Mauricio Pochettino's contract extension with the U.S. men's national team sets a course for the 2030 World Cup cycle, with FOX Sports analyst Alexi Lalas expressing optimism about the coach's future performance.
Lalas stated that Pochettino's success will ultimately be measured by his ability to win crucial knockout stage matches. He recalled the recent tournament, noting that the team "failed" to defeat Belgium, a result that highlighted the pressure on the coach to elevate the Stars and Stripes to "new heights."
"Where he is again going to be judged is if he is going to get us to that rarefied air and that promised land. And for a lot of people, and that was made very very clear this summer, that is winning the round of 16 games," Lalas said on his "State of the Union" podcast.
According to Lalas, a breakthrough in key matches would shift the broader narrative surrounding American soccer, diverting attention from issues like player development and style of play. "If this U.S. team under Mauricio Pochettino this summer had found a way to get past Belgium, all of this talk and all of this self-examination—whether it's you know pay-to-play and player development and style of play and who we are as a soccer-playing nation—that all goes away," he explained.
Looking forward, Lalas supports retaining Pochettino for the upcoming competitions, including the Concacaf Nations League, the Concacaf Gold Cup, and potentially the 2028 Copa América if the U.S. receives an invitation. "I think Mauricio Pochettino is fine. I think that he will be a better coach this cycle than he was last cycle," Lalas remarked.
However, Lalas emphasized the significance of maintaining commitment through the next World Cup cycle, during which the U.S. will need to navigate the qualification process. "That final judgment will come four years from now, and it remains to be seen whether he is even going to be in charge four years from now. It would really disappoint me if, after all of this and this decision that has been made today, if Mauricio Pochettino was not the coach four years from now because he saw something better or took a different job someplace else," he stated.