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08/03 08:20 CDT Mauricio Pochettino stays as US coach, agrees to 4-year
contract extension through 2030 World Cup
Mauricio Pochettino stays as US coach, agrees to 4-year contract extension
through 2030 World Cup
By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer
Mauricio Pochettino is staying with the U.S. soccer team, agreeing Monday to a
four-year contract to coach the Americans through the 2030 World Cup.
A 54-year-old who took over in October 2024, Pochettino led the U.S. to the
World Cup round of 16, where the tournament co-hosts were eliminated with a 4-1
loss to Belgium.
Still, he helped the seeded U.S. to a pair of firsts in the expanded 48-nation
tournament, clinching advancement from the group stage with a game to spare and
winning three games in a single World Cup. The team captivated American fans
with excited audiences in stadiums and record television viewers.
"The magic thing that happened during the World Cup, the connection with the
people, of course with the whole organization and everything was a key point,"
Pochettino said during a Zoom news conference from his home in Barcelona, Spain.
Hedge fund manager Ken Griffin is again the lead philanthropic funder
supporting Pochettino's contract. Pochettino earned just over $5 million in his
first seven months as coach, according to the U.S. Soccer Federation tax return.
Since reaching the quarterfinals in 2002, the U.S. has lost four straight
round-of-16 games.
"What we learn(ed) is that we can compete, that we have the quality and we have
the talent," Pochettino said. "We were so close. That gap with the best teams
in the world is not too big."
Pochettino said there is potential to make soccer in the U.S. "grow and grow
and grow and be one of the important sport(s) in America, like it is in the
rest of the world."
"We have players and organization that can compete with the best organization
in the world in that sport," he said. "We learned that the fans are amazing and
when they were so excited to discover a sport that made our fans become crazy,
no? The connection was amazing."
Pochettino views the next cycle as a new start for a program lacking quality
depth at goalkeeper and central defender.
"It is going to be important to provide the young kids that we really believe
that they have the potential to arrive in 2030, in four years, to start to work
and start to know," he said.
Before taking the U.S. job, Pochettino coached Espanyol (2009-12), Southampton
(2013-14), Tottenham (2014-19), Paris Saint-Germain (2021-22) and Chelsea
(2023-24).
When Pochettino replaced Gregg Berhalter two years ago, he signed an initial
contract through the 2026 World Cup. Pochettino said ahead of the tournament
that he had discussed a possible new deal with the USSF. He also said in May
that his agent had spoken with AC Milan, a club that then hired Rben Amorim.
Pochettino, who has homes in Spain and London, said he may move to the U.S. He
intends to stay with the American team until 2030 but left himself an out.
"Four years time is a really long period. You never know what can happen in
soccer," he said. "Today people really love you. In eight weeks time, maybe
that change(s), that feeling."
He has led the U.S. to 17 wins (including a penalty-kicks victory), 13 losses
and one draw. Twenty-three of 62 players to appear under Pochettino have
accounted for the team's 57 goals.
"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," USSF CEO JT Batson said in a statement.
U.S. coaches have not been successful when they remained for a second World Cup
cycle.
After leading the Americans to the 2002 quarterfinals, Bruce Arena was unable
to get his team past the group stage in 2006.
Bob Bradley helped the U.S. reach the round of 16 in 2010, then was fired a
year later after the team lost the CONCACAF Gold Cup final.
Jurgen Klinsmann took over and in December 2013 was given an extension through
the 2018 World Cup. The Americans reached the round of 16 in 2014 but Klinsmann
was fired in late 2016 after the U.S. lost its first two games in the final
round of qualifying. Arena returned but the U.S. failed to reach the 2018 World
Cup.
Berhalter was hired in late 2018 and led the Americans to the round of 16 in
2022. Given a new contract in 2023, he was fired a year later after the U.S.
failed to advanced past the group stage of the Copa America.
"We are going to demand more from them," he said of the players. "We are not
going to be in some situation(s) not flexible like we were because before it
was (for) the benefit of players, benefit of structures that were already
built. But now it's about to start the house from zero."
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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