US Soccer to Hold Talks With Pochettino Over Future After World Cup Exit

Pochettino future uncertain as US soccer plans 'rest and reflection' talks

Pochettino, hired in September 2024, has not commented on his future after the US crashed out of the World Cup on home soil.

US Soccer says 'positive conversations' held with Pochettino ahead of decision...

US Soccer will restart discussions with Mauricio Pochettino about his future following a period of “rest and reflection” after the US crashed out of the World Cup with a 4-1 loss to Belgium.

The 54-year-old Argentine’s deal runs out after the tournament. With the US team failing to deliver the deep home-soil run they wanted, what happens next with Pochettino has become the big question.

The federation said it had “positive conversations” with Pochettino before the tournament about what comes next, and both agreed to pick talks back up after a break.

“We have a great deal of respect and gratitude for Mauricio, his staff and everyone part of the program,” US Soccer said in a statement on Tuesday.

The 4-1 loss to Belgium deflated growing optimism around the team and will likely bring more questions about the program’s direction as US Soccer decides if Pochettino should lead into the next cycle.

The Argentine was spotted kicking water bottles on the Seattle sideline out of frustration during the round-of-16 loss, and he has not spoken yet about whether he will stay on with the team.

After the match he said there had been “good things and not so good things” in his nearly two years in charge, and called the experience “amazing.”

 

US Soccer also said there is still a lot of work to do.

🚨🇺🇸 Mauricio Pochettino on his future: “I will now rest and relax a bit, we'll see what the decision is from the federation and from us”.

“I can just say that I’m happy here. But it’s not time to talk about the contract”. pic.twitter.com/HBnc8kxdz3

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 7, 2026

“We have shared excitement about our potential and also ‌shared clarity about the amount of work at all levels still required to achieve our ambition,” the federation said.

Pochettino, who previously managed Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, was brought in September 2024 with the job of making the United States genuine World Cup contenders.

 

But the way the team exited the World Cup means US Soccer will have some tough questions to answer in the coming weeks.