Mauricio Pochettino Sets Timeline to Decide USMNT Future

The U.S. men’s national team manager’s contract expires after the 2026 World Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino will decide his future soon. | Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated

U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino is set to decide his fate shortly.

The world-class Argentine boss was hired in Sept. 2024 to command the Stars and Stripes through the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil and will see his contract expire after the conclusion of the tournament.

After leading the squad to the top spot in Group D and its first knockout stage win in 24 years, Pochettino was praised for much of the summer. His place at the helm was only questioned by pundits after a shocking 4–1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16, which forced the USMNT through the exit door.

Pochettino was reportedly offered a contract extension through the 2030 World Cup even prior to this edition’s opening matches, and U.S. Soccer remains optimistic about his future with the federation. Nevertheless, Pochettino has remained adamant about not making any decisions for the future until after soccer’s showpiece competition.

The grand finale, staging heavyweights Argentina and Spain at MetLife Stadium, will take place on Sunday, meaning Pochettino’s clock is running out. He confirmed U.S. Soccer is adamant to keep him and set a clear timeline to make his final decision.

“Look, we’re looking into it; we’re analyzing it,” Pochettino told Spanish outlet Cope. “I received an offer to stay on, so we’ll see. We’ll make a decision next week.”

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Will Pochettino Stay With the USMNT?

Mauricio Pochettino had to console his men after the round of 16 loss. | Kohjiro Kinno/ Sports Illustrated

U.S. Soccer has continually shown its cards when it comes to Pochettino. “We had positive conversations with Mauricio before the World Cup about the future,” the federation said in a statement upon the USMNT’s exit.

“We agreed we would continue those conversations following a chance to rest and reflect post World Cup. We have a great deal of respect and gratitude for Mauricio, his staff and everyone part of the program. We have shared excitement about our potential and also shared clarity about the amount of work at all levels still required to achieve our ambition.”

U.S. Soccer CEO & Secretary General JT Batson added just Thursday: “From a men’s national team coaching standpoint, we’re in active discussions with Mauricio and staff about the future...We’re excited about the discussions.”

The fact that Pochettino has not emphatically reciprocated and declared his commitment to extend his stay with the USMNT—after a mostly-fairytale run—is not a positive sign for U.S. Soccer, especially considering the way Pochettino really appeared to bond with the players.

It may simply come down to finances. Pochettino, who has formerly managed big, lucrative clubs such as Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain, took a serious pay cut to coach at the international level. Pochettino made an annual salary of roughly $6 million at U.S. Soccer, less than half of the reported $13–14 million he earned in his one season with Chelsea during the 2023–24 campaign.

Pochettino may be eager to get back to the club level and the paycheck that comes with it. Several clubs likely have the seasoned manager on their short list.

Despite his noncommittal answers, there is one thing Pochettino does that suggests his commitment to U.S. Soccer: the way he talks to his players. His inspirational locker room speeches were as much about winning as they were about growing the game in the U.S. This was a guiding principle for the players throughout the tournament and suggests that Pochettino does actually care about the long-term future of the program, perhaps because he wants to be a part of it.

“One of the secondary conversations we were having as a group and as a team was, ‘How can we inspire and get more people to love this game? How can we get them to fall in love with the game, be passionate about the game, get behind the team and the sport even more? What is it going to take from us?’ We felt that throughout the tournament,” USMNT veteran captain Tim Ream told ESPN on Thursday.

We’ll find out next week whether or not Pochettino envisions himself continuing to lead that movement.

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