USA to hold talks with Mauricio Pochettino over future after World Cup

[p]The 54-year-old [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pochettino-mauricio/zuJM7XDg/"]Pochettino[/a]'s contract expires after the ‌tournament, and his future has become a central question following ‌a disappointing end to the campaign for a US ‌side that had hoped to make a deep run on home soil.[/p][p]The federation said it had held "positive conversations" with Pochettino ‌before the tournament about the future and ⁠that both sides ‌agreed to continue discussions after a pause.[/p][p]"[b]We have a great deal ​of respect and gratitude for Mauricio, his staff and everyone part of the program[/b]," US ​Soccer said in a statement on Tuesday.[/p][p]The defeat by the Belgians punctured rising expectations around the team and ⁠is likely to intensify ​scrutiny of the program's direction as US Soccer assesses whether Pochettino is the right person to lead the next cycle.[/p][embed guid="af5dcf52-6313-4229-babc-800bad3dd302" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2074349786753364057" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Argentine, who was seen kicking water bottles ‌on the sideline in frustration during the round-of-16 match in Seattle, has not yet commented on his future with the team.[/p][p]He said after the match that there had been "good things and not so good things" about his nearly two years coaching the team, adding that the journey has been "amazing."[/p][p]US Soccer acknowledged that significant work remains.[/p][p]"[b]We have shared excitement about our potential and also ‌shared clarity about the amount of work at all ​levels still required to achieve our ambition[/b]," the ‌federation said.[/p][p]Pochettino, the former [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham Hotspur[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]Paris Saint-Germain[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Chelsea[/a] manager, was hired in September 2024 and tasked with turning the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/usa/fuitL4CF/"]United States[/a] into serious contenders.[/p][p]However, the manner of the team's World ⁠Cup exit will leave ⁠the federation facing difficult ‌questions in the weeks ahead.[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]