USMNT in 'Active' Contract Talks with Mauricio Pochettino After World Cup Run, US Soccer Exec Says

Discussions are ongoing about bringing back USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino following the 2026 World Cup.

"We're in active discussions with Mauricio and staff about the future," U.S. Soccer CEO J.T. Batson told reporters on Thursday. "We all share belief that the best days of U.S. Soccer are ahead of us and they're excited about the opportunity to impact all soccer at all levels in every community."

As for a timeline on when that decision will be made, that remains very much up in the air.

"As we shared, we were going to take a break after the World Cup and rest and recuperate," Batson told reporters. "I didn't get to do too much resting and recuperating but we're excited about the discussions and they've been active about long-term planning. As a recent example, [they] were active in our discussions with Steve [Cherundolo] around the U-23 role and were a key part of that process and so we're feeling good about where we are overall and we're looking forward to the discussions."

Pochettino, whose contract expires after the World Cup concludes, didn't offer many insights into his future plans after the USMNT was eliminated by Belgium in the Round of 16.

"Now is not a moment to talk about that," he told reporters at the time. "I think now is a moment to see, to assess the tournament. You know, I'm sure in the next weeks we can start to talk if [U.S. Soccer] wants to talk."

"I think we set the principles for the future to be very successful," he added. "I think we feel proud because... I think we'll create something that is going to stay now in the federation and in this country."

The World Cup was trending in a fantastic direction for the United States after the country won Group D without much drama and defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the Round of 32. The Americans played flowing, fast-paced football, a far cry from the more conservative and defensive tactics of the past.

It all fell apart in the Round of 16, however, when a series of unforced and unexpected errors contributed to a 4-1 loss against Belgium. It was a poor performance and few blamed Poch's tactics after the match, given how sloppy the players on the pitch performed, though not everybody was convinced he should return.

It was the fourth time in the past five World Cups the United States reached the knockout stage but failed to advance past the Round of 16. And given that this has long been dubbed a golden generation of talent—on top of this World Cup being played on home soil—it was undoubtedly a disappointing result.

But progress was undeniably made under Poch's watch, and there seems to be plenty of support for retaining him as manager going forward.