By Megan Armstrong0ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.United States men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino is already under fire this week after The Athletic's Tom Bogert reported that he informed players of their 2026 FIFA World Cup roster status via email.
Pochettino is dominating another soccer news cycle due to his purported interest in becoming AC Milan's next head coach.
"Mauricio Pochettino denied that he met with AC Milan to discuss their vacant head coach post, but didn't extend that denial to his representatives. He instead insisted that he is 100% committed to the U.S. squad heading into the World Cup," ESPN's Jeff Carlisle and Julien Laurens reported Thursday.
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"Pochettino's contract with U.S. Soccer runs through the end of the coming World Cup, and sources earlier confirmed to ESPN that Pochettino has spoken with the Italian Serie A giants."
...USMNT star Christian Pulisic plays for AC Milan, and the club just finished fifth on the Serie A table for the 2025-26 season — narrowly missing out on directly qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
Pochettino took over as the USMNT head coach as Gregg Berhalter's replacement in September 2024. He previously served in the same role at Chelsea FC (2023-24), Paris Saint-Germain (2021-22), Tottenham (2014-19), and Southampton (2013-14). The USMNT's record under Pochettino is 13-7-2, per ESPN.
All that will matter is how far Pochettino leads the USMNT in next month's World Cup. The Americans advanced most famously to the Quarter-finals in 2002, but haven't reached beyond the Round of 16 since then. Most recently, they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and lost to the Netherlands in the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The USMNT will open against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 12.
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