With World Cup just 2 weeks away, USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino reportedly in talks with AC Milan about next job

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — As the U.S. national soccer team accelerates World Cup preparations, Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly engaged in conversations with AC Milan about filling its coaching vacancy after this summer’s tournament.

It’s not a particularly surprising development, given Pochettino’s coaching history prior to the U.S. job was exclusively at the club level. Furthermore, his $6 million-a-year contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation expires after the World Cup — a typical reassessment period for any national team coach.

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The Athletic reported Thursday that Pochettino spoke with Milan last week.

The interest in Pochettino adds another layer in the buildup to a World Cup that, with U.S. success, promises to hasten the sport’s growth in this country.

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Overseeing the team’s second workout at the new national training center Thursday, Pochettino was not immediately available for comment.

USSF chief executive JT Batson did not confirm the AC Milan talks, but did say, “Mauricio and the entire [coaching] team has been incredibly transparent the entire process.”

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Since the USSF first approached Pochettino two summers ago, “there are lots of other people interested in having Maurico and [his] team join,” Batson said. “He had standing offers from other places to come, and he wanted to be here. He's a big believer in what we're doing in U.S soccer, he's a big believer in soccer in America, and he's a big believer in this men’s team.”

Pochettino, 54, has coached at Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, and since taking the U.S. job in the fall of 2024, has been linked with numerous clubs overseas.

“There's been a longer list of outreach than what has even been reported,” Batson said.

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AC Milan, which employs U.S. star Christian Pulisic, has begun a coaching search to replace Massimiliano Allegri, who failed to secure a Champions League berth next season. RedBird Capital Partners, an American firm that owns the Serie A titans, called it an “unequivocal failure.”

Though the Argentine-born Pochettino has expressed some interest in re-upping with the U.S. program, there has been broad expectation that he would return to European club circles. While he does visit the U.S. regularly, his homes are in London and Barcelona.

Nonetheless, Batson said, “We've had a number of very long discussions around what the next four years could look like. We're excited and they're excited, but of course, we’ve got to focus on the summer.”

The U.S. will play friendlies against Senegal on Sunday in Charlotte and Germany on June 6 in Chicago before opening the World Cup on June 12 against Paraguay in Inglewood, California.

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Playing in a World Cup at home for the first time since 1994, the Americans are seeking a breakthrough after losing in the round of 16 in 2010, 2014 and 2022. (They didn’t qualify in 2018.) Their last deep run was to the 2002 quarterfinals.

Given soccer’s global nature, Batson said the federation is always prepared for personnel changes in all of its more than two-dozen teams, particularly at the senior level.

“We, on a monthly basis, have a succession planning session for all of our coaches across all of our teams,” he said. “So as a part of that, we have plans for renewals, we have plans for interims and we have plans for replacements.”

Batson said Pochettino’s future has not caused distractions.

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“We’re confident that Mauricio and team are 100 percent focused on this summer. They're excited. They were one of the first people here this morning, they were the last to leave last night.”

The club offseason does, however, offer opportunities for coaches and players alike.

“There's guys in contract situations right now that have to figure out what to do, either before the World Cup, after the World Cup,” midfielder Tyler Adams said. “It's going to be the same deal with coaches. He’s fully present with us every single day, finding ways to make us better, focusing on the trainings, just as we are.”

Last month, sporting director Matt Crocker, who oversees the national teams and spearheaded Pochettino’s hiring, left the USSF to work for the Saudi federation.

“I would not expect a like-for-like sporting director going forward,” Batson said. “And we are very active in sort of both planning and executing that new structure.”