Mauricio Pochettino Says His USA Coaching Decision Is Imminent

On the same day that U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson told me and a handful of other national reporters that the federation remains in "active discussions" to bring Mauricio Pochettino back as the U.S. men’s national team coach, Pochettino said Thursday his decision on whether he'll stay coaching the Americans or move on is just a few days away. 

Speaking to a Spanish radio station on Thursday, the 54-year-old manager — who was offered a contract extension through the 2030 World Cup, despite the USA’s shocking 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 in the ongoing 2026 World Cup tournament — confirmed that he still isn’t sure he wants to return. His current contract expires after Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Pochettino’s native Argentina. 

 "They made me an offer to continue, and we’ll see," said Pochettino, who is, far and away, the highest-paid coach in U.S. Soccer history with a salary north of $6 million. "We're evaluating it. Next week, we’ll [make] a decision."

Hired to replace Gregg Berhalter in 2024, the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager had a rocky first 18-months in charge, losing to Germany, Canada, Panama, Switzerland, South Korea, Türkiye, Portugal and twice to Mexico. 

But he helped the World Cup co-hosts win their World Cup group by beating Paraguay and Australia before a round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

However, he was badly out-coached by Belgium’s Rudi Garcia in the USA’s most important match, the only one the Americans played against a FIFA top-10 opponent. The 4-1 defeat was the most lopsided loss for the U.S. in a World Cup knockout game since a 7-1 loss to Italy in 1934. That failure against Belgium was seen live by more than 50 million Americans, the most ever to watch a soccer game in U.S. history.