The USMNT enjoyed the perfect start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, defeating Paraguay and Australia in the group stage.
Although they lost to Turkey, their earlier victories were enough to secure a place in the Round of 32. Mauricio Pochettino's side then beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 to book a Round of 16 clash against Belgium.
However, the Red Devils brought the United States' World Cup campaign to an end, ending what many believed could have been the start of a memorable run.
Following the defeat, former U.S. international Alexi Lalas was among the first to criticize Pochettino, arguing that the Argentine had one job–to beat Belgium.
“When it comes to Mauricio Pochettino, you had one job. And it was the game against Belgium. You win that game, then you’re in some rarefied air...”
Lalas even suggested that U.S. Soccer should part ways with the former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager.
“So I think that they move on. I believe he’s had a good time, but you had one job, and you blew it.”
(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
The 56-year-old also doubled down on his criticism, insisting that results are all that matter and that Pochettino was brought in to win games like the one against Belgium.
"Pochettino's job and why he was brought in and why he was paid all this money was to win this game today. That's just the fact, okay?... he will be the first to tell you that you are judged by your results, especially if you are brought on to coach a home... World Cup for a team that obviously doesn't have to go through qualifying."
However, not everyone agreed with Lalas' assessment.
Gregg Berhalter Gets Honest on Mauricio Pochettino
Speaking on an episode of the ‘Coaches Corner’, Former USMNT head coach Bob Bradley said he had been encouraged by the standards Pochettino has introduced and believes the Argentine deserves more time.
"We talked a lot about Mauricio... I thought that those were all positives. I'm not going back on the things that I saw that impressed me... If he's still excited by all that and there's good discussions, then I would imagine he's going to stay."
Bruce Arena, San Jose Earthquakes head coach, also urged patience, saying U.S. Soccer should first sort out its leadership structure before deciding on Pochettino's future.
"They've got to sort that out... There's a little work that has to be done behind the scenes before they have a plan on how they move the senior national team forward for the next World Cup."
Current Chicago Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter also backed Pochettino, saying continuity would benefit both the players and the program.
"I think if the coach wants to stay, continuity is good for the player group. In general, it's good for the team. And the learning curve that Bob talked about is certainly real.”
Berhalter also stated that the former Tottenham Hotspur's manager should be given more time as international management comes with a significant learning curve.
“You know, international soccer is a completely different animal, and to give the coach more time to understand what it's about and understand how to navigate through international soccer, you know, makes sense."
