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Imagn Images-Carlos Barria
Mauricio Pochettino's first two years in charge of the United States national team may have come to a disappointing end in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but that clearly has not dissuaded U.S. Soccer from their belief in the head man.
The federation has re-hired Pochettino as head coach of the USMNT, rewarding his two years in charge with another four-year contract that runs through the 2030 World Cup. The renewal was described as a means of "launching a new chapter in the project that will allow Pochettino and his coaching staff to continue the growth of the senior U.S. Men's National Team while having a greater impact on the U.S. Soccer ecosystem."
The contract, which keeps Pochettino as one of the highest-paid coaches in international soccer, has divided some opinions. While Pochettino was widely praised for his overall body of work in charge of the U.S. men, the heavy 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16 on home soil has left a bitter taste in the mouths of some, making the choice to bring him back somewhat controversial.
But even though that defeat to Belgium raises concerns, the decision to bring Pochettino back wasn't just the correct choice. It was the only choice.
MORE: Mauricio Pochettino contract, salary with USMNT under new, post-World Cup deal
Re-signing Mauricio Pochettino was the right choice for the USMNT
Bringing Pochettino back on as USMNT head coach for the 2030 FIFA World Cup cycle is a slam dunk by U.S. Soccer.
The last two years of Pochettino's tenure have not been perfect, but the amount of positive growth he has brought to the federation has been immense. This wasn't lost on U.S. Soccer CEO and secretary general, J.T. Batson, who said: "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."
First, the style of play Pochettino brought was both exciting and effective. The Argentine took the same philosophies he had developed throughout his successful club coaching career and applied them to the USMNT, but he changed his tactical approach to fit the talent, rather than the other way around.
Pochettino's 4-2-3-1 system, which often changed to a back three, was a tactical boon for the U.S. and allowed them to play with freedom, electricity, and aggression while not sacrificing defensive solidity. A vast majority of the goals the United States conceded under Pochettino were down to individual errors rather than tactical inferiority, a credit to Pochettino's coaching.
Here to create a culture.
Here to stay for the USA. pic.twitter.com/wxfg0MNNWT— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) August 3, 2026
One strong example of Pochettino's tactical brilliance was how Folarin Balogun flourished under his leadership. Gregg Berhalter talked extensively about how Balogun was the best player he had ever seen at moving between the lines and that his forwards had to improve at getting him the ball. It never happened under Berhalter, but Pochettino successfully found ways to get Balogun the high volume of chances he became used to at the World Cup.
The Argentine also managed to developed a strong depth within the U.S. player pool that had not been previously established under and those who came before. The likes of Alex Freeman, Max Arfsten, Diego Luna, Patrick Agyemang, and Sebastian Berhalter either debuted or grew to prominence under Pochettino's leadership — all players who either made the World Cup roster or came close. Freeman blossomed into a starter and top performer at the tournament, while Arfsten and Berhalter served as strong depth pieces and Luna controversially failed to make the final cut.
The positive effect Pochettino had on this player pool was evident throughout his tenure. In building that increased depth, Pochettino also pushed the regular starters to feel a hunger for wearing the U.S. shirt that had previously sagged under prior coaching staffs.
Why Belgium defeat should not define Pochettino era
There is no debating that Pochettino was out-coached by Rudi Garcia in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16. That is just a simple fact.
In fact, The Sporting News wrote how damaging that defeat was, and what an immense missed opportunity it represented. The current U.S. generation failed to grasp its best chance yet to create a never-before-seen surge in soccer interest across this country.
But there are plenty of reasons why that defeat should not fall squarely at Pochettino's lap, nor should it be the defining moment of his first two years in charge, at least not when evaluating his overall performance with regards to future success.
First off, nearly everyone on the field for the United States in that game logged one of their worst performances in a national team shirt for years. It wouldn't have mattered if Pochettino had masterminded a genius game plan — nothing would have worked with the USMNT side playing like complete garbage.
1.89 – Mauricio Pochettino averaged 1.89 points per game in charge of Spurs in the Premier League, the best ratio of any manager for the club (30+ games). Coveted. pic.twitter.com/ahPjILmeoo— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 29, 2023
Additionally, no one match should be the determining factor for evaluating a coach's impact on a federation, even if that game was the entire reason for his hire. Soccer is simply too fluky a sport, and even in a match like the Belgium defeat, where the United States was utterly outplayed and handily beaten, the randomness of the sport can skew the manner of defeat and the perceived gap between the sides.
These are not excuses for the performance or result on the day, which was enormously disappointing and truly a let-down. These are, instead, contributing factors that play a factor in determining whether Pochettino is the right man for the job moving forward.
Pochettino must improve tactical plan for facing top-class opponents
If the Belgium defeat proved anything, it's that Pochettino still has a lot of work to do for developing a plan to face highly-ranked opponents.
It was not just the 4-1 disaster in the World Cup Round of 16 that exposed the U.S. approach. Pretty much every game for the USMNT under Pochettino against top-notch opposition saw them get out-classed.
In the March window prior to the World Cup, the U.S. was again clobbered by Belgium by a 5-2 score, while their 2-0 defeat to Portugal was also comprehensive in nature. Back in June of 2025, they were blasted 4-0 by Switzerland in a match that raised significant questions about Pochettino's approach with the national team at the time.
To put it plainly, Pochettino's system has the U.S. set up extremely well to get emphatic results against lower-ranked opponents, which, in fairness, is something the team has struggled with mightily over the years, especially in CONCACAF play. It has increased the margin for error against teams of lesser quality, which can avoid upsets in the majority of games the U.S. plays in.
However, higher-ranked teams have managed to identify certain soft spots in the system, while exploiting individual weak links by isolating the most error-prone players and taking advantage.
For the most part, Pochettino has kept his system intact against any opponent, only making slight tactical tweaks to fit the moment. It's difficult to make sweeping changes to a tactical plan that seems to have the team, for the most part, firing on all cylinders, but there's enough body of work against top-tier sides that suggest a more comprehensive alteration may be needed in future games of this caliber.
Losing in the Round of 16 in 2026 might be enough to overlook, but another repeat of this same result in 2030 will be unacceptable given a full four years of planning, growth, and practice. Pochettino will no longer have any excuses by that point.
There were no other strong candidates for the USMNT job
Of course, fans don't want to hear the federation hired a coach simply because there were no other good options.
But given all the positives about bringing back Pochettino, the fact of the matter is there were no other truly strong candidates who would have been realistically available for the position.
Sure, Pellegrino Materazzo could have been an option, but he has never coached internationally before, and there's no guarantee he would have even been interested in the role given he has only been at Sevilla for one season. Maybe the likes of B.J. Callahan or Mikey Varas could have been successful as in-house options, but there's plenty of reasons either could fail as well.
If Pep Guardiola priced out the Italian federation, it feels hard to imagine that the U.S. could have conjured up the money to hire him instead. He has also made it clear that he wants a break from the dugout.
In the end, Pochettino was the only candidate for the job.
Kyle Bonn
Kyle Bonn is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.
Source: Sporting News
