Pochettino in AC Milan's focus: a conversation that raises questions about the future of the U.S. national team
Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the United States men's national soccer team, met with AC Milan representatives at a time when the Italian club is looking for a new head coach. According to a report by Sports Yahoo, which cites information from specialist sources covering Italian football, the Argentine expert has emerged among the names being considered after Milan was left without a coach. The club has not yet officially confirmed negotiations with Pochettino, nor has the U.S. Soccer Federation released any information that would indicate a change in his status with the national team. For that reason, the conversation can currently be interpreted as part of a broader process of exploring possibilities, rather than as confirmation of an imminent agreement.
The timing of the information is particularly sensitive for Pochettino and the U.S. national team. The United States is entering the final phase of preparations for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico, and host nation the USA enters the tournament with great expectations. According to the official biography on the U.S. Soccer website, Pochettino was appointed head coach with the aim of preparing the team precisely for that competition. Any possibility of his departure for a club, even if it were to happen only after the tournament, therefore has wider sporting and organizational significance. At this moment, however, there is no official confirmation that an agreement has been reached with Milan or that Pochettino has requested the termination of his obligations to the U.S. federation.
Milan looks for a new direction after a disappointing end to the season
AC Milan opened its search for a coach after a turbulent end to the 2025/26 season. According to an official statement by RedBird Capital Partners published on the club's website, Milan, due to current performance, ended its cooperation with head coach Massimiliano Allegri, chief executive Giorgio Furlani, sporting director Igli Tare and technical director Geoffrey Moncada. In the same statement, the club's ownership structure stated that the final stage of the season was completely incompatible with the performance up to that point and that defeat in the final round turned the season into, as stated, an unequivocal failure. Such wording shows that Milan is not dealing only with replacing the coach, but with a broader reorganization of the football sector.
AC Milan's official report on the final league match states that on 24 May 2026 the team lost 1:2 to Cagliari at San Siro in the 38th round of Serie A. Milan took the lead through Alexis Saelemaekers, but the visitors turned the match around with goals by Gabriele Borrelli and Juan Rodríguez. In the same report, the club stated that it finished the season with 70 points, without qualification for the Champions League, but with a return to European competitions through the 2026/27 Europa League. It is precisely the missed Champions League that adds extra weight to the decision on changes, because Milan, as a club with a great European tradition, must look for a coach who can quickly stabilize the team and return it to the strongest continental competition.
Massimiliano Allegri was appointed Milan coach on 30 May 2025, according to the club's official announcement. His return carried strong symbolism because in his first spell he won the Italian league title with Milan, but his second spell ended after only one season. Milan has therefore entered a new phase in which, according to available information, a new sporting structure above the coach is also being sought. For that reason, the choice of a new expert will probably also depend on who will lead the sporting sector and what management model RedBird will establish for the 2026/27 season. In such a context, Pochettino is an attractive but also complex name.
Why Pochettino is interesting to Milan
Pochettino's coaching profile fits the search of clubs that want a modern, intense and development-oriented style of play. In its official biography, U.S. Soccer states that he is known for high pressing and an attacking style, and highlights his experience at Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. At Tottenham, in 2019, he led the team to the Champions League final, while at PSG he won the French championship and worked with players of the highest world class. Such a career gives him the international credibility that Milan is looking for at a moment when it must restore the team's authority. Pochettino also has a reputation as a coach who can develop younger players, but also work in a high-pressure environment.
For Milan, his arrival would also mean an attempt at a clear tactical shift. In recent seasons, the club has often changed coaches and sporting directions, and RedBird's official decision to dismiss several key figures confirms that a deeper change is now being sought. In his club career, Pochettino has most often built teams that rely on high energy, quick transition and attacking width, which could fit a squad that includes a number of physically and technically strong players. Still, his possible appointment would also raise practical questions: availability before or after the World Cup, financial terms, the composition of the coaching staff and his relationship with the existing club plans. None of those questions, according to available information, has yet been officially resolved.
Pochettino is also interesting to Milan because of his experience working with big names. At PSG, he led a team that included Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, while in the English Premier League he worked in an extremely demanding media and competitive environment. Milan, on the other hand, is not looking only for a coach for daily work, but for a person who can carry the burden of public expectations after a season that the ownership structure itself described as a failure. That is the reason why several well-known names are being linked with Milan in Italian and international media. However, the fact that Pochettino is on the bench of a national team that is just entering the World Cup makes his case different from candidates who are currently out of work.
The U.S. national team at an awkward moment
For the U.S. national team, any speculation about the head coach comes in an extremely sensitive period. FIFA states that the 2026 World Cup will be held in 16 host cities in the USA, Mexico and Canada, and the tournament will bring together 48 national teams for the first time. In such a format, host nation the USA has the opportunity to play in front of its home crowd on the biggest football stage, which increases pressure on the federation, coaching staff and players. Pochettino was brought in as a major coaching name who should give the national team tactical clarity and mental stability. Therefore, any uncertainty about his future could become an important topic, even if it does not directly affect preparations.
According to reports by American and British media, on 26 May 2026 Pochettino announced a 26-player roster for the World Cup, and decisions to leave out certain players have already sparked debate. The Guardian reported that Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann and Aidan Morris were among those left out, while Alejandro Zendejas was included among the travelers. Such decisions show that Pochettino has already taken full responsibility for constructing the team and has entered the most important phase of his mandate. In that context, a conversation with Milan, if accurate in the scope in which it has been reported, inevitably raises the question of continuity. Still, the available information does not confirm that the talks have an immediate impact on the U.S. plan for the tournament.
In official materials, the U.S. federation emphasizes Pochettino's experience and his task of preparing the team for the World Cup. This is important because it is a project that did not begin a few weeks before the tournament, but was conceived as a two-year preparation. Pochettino took over the national team after a period in which the USA was seeking a stronger step forward on the international stage. If it were shown that Milan is indeed seriously interested in his appointment, the U.S. federation would have to weigh the legal, sporting and communication consequences. For now, however, there is no official announcement that would indicate a change of plan for the World Cup.
A conversation does not mean an agreement
In football, meetings between clubs and coaches are often part of the early stages of the market, especially when a club suddenly remains without its entire sporting leadership. According to available information, Milan is currently considering several possibilities, and Pochettino's name appears in a wider circle of candidates. That does not mean that he is the first choice, that he has accepted the terms or that Milan is ready to wait for the end of his national-team engagement. The club must make a decision quickly enough so that the new coach can participate in planning the transfer window and the start of preparations. On the other hand, Pochettino is tied to a national-team project that has a clearly defined peak in the summer of 2026.
It is especially important to distinguish confirmed facts from market signals. It has been confirmed that Milan officially dismissed Allegri and key sporting operatives, it has been confirmed that the club finished the season without the Champions League, and it has been confirmed that Pochettino is the current head coach of the U.S. national team. The information about the meeting with Milan comes from media reports and has not yet been confirmed by an official statement from the club or the federation. This does not reduce the importance of the news, but it requires caution in interpretation. At this stage, the most precise thing to say is that Pochettino is one of the names being linked with Milan, while a final decision has not been made.
For Pochettino himself, the situation is sensitive also because of reputation. If he were to publicly show interest in a club immediately before the World Cup, he could raise questions about his commitment to the national team. If, however, he refused or postponed club talks, he would risk missing one of the most attractive positions in European football. The coaching market often moves quickly, and Milan, after a major cut, cannot remain without a clear hierarchy for long. That is why it is possible that the club is holding talks with several candidates in parallel and trying to assess who is truly available. Pochettino's availability could be a key element, perhaps even more important than the sporting profile itself.
What Milan would gain and what it would risk
By appointing Pochettino, Milan would get a coach with an international reputation, experience in the strongest leagues and a clear playing identity. His arrival could send a message that after an unsuccessful season the club is not looking for a temporary solution, but wants a recognizable project. That would be important for the dressing room, for the fans and for the players Milan wants to bring in or keep. In a club that must return to the Champions League, a coach with such authority could help rebuild trust. At the same time, Pochettino is not a risk-free coach: his spell at Chelsea ended after one season, and at PSG he worked in an environment where results were always measured only by the highest standards.
The risk for Milan would also be timing. If Pochettino were available only after the World Cup, the club would have to decide whether it can wait until the middle or end of the summer, depending on the USA's result at the tournament. That could make preparations, the transfer window and the early shaping of the team more difficult. If, on the contrary, he tried to take over the club before the end of the national-team cycle, serious questions would open toward the U.S. federation and the public. Milan therefore has to assess whether Pochettino is a realistic option or merely a coaching name worth checking in a conversation. According to available information, that is exactly the phase in which the story currently stands.
The next moves will depend on official decisions
In the coming days, the most important thing will be to follow the official channels of AC Milan and U.S. Soccer. In its statement, RedBird announced that new appointments would be published when finalized, with the aim of having the structure for next season in place on time. That means Milan must resolve not only the question of the coach, but also the question of the sporting leadership that will make squad decisions together with the coach. Pochettino, on the other hand, is entering the final stage of preparations with the U.S. national team and, according to his official status, remains its head coach. Until official confirmation of a different development appears, his main task remains the 2026 World Cup.
The news about the meeting with Milan representatives nevertheless shows how connected the coaching market is and how quickly it changes after unsuccessful seasons for major clubs. Milan is looking for a new beginning after a disappointing finish, and Pochettino is a coach whose name naturally attracts attention because of his club experience and reputation. For the U.S. national team, the very fact that its head coach is being mentioned in the context of San Siro is not insignificant, because it is happening in a period when the focus should be exclusively on the tournament. For now, however, there is no confirmation that the meeting has turned into an agreement. Until Milan announces a new coach and U.S. Soccer changes Pochettino's status, this is an important but still open story.
Sources:
- Sports Yahoo – report on Mauricio Pochettino's meeting with AC Milan representatives (link)
- AC Milan / RedBird Capital Partners – official statement on the reorganization and departures of Giorgio Furlani, Igli Tare, Massimiliano Allegri and Geoffrey Moncada (link)
- AC Milan – official report from the AC Milan - Cagliari 1:2 match and information about the end of the season without qualification for the Champions League (link)
- AC Milan – official announcement on the appointment of Massimiliano Allegri as first-team coach in 2025 (link)
- U.S. Soccer – official biography of Mauricio Pochettino and description of his mandate on the U.S. national team bench (link)
- FIFA – official information on the 2026 World Cup, hosts, cities and competition format (link)
- The Guardian – report on the announcement of the U.S. player roster for the 2026 World Cup and Pochettino's decisions (link)