No Gold Cup, no Nations League: Mauricio Pochettino’s biggest unfinished business with the USMNT is a trophy

Mauricio Pochettino has signed on with the United States national team for another four years. News broke on Monday that the Argentine will stay on the touchline until the next World Cup, and you would be hard pressed to find any USMNT supporter that would be against the move, even with the lack of trophies over the last two years.

Unfinished business

Poch was brought to the the U.S. men’s national team in September of 2024, with the intention of getting this team prepared for the World Cup which was hosted on home soil. There were tournaments along the way, but the “Big Kahuna” was the World Cup. In the end the boys had a promising first two games in the group stages, won a knockout round match, but were eventually knocked out in the round of 16 when they finally faced a team that was considered a contender.

The result? Just about how everyone expected. Getting past the group stage was non-negotiable. Getting a knockout round win was important, but the deeper the U.S. side got into the tournament the difference in quality was still very evident. It was just about what everyone projected. Most, if not all of the experts and ex-players said a trip to the quarters would be considered a success. Does that mean crashing out in the round of 16 to a good Belgium side is a disaster? No, but Poch will be expected to bring some silverwear back states side over the next four years.

It’s something that has eluded him in his international coaching career, which started 23 months ago. In that time he and his side have participated in two other tournaments before this summer, the CONCACAF Nations League and the Gold Cup. They fell short of the final in the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League, losing to Panama 0-1 in the semifinals in what was a disappointing end to Poch’s first title chase.

Belief growing under Mauricio

Last summer Poch brought his team all the way to the final of the Gold Cup, but once again the USMNT fell short. The loss in the final hurt, but losing it to Mexico hurt even more. In 31 matches, Poch has won 18, drawn one and lost 12 matches as the boss of the U.S. team. So just how successful was the first two years, and how much should expected of the next four?

There were no trophies won in his first stint, but a semifinal and a final appearance in his first two tournaments aren’t terrible. Then the World Cup came, and Poch came out and bravely said the goal was to win the World Cup. If the manager of the national team didn’t believe it why would the players or the fans? Were they lofty expectations? Sure, but that helped create a sense of belief that was rare for U.S. soccer fans. That in itself is a win for Poch, for the players and for the supporters.

Hopefully, that belief will carry over into the next four years. Before the World Cup in 2030, Poch will have four more chances to win a trophy. The first will come this year when they embark on a CONCACAF Nations League campaign before taking part in the Gold Cup in the summer of 2027. The Copa America will be the real test in 2028. It’s a tournament that will feature teams like Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia and will be played on home soil. Another Gold Cup in 2029 will get Poch’s side prepared for the World Cup in 2030. By that time, who knows what the expectations will be after another four years with Poch.

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