Will Mauricio Pochettino leave the USMNT after World Cup round of 16 exit?

There are plenty of questions to answer after the USMNT’s collapse in the round of 16 of the World Cup. One of the glaring questions will surround the future of Mauricio Pochettino with the national team.

Poch contract ends soon

It was an ugly end to what was a magic first four weeks of the tournament. The United States went crashing out of of the World Cup at the hands of Belgium in a match in which the difference in quality between the sides was evident from start to finish. Belgium scored in the ninth minute and dominated until Romelu Lukaku scored the fourth goal in stoppage time.

The dream dies with the loss, but will that be the end of Poch with the USMNT? First things first. Pochettino signed his contract with the US in September 2024 and reports are that it is set to run out now that the World Cup run has come to an end.

There was speculation that he could leave after the World Cup with AC Milan reportedly knocking down his door, but Poch was adamant in his commitment to this project. “I think everyone knows that I am committed with the national team here,” Pochettino said before the World Cup started. “We are open. We don’t have contract for the future, but why not if we are happy and the federation is happy?”

Country Roads, take me home?

The CEO of U.S. Soccer, JT Baston, gave his input shortly after rumors of the Italian giants making contact with Poch. “Even when we first met a couple summers ago, there were lots of other people interested in having Mauricio and [his staff] join,” the chief executive told reporters. “He had standing offers from other places to come, and he wanted to be here. He’s a big believer in what we’re doing at U.S. Soccer, he’s a big believer in soccer in America, and he’s a big believer in this men’s team,” said Baston.

Things certainly changed for the USMNT and for coach Pochettino over the last month. On the pitch the team looked united, they looked capable and they looked competitive. Much of that can be attributed to the style play instilled by their coach. There was also a change in belief. Over the last few weeks there was a sense of belief in this team from fans across the nation and that can also be attributed the coach who injected that belief into the dressing room.

Throughout the tournament, Pochettino was seen almost overjoyed as the U.S. side kept on winning. Whether it was belting out “Country Roads, Take Me Home” or hearing his name chanced by thousands of fans in the post match interviews, Pochettino certainly looked at home on as the US manager. Reports claim Poch was offered a deal to keep him around until the 2030 World Cup, but no announcement has been made.

While Poch neither confirmed nor denied he would stay, but did say it would be difficult to picture him leaving. “It’s difficult to describe or know your future,” he said. “But when you are here, I think it’s difficult now to see yourself living in another place, because for sure, we will miss it if one day we don’t stay here in this country. We told the federation we are open, but we don’t want to distract when all the energy needs to be with my players.”

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