Billionaire Ken Griffin Again Backs Pochettino’s USMNT Contract

U.S. Soccer has signed men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino to a new contract through 2030, a deal that was financed in part via contributions from Ken Griffin, the billionaire founder of Citadel.

The extension, announced Monday morning, comes less than a month after the <a href="https://www.sportico.com/leagues/soccer/2026/world-cup-spain-argentina-halftime-show-culture-1234939444/" target="_blank">conclusion</a> of the 2026 men's World Cup in North America. The U.S. Men's National Team won its group and a knockout stage game, before <a href="https://www.sportico.com/leagues/soccer/2026/us-world-cup-loss-belgium-reaction-future-1234938101/" target="_blank">losing</a> in the Round of 16 to Belgium. That performance drew mixed reviews from the U.S. soccer community, with some feeling the team's performance showed progress while others believed it was more of the same.</p><strong>More from Sportico.com</strong><p>
Pochettino's extension, however, should keep some continuity at the top of USMNT, which last advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in 2002. U.S. Soccer said it will also give him and his staff a bit more power within all parts of the governing body's efforts.


"With this new commitment, [Pochettino] and the coaching staff will also advise and support U.S. Soccer on the broader development of the full national team pathway, youth soccer, coaching education, professional league collaboration and other technical facets across the soccer community," the organization said in a statement.


U.S. Soccer has been without a technical director since April, when Matt Crocker, who was part of the first Pochettino hire, left to join the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.


While Pochettino's duties are new, the funding is more of the same. Business leaders, including Griffin and Diameter Capital co-founder Scott Goodwin, were instrumental in luring Pochettino to the USMNT in 2024. (Goodwin, a longtime U.S. Soccer backer, helped loop in Griffin, <em>Sportico </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.sportico.com/leagues/soccer/2024/pochettino-hiring-finances-us-soccer-1234800071/">previously reported</a>). Their efforts secured a coach with a stronger international pedigree than any prior USMNT manager, including stints at some of Europe's biggest clubs, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.


Pochettino, 54, originally signed a two-year deal worth about $6 million per year, backed in part by Griffin and Goodwin, making him the highest-paid USMNT coach in history. If you add in payments for Pochettino's staff and the buyout for prior head coach Gregg Berhalter, the total price tag for the coaching overhaul was roughly $20 million.


Now more is being invested. Though Pochettino's new contract details were not released, even four more years at a comparable salary would push $24 million. The contract is funded in "significant part by a philanthropic leadership gift" from Griffin, U.S. Soccer said. A rep for Citadel declined to comment on the size of Griffin's commitment. Additional support came from Goodwin, LAFC investor <a href="https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2023/lafc-adam-freede-investor-1234711801/" target="_blank">Adam Freede</a> and others.


Philanthropy has been a huge priority for U.S. Soccer in recent years. A few years ago the group hired <a href="https://www.ussoccer.com/executive-leadership/leah-burton" target="_blank">Leah Heister Burton</a>, who oversaw philanthropic efforts at the Guggenheim art museum, to be U.S. Soccer's first chief advancement officer. Fundraising jumped from around $5 million annually to numbers more than 10x those totals. U.S. Soccer recently opened a new $200 million training center outside Atlanta, funded in part via $50 million from Arthur Blank, the billionaire owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC.</p><strong>Best of Sportico.com</strong><p>Sign up for <a href="https://cloud.email.sportico.com/signup/">Sportico's Newsletter</a>. For the latest news, follow us on <a href="http://bit.ly/31XsHSx">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/2TkcoeG">Twitter</a>, and <a href="http://bit.ly/2TntOHq">Instagram</a>.