U.S. Soccer boss opens up on Mauricio Pochettino’s future as World Cup nears

Since being appointed by U.S. Soccer as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team in September 2024, shortly after leaving Premier League side Chelsea, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been the primary focus of Mauricio Pochettino.

Set to be held across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, the majority of the tournament will take place on American soil, with kick-off scheduled for June 11 in Mexico City and the Final set to be held in New Jersey on July 19. This represents a major opportunity to not only display the growth of the sport in the U.S. but also help inspire another generation of players and fans, just as the 1994 men’s and 1999 women’s tournaments did.

With this set to be the largest World Cup to date after FIFA opted to expand the competition to 48 entrants who will participate in 104 games, the pressure is on for Pochettino, his coaching staff, and the players to perform.

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Just to add an extra sprinkle of pressure, Pochettino’s contract is up after the World Cup, meaning this tournament may well ultimately define his tenure as a success or costly failure.

That being said, the top jobs which were already, or may have ultimately become vacant in European soccer, have quickly dried up long before the summer has truly gotten underway.

In Spain, Hansi Flick has signed a new deal with Barcelona, while José Mourinho is returning to Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, in England, Xabi Alonso is heading to Chelsea, Michael Carrick is seemingly set to stick around at Manchester United, Enzo Maresca looks likely to take Pep Guardiola’s hot seat at Manchester City should he leave as expected, via The Mirror, and Roberto De Zerbi has already taken charge of Pochettino’s beloved, if wayward, Tottenham Hotspur.

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With this in mind, perhaps Pochettino could yet be convinced to stick around with the USMNT as they settle into their new state-of-the-art training facility in Atlanta, Georgia, especially with the Copa America potentially returning to U.S. soil in 2028, as per The Athletic.

“From the moment we met in Barcelona to today, everything he said he would do, he's done and has approached it in the exact way that one would come to expect as you get to know him,” U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General, JT Batson, said on the ‘Inside American Soccer’ podcast when asked about Pochettino’s future.

“And, Mauricio and (assistant coach) Jesús [Pérez], from moment one, were excited about our long-term vision. It's part of the reason I came here. They believe that the opportunity here is incredible, and they want to play a role in that.

“They also knew from the outset that everyone's focus was going to be this summer and that we need to make sure that we're putting the team and them in the best position to be able to do that.

“And so while we all had long-term hopes, we know that we needed to be focused on the summer. And so that's been true from very get-go, and that has been true to today.

“We, of course, have had conversations around, well, how's it going? What's going well? What's not going well? What can we all do better? And how should we think about the future?

“And I think the exact thing that was true at the start is true now, which is they're excited about the long-term vision. They're excited about what we're doing. And they, of course, know that this summer is really important.

“And so, we'll keep both of those things in mind as we go through the summer. And obviously, we'll be in a position to make longer-term decisions then.”

Given that the higher-profile European head coaching roles appear to be largely occupied for the time being, and with the prospect of hosting another major international tournament on the horizon, perhaps Pochettino’s expected summer departure could yet be delayed by Batson and Co., especially if the Argentine’s ‘excitement’ remains as prevalent as ever after the World Cup.