Who will take over the USMNT coaching job if Pochettino doesn’t continue with U.S. Soccer? Possible replacements

Mauricio Pochettino’s future as USMNT head coach should become clearer very soon.

The Argentine’s contract expired after the 2026 World Cup, where the United States topped its group and won a knockout game before suffering a 4-1 round-of-16 defeat to Belgium.

Pochettino has confirmed that U.S. Soccer has offered him the chance to continue, reportedly on a four-year deal covering the next World Cup cycle. However, he has yet to accept it and has previously spoken about wanting to return to club soccer.

The federation’s preferred outcome appears to be keeping him. Should that not happen, though, the search for a successor could produce a very different appointment.

Who are the leading American candidates?

Steve Cherundolo would be the most obvious option. The former USMNT defender left LAFC after the 2025 season having won MLS Cup, the Supporters’ Shield and the U.S. Open Cup during his four years in charge. He has since been linked to a role overseeing the United States’ under-23 team ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which could place him directly in the federation’s coaching structure.

Mikey Varas already knows the setup. He coached the U.S. under-20s, worked as a senior national-team assistant and briefly took interim charge before Pochettino’s arrival. Varas is now head coach of San Diego FC and signed a multiyear extension in January 2026 following the club’s impressive first MLS season.

Pellegrino Matarazzo offers something different. The New Jersey native built his career in Germany before becoming Real Sociedad coach in December 2025, with a contract running through the 2026-27 season. His experience in major European leagues would make him an attractive candidate, although persuading him to leave La Real may not be simple.

Brian Schmetzer, meanwhile, has one of the strongest résumés in American club soccer. The longtime Seattle Sounders coach has won MLS Cup twice and the Concacaf Champions League, among several other trophies. He remains with Seattle, meaning U.S. Soccer would have to prise him away from the club with which he has spent most of his career.

Could U.S. Soccer choose another foreign coach?

It cannot be ruled out. Gareth Southgate, Thierry Henry, Jesse Marsch and even Pep Guardiola have already been floated as possible alternatives, although some are clearly more realistic than others.

Bruce Arena has argued that the USMNT should instead be led by an American who understands the country’s soccer culture.

“If you look at every national team in the world, the coach is usually a domestic coach,” Arena said on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast in 2025. He added that hiring somebody unfamiliar with the culture and environment could make an already unusual national-team job more complicated.

Pochettino did not take the United States beyond the round of 16, but this was not simply a repeat of Qatar 2022. Under the expanded format, the USMNT had to win a round-of-32 game to reach that stage, something the country had not done at a World Cup since 2002.

That progress, coupled with the clearer playing identity developed during the tournament, explains why U.S. Soccer wants him to stay. For now, Pochettino remains the favorite to coach the team toward 2030. If he turns the offer down, Cherundolo looks like the cleanest homegrown succession plan.

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