By Graham Ruthven
This summer has been a long time in the making for the USA. As a football nation, the 2026 World Cup is an opportunity to grow. Not since the 1994 tournament will the sport have had such mainstream exposure there. As a national team too, the USA hopes to use the World Cup on home soil to achieve something special.
Mauricio Pochettino is the man charged with ensuring this dream becomes a reality. Hired in 2024 as the highest-paid USMNT head coach in history, the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss is shouldering the hopes of a nation that desperately wants this summer to be a watershed.
And yet Pochettino might already be thinking ahead to what comes after the World Cup. The 54-year-old has reportedly met with AC Milan over the club’s managerial vacancy with officials from San Siro even visiting US Soccer’s new training facility in Atlanta to conduct discussions.
While Pochettino initially denied suggestions he’d met with AC Milan’s management, he was subsequently more coy when pushed on the specifics. “If I met someone, what happened? What is going to change if I met someone?,” said the USMNT head coach. “We have friends everywhere and my representative works for me into trying to find the best possibility for the future. That is normal.”
Most expect Pochettino to move on after the World Cup. The gig as USA manager was always a short-term one and so on one hand it makes sense that he is already scoping out his next opportunity. Pre-season starts in July and Pochettino will need something lined up if he’s to be in a new job for the start of the 2026/27 season.
On the other hand, though, Pochettino has spent much of the last two years trying to overhaul the culture within the US men’s national team. He has called for total commitment from his players, even publicly calling them out for anything that could threaten the team’s focus on the World Cup.
Tim Weah angered Pochettino by commenting that he was “disappointed” by the high price of tickets for World Cup matches, drawing a response from the USMNT head coach that players “are not politicians” and should “talk about our job.” In no uncertain terms, Pochettino demanded full focus from his squad.
How then can Pochettino possibly justify discussions with potential future employers when the World Cup kicks off in only a matter of days? There is more than a hint of hypocrisy in what the USA boss has told his players and the manner in which he is conducting himself. Where is his focus on the World Cup?
Ultimately, the success or failure of Pochettino’s USMNT reign will be determined by what unfolds on the pitch over the next month or so. His process to this point has been an uneven one with more than a few moments of concern over the last two years, but last week’s friendly win over Senegal suggested the co-hosts are ready to make an impact at their own World Cup.
Christian Pulisic’s first national team goal since 2024 eased concerns about the winger’s recent form while Sergiño Dest played with the sort of verve that was common before injury. Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun also caught the eye, giving the USA a fluid and fruitful attack that produced three goals against Senegal and could produce more at the World Cup.
If, however, the USA falters, some of Pochettino’s inconsistencies will be re-evaluated. What did his cold-hearted decision to inform players they had been omitted from the World Cup roster by email do for the culture within the camp? Was it fair to leave Diego Luna at home when the playmaker had been such a useful tool for Pochettino to get his message across? Was it a good idea to meet AC Milan so close to the start of the tournament?
Pochettino’s methods as USMNT head coach haven’t always made sense. He has challenged his own players in a way that was designed to take them out of their comfort zone following the complacency of the latter part of the Gregg Berhalter era, but not always in the most tactile of ways.
By the start of next season, Pochettino might well be back in club management. The Argentine hasn’t only been linked with the AC Milan job, but was reportedly on Real Madrid’s shortlist before the apparent appointment of José Mourinho. His stock is unlikely to be affected much by what happens at the World Cup.
And therein might be the crux of the concern over Pochettino as USMNT boss. If the reputational stakes aren’t so high for the Argentine at this summer’s World Cup, might he hold himself back in any way, even sub-consciously? His mixed messaging has created a question against Pochettino himself.
(Images from IMAGO)
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