USMNT Midfielder Addresses Mauricio Pochettino’s Future Amid Ongoing Contract Talks

The U.S. men’s national team manager saw his contract expire this summer after the 2026 World Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino was supposed to announce his plans last week. | Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has come and gone, but before the U.S. men’s national team can turn its attention to the quickly-approaching September international window and Concacaf Nations League play, the team has one major question left to answer: “Who will lead us?”

Mauricio Pochettino was at the helm for soccer’s most prestigious competition, hired back in 2024 to command the USMNT in its first home World Cup in over 30 years. The Argentine boss, who previously managed Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, was a major coup for the Stars and Stripes and led them to record-breaking success across North America. The team achieved consecutive group stage wins for the first time since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 1930 and won its first knockout stage match in 24 years.

The U.S.’s emphatic success through the round of 32 enraptured the hearts of American fans, new and old, and encouraged record-breaking viewership of the USMNT’s matches. The squad was abruptly awaken from its dreamy fairytale in the round of 16, though, thrashed 4–1 by a Belgian side that had underwhelmed throughout the tournament up until that stage.

Fingers were pointed in several directions, and many landed on Pochettino himself, who appeared to be out-coached from the opening whistle and struggled to adapt tactically to Belgium’s relentless attack. It marked the first time pundits questioned his future at the helm.

Pochettino saw his contract with U.S. Soccer expire after the summer’s affairs, and although the federation had reportedly offered him a contract extension even prior to the tournament’s opening games, the manager had remained vague and undecided about his future in the States.

The 54-year-old had repeatedly claimed that he wouldn’t make a decision until after the tournament concluded but then said on July 17, two days before the World Cup final, that U.S. Soccer was adamant to keep him and that he would make a decision by the following week. That timeline came and went without a word ... until now.

According to The Athletic, Pochettino is “close” to solidifying a deal with U.S. Soccer to remain the manager of the USMNT for the next four-year cycle. His new contract would conclude with the 2030 World Cup, to be co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The financial terms of the new contract are not yet known.

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USMNT Midfielder Max Arfsten Weighs in on Pochettino

Pochettino was the one to ignite Max Arfsten’s international career. | Henry Rodenburg/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Perhaps a major reason for Pochettino’s impending contract renewal is the strong relationships he built with his players. Despite boasting a different background and nationality, the manager has endeared himself to his American players, who have consistently spoken highly of him throughout the year.

USMNT winger Max Arfsten, who featured in the round of 16 loss to Belgium, is one of Pochettino’s biggest proponents. Pochettino ignited the 25-year-old’s international career with his first call-up in 2025.

“Obviously, he’s been a really important person in my career. He’s given me my first opportunity and many opportunities with the U.S.,” the Columbus Crew star tells Sports Illustrated during 2026 MLS All-Star week. “So all I can say is he’s a really good coach. Obviously, I think that speaks for itself, with the clubs he has coached and how he’s been with the national team.

“But he’s also a very good person, in my opinion. He’s super humble, down to earth, friendly, very passionate about the game. He has that South American passion for the game that you can see any time South American teams play. He’s like that in how he coaches. Just a really good person. He will always have our backs ... I’m very thankful to have had him as a coach.”

“I hope he stays,” Arfsten adds.

An announcement is expected in the coming days.

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