Pochettino's USMNT Future Hangs After Belgium Loss
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- Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT contract expires after the 2026 World Cup, and the USMNT's elimination by Belgium has put his future up in the air with 'no specific timeframe right now,' per a source briefed on the situation.
- U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson is pushing to retain Pochettino, telling ESPN the manager and assistant Jesus Perez are embedded in long-term planning — working to retain a youth national team star eligible for other countries and helping design the athletes village at the national training center.
- Pochettino has been linked with jobs at AC Milan, Real Madrid, and in the Premier League; after the Belgium loss he told reporters, 'Now isn't the moment to talk about that.'
- ESPN's panel of seven analysts proposed candidates headlined by Pep Guardiola (stepped down from Manchester City, loves NYC), Gareth Southgate (two Euro finals with England), and Pellegrino Matarazzo (just won Copa del Rey with Real Sociedad — the first major European trophy by an American manager in a top-five league).
- Steve Cherundolo, already named U.S. U-23 coach for the 2028 Olympics, may be being groomed as Pochettino's successor — a three-time World Cup player and former MLS Cup-winning LAFC manager.
- Mikey Varas (San Diego FC) checks domestic boxes with prior USMNT ties — interim coach in late 2024, 2022 Concacaf U-20 title winner — while B.J. Callaghan (Nashville SC) is also in the mix after winning the 2023 Concacaf Nations League as interim manager and now leading the Eastern Conference.
Why it matters: With the World Cup expanding to 48 teams and giving the USMNT a cushy qualification path, the federation can focus entirely on the 2030 tournament — making the Pochettino-or-replacement call one that shapes American soccer's next four-year cycle rather than one dictated by qualifying pressure.
