–0 loss to Germany in the quarterfinals.

The good vibes from that tournament wouldn’t last for another four years, though. Arena led the team again at the 2006 World Cup, where the USMNT finished last in Group E with losses to Czechia and Ghana and a 1–1 draw to eventual champions Italy. With only two goals in three games and a group stage exit, Arena wasn’t brought back after his contract expired at the end of 2006.

He returned briefly to the USMNT touchline for what would technically be a third cycle in 2017, and was the manager that led the team to missing the 2018 World Cup, despite claiming another Gold Cup title.

Pochettino’s Challenge

Mauricio Pochettino — Pochettino has a challenging road ahead. | Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Pochettino will take on quite the challenge in the lead-up to 2030. His biggest task will be balancing the importance of turning the roster toward new faces, while also ensuring the team stays extremely competitive.

The next chance to win a trophy comes in the Concacaf Nations League, where the USMNT will play a quarterfinal in November before a possible semifinal and final in March. Afterwards, the 2027 Gold Cup stands as an opportunity and could prove a challenge with rumors suggesting Mexico may host the tournament, removing the USMNT’s usual home advantage. In 2028, the Stars and Stripes also expect to play in the Copa América, taking on some of the top teams in South America.

Past managers’ struggles don’t bode well for Pochettino, but success is certainly not impossible given his résumé and the group’s talents.

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