Mauricio Pochettino has officially signed a new contract with the U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) that will keep him in charge through the 2030 World Cup cycle. The 54-year-old's previous contract expired following the team's disappointing performance in the recent World Cup, where they were eliminated by Belgium in the round of 16 with a 4-1 defeat.
Despite the World Cup outcome, reports last week indicated that ongoing discussions were taking place regarding a new deal. The confirmation on Monday signifies Pochettino's commitment to the USMNT program. He expressed enthusiasm for the potential within the team and a desire to make a lasting impact on soccer in the United States.
"Working together with U.S. Soccer over the past two years, it has become clear to us that there is tremendous potential to make the Men's National Team program even stronger," Pochettino stated. "The passion we experienced from the fans throughout the World Cup only strengthened our belief in what is possible here. We are excited by the opportunity to bring all our experience and knowledge to even more areas of U.S. Soccer while helping strengthen the pathways for players, coaches and teams across the Federation. We want to try to have a lasting impact on the sport in the country that has welcomed us so warmly and for that impact to extend beyond results on the field."
A statement from U.S. Soccer confirmed that Pochettino will have the opportunity to develop and strengthen the player pool through various official competitions. His new contract ensures he will oversee the team during the 2027 Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup, the 2029 Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup, and lead qualification efforts for the 2030 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.
JT Batson, CEO and Secretary General of U.S. Soccer, echoed Pochettino's sentiment, stating, "Mauricio and his staff believe in the future of soccer in the United States and our new project allows us to build on progress of the USMNT and the momentum of U.S. Soccer. We know we have a lot of work to do to achieve our clear ambitions, including competing to win Men's World Cups and having soccer become the most played sport in every community. I couldn't be more excited that Mauricio and team are committed to partnering with all of us to do the hard work to bring those ambitions to life."
During the World Cup, the USMNT achieved a significant milestone by winning their group outright for the third time in history and defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 before their loss to Belgium. Pochettino's coaching staff, including Jesus Perez, Miguel D'Agostino, Toni Jimenez, Sebastiano Pochettino, and Silvia Tuya, are expected to remain with him.