By the time the 2026 World Cup ends, United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino will see his contract expire with the men’s national team. He appears to already be lining up his next steps.
According to multiple reports, the 54-year-old Pochettino has met with representatives from Italian giants AC Milan over its now-open head coaching position.
Milan, one of the most storied clubs in football history, recently saw the departure of Massimiliano Allegri after the team failed to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Allegri’s departure was part of a broader house cleaning – which also saw sporting director Igli Tare, chief executive Giorgio Furlani and technical director Geoffrey Moncada leave the club.
The Argentine is not the only coach who has been linked with the job. Andoni Iraola, who is departing Bournemouth as a free agent, was previously reported as a leading candidate.
However, reports from Sky Sports indicate Iraola is not interested in joining Milan – with the coach leaning toward joining either Liverpool or German club Bayer Leverkusen.
USA coach Mauricio Pochettino has had discussions with AC Milan over their manager opening
This comes just days after Milan fired coach Massimiliano Allegri after a fifth-place finish
Pochettino has been linked with an eventual departure from the USMNT after the World Cup
While Pochettino has indicated that he’s open to staying with the US national team beyond the World Cup, the coach has been linked to a potential departure from the national team for some time.
Rumors about a possible return to Tottenham Hotspur were shot down by the coach when asked by the Daily Mail last June. This year, he was linked to the job at Real Madrid prior to the Spanish club’s pursuit of Jose Mourinho.
Pochettino joined the USMNT in September 2024 after the US Soccer Federation fired coach Gregg Berhalter following a group stage exit at that summer’s Copa America.
He arrived having departed Chelsea at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, achieving a sixth-place finish that season.
The Argentine began his managerial career at Spanish side Espanyol before moving to Southampton, Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain.
