Mauricio Pochettino’s Fresh USMNT Contract Comes With Incredible New Responsibilities

Pochettino has committed his long-term future to the U.S. Soccer project, rather than just the senior men’s national team.

Mauricio Pochettino has taken on a lot more responsibility for the next four years. | Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Mauricio Pochettino has been officially handed a new contract to lead the U.S. men’s national team through to the end of the 2030 World Cup, but this “new chapter” will also see the Argentine manager’s influence bleed across the entire U.S. Soccer setup.

Pochettino’s future has been a topic of discussion for months. In the build-up to this summer’s World Cup co-hosted by the United States, the former Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea coach openly flirted with a return to club management. There were even discussions with Serie A side AC Milan on the eve of the tournament.

However, after a run to the round of 16, which ended in a humbling defeat to Belgium but had been defined by some impressive performances beforehand, Pochettino has pledged his future to the national team for another four years. Most intriguingly, his duties will extend far beyond just the senior side.

A statement from the federation revealed that “he [Pochettino] and the coaching staff will also advise and support U.S. Soccer on the broader development of the full national team pathway, youth soccer, coaching education, professional league collaboration and other technical facets across the soccer community.”

The USMNT was ranked 17th in the world coming into the tournament, so a defeat in the last 16 would represent a natural exit point. Coaching the fully-formed senior internationals can only take the team so far. Now, Pochettino has been give the scope to raise the ceiling for future generations.

Mauricio Pochettino (center) had several nights to savor this summer. | Jamie Squire/Getty Images

“We are excited by the opportunity to bring all our experience and knowledge to even more areas of U.S. Soccer while helping strengthen the pathways for players, coaches and teams across the federation,” Pochettino greeted the announcement.

U.S. Soccer CEO and secretary general JT Batson added: “Mauricio and his staff believe in the future of soccer in the United States and our new project allows us to build on progress of the USMNT and the momentum of U.S. Soccer.

“We know we have a lot of work to do to achieve our clear ambitions, including competing to win men’s World Cups and having soccer become the most played sport in every community. I couldn’t be more excited that Mauricio and team are committed to partnering with all of us to do the hard work to bring those ambitions to life.”

---

Pochettino Explains Why He Turned Down Club Return for USMNT Project

Mauricio Pochettino took the USMNT to the round of 16 on home soil. | Kohjiro Kinno/ Sports Illustrated

Pochettino had made little secret of his ambitions to return to club soccer in the future, explicitly stating he intends to take another shot at glory in the Premier League and Champions League. Yet, the 54-year-old appears to have been swayed by the reaction he and his team received on home soil this summer.

“Working together with U.S. Soccer over the past two years, it has become clear to us that there is tremendous potential to make the men’s national team program even stronger,” Pochettino outlined. “The passion we experienced from the fans throughout the World Cup only strengthened our belief in what is possible here.”

Atmospheres around U.S. matches at this summer’s tournament were a complete transformation from the apathy which defined the start of Pochettino’s tenure. This fan fervor was repeatedly highlighted by the passionate and proudly spiritually-minded head coach throughout the tournament as a source of great pride.

“We want to try to have a lasting impact on the sport in the country that has welcomed us so warmly and for that impact to extend beyond results on the field,” Pochettino concluded.

---