While the United States Soccer Federation clearly wants Mauricio Pochettino to remain the manager of the U.S. men’s national team following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Pochettino will be out of contract once the tournament wraps up this coming Sunday.
During a Thursday appearance on Spanish radio Cadena Cope, Pochettino offered an update on his status.
When does Mauricio Pochettino plan to confirm final USMNT decision?
“We are evaluating it, looking at it,” Pochettino said, per Adriana Garcia of ESPN. They [U.S. Soccer] have made me an offer to continue, and we will see. Next week we will make a decision.”
Pochettino accepted the United States job in September 2024, and he then guided the Americans to a top-of-the-group finish and to a 2-0
win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 of the World Cup. However, his side looked outmatched against Belgium during what became an ugly 4-1 loss. Additionally, Richard Jolly of The Independent previously noted that Pochettino’s “long-term plan was always to return to the European club game.”
Pochettino coached at big-name clubs Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Espanyol before making the move to international management.
Has Mauricio Pochettino given a hint about USMNT future?
According to Felipe Cardenas of The Athletic, U.S. Soccer CEO & Secretary General JT Batson told reporters on Thursday that Pochettino and his staff have “been active about long-term planning” and were involved in the hiring of Steve Cherundolo as the coach of the country’s men’s Olympic team.
“From a men’s national team coaching standpoint, we’re in active discussions with Mauricio and staff about the future,” Batson added. “We all share a belief that the best days of U.S. Soccer are ahead of us, and they’re excited about the opportunity to impact soccer at all levels in every community.”
It’s worth noting that the England job could become available after Thomas Tuchel received criticism for his tactics in what became a 2-1 loss to Argentina in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal. Some think Tuchel may have lost at least some England players with how he handled the second half of the Argentina game, but it’s unknown if Pochettino would be interested in possibly replacing Tuchel.