US men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino is in talks to extend his contract through the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the news was first reported by The Athletic on Friday and confirmed by Doug McIntyre. America's football authorities are excited about Pochettino as they are the first from Group D to reach the knockout stage after beating Australia, Paraguay and Turkey in the 2026 World Cup group stage. But, despite this success, a football analyst sheds light on why talks about extending Pochettino's contract are not appropriate. Fox Sports analyst and US soccer legend Alexi Lalas believes it is premature to extend the contract of the 54-year-old Argentine coach. Lalas said, "I think we should wait. I think it's very mysterious to reassign a coach before the World Cup. Especially in this case. Mauricio Pochettino's only job was to make sure that the 2030 World Cup was a successful tournament for the United States — but that's not certain yet." Pochettino took over as USA coach in September 2024, before the US team put in a terrible performance away from home at the Copa America, where they failed to make it past the group stage. USA's record since Pochettino took over is 14 wins, 10 losses and 2 draws. However, Pochettino has yet to win a trophy as USA coach, failing to win a trophy in the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League and CONCACAF Gold Cup. But Pochettino has managed to give the United States more World Cup victories than previous coach Greg Berhalter. The USA will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the knockout stages of the upcoming 2026 World Cup. This match will be held on July 1, 2026, in Los Angeles, USA.
