Pochettino responds to contract extension rumors following World Cup exit.

Following the U.S. men's national soccer team's humiliating 1-4 defeat and failure to reach the World Cup quarterfinals, the question of head coach Mauricio Pochettino's future has once again become the focus of attention.

Although the U.S. Soccer Federation had expressed its intention to extend his contract before the game, Pochettino was very cautious at the post-match press conference on Monday and did not make any clear commitments about his future.

When pressed by the media about whether he would remain in his position, Pochettino stated that both sides needed time to calmly consider the situation. He said, "I think it's time to take a short break. To think, to have dialogue, and then see what decision the Football Association and we make."

“But I’m very happy that we’ve established a very good relationship, but now is not the time to talk about that. I think it’s time to sit down and evaluate this tournament, and of course we can start talking in the coming weeks if the Football Association wants to.”

Although his tenure lasted less than two years before his departure was regrettable, Pochettino still strongly affirmed the achievements of himself and his coaching staff. In an interview, he emphasized that building a national team is a long-term process and stated that the current evaluation work has been completed.

Pochettino noted: "The journey has been incredible, with both good and bad things. I've only been here for less than two years. We all know that a cycle takes about four years."

“Today, I think we’ve finished the chapter of evaluating players and competing in such tough games. Now we have a complete assessment of many players, and we have a clear idea of our future decisions if we commit to staying here, which was very difficult before.”

At the same time, Pochettino also mentioned the chaotic situation when he first took over the team, believing that the current US team has been transformed. He admitted: "All the situations you know about were very difficult to manage."

"In terms of the legacy we leave behind, with or without us, the legacy we leave to the players and staff is the perfect mindset they have now. It's incredible that they continue to grow."

“I don’t think the hard work is over, but we’ve set principles for the future to achieve great success. I know that when we took over, the work was really tough because that’s what we found out at the time.”

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