In his first World Cup in charge of the U.S. men's national team, head coach Mauricio Pochettino set a record by winning three World Cup games and delivering several of the most dazzling performances in team history. Now it appears he could be running it back for another one.
Multiple outlets have reported that Pochettino is set to sign a new contract with the USMNT that will extend through the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Given that he first joined with the USMNT midway through the last cycle, he now has a chance to fully place his stamp on the team until then.
"Mauricio Pochettino on course to agree new contract & extend reign as USA head coach through to 2030 World Cup. Barring unexpected change of heart 54yo Argentine boss set to remain in charge of #USMNT for next cycle," David Ornstein of The Athletic reported.
Response from the Fans
The overwhelming response from USMNT fans has been joy. The idea that a coach could deliver that good of a World Cup run in just two years on the job and now gets a full cycle to revamp the team the way he wants clearly gives reason to be excited:
"Keeping Pochettino is 100% the right decision after the beautiful style of play we saw from them in the just finished World Cup. He completely transformed the squad's tactical identity in a short span of time, and giving him until 2030 means the project is only going to get stronger," one user wrote.
"Never been more up," another user declared.
"Wow! Huge news. As long as he's in for the full cycle, I'm here for it. I want to see what he can do with that much time," a third wrote.
© Blake Dahlin-Imagn Images.
Not all of the reactions have been positive though. Many fans feel that there are some clear flaws to the way Pochettino approaches the job while others just can't get over how embarrassing the Round of 16 loss to Belgium was.
Nevertheless, the main thing the USMNT wants right now is stability. They've got it with Pochettino.
