After the USA’ elimination from the Copa América on the group stage, followers’ cries for supervisor Gregg Berhalter to be let go grew louder than ever. The U.S. did not advance from a gaggle that additionally included Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia, falling to each CONCACAF rival Panama and Uruguay to go away the match with simply three factors.
Within the instant aftermath, sporting director Matt Crocker launched an announcement saying U.S. Soccer would “be conducting a complete evaluate of our efficiency in Copa America and the way finest to enhance the workforce and outcomes as we glance in the direction of the 2026 World Cup.”
A report from Fox Sports activities signifies we’ll have extra information someday this week. If that plan does embody transferring on from Berhalter, who additionally led the U.S. on the 2022 World Cup, who may take over?
Right here, we’ll check out 9 candidates. Some are sensible targets, different are desires, and there are a number of in-between choices as nicely.
Former Liverpool supervisor Jürgen Klopp is the most effective at the moment unemployed supervisor on the planet. He selected to go away the Premier League membership as a result of he was “working out of power,” which was a jarring assertion from a supervisor whose battery by no means appeared to run low.
Klopp has since withdrawn to Mallorca. He took in a tennis match final week and usually seems to have unplugged from the soccer world.
So why would he take the gig? If he managed the U.S. in 2026, he’d be taking cost of a rustic on the rise that’s crammed with issues to do and locations to see.
Plus, a world job is much less demanding from a day-to-day perspective than working at a membership, permitting for a lot of extra breaks. Klopp even may keep in Spain and nonetheless do his job nicely.
Would Klopp truly need to make the transfer? It could most likely take some severe convincing and a load of money, though Tim Howard personally provided to persuade him.
Do not get your hopes up, but it surely’s not completely unimaginable.
Talking of dreaming, Pep Guardiola not solely would require the money and convincing Klopp would, however he additionally has a prestigious job. The Catalan manages Manchester Metropolis and has a contract to proceed main the Sky Blues by means of 2025.
Notably, that might open up the opportunity of him taking up a nationwide workforce earlier than the 2026 World Cup. Why not take over for the USA?
Guardiola turned as much as assist the Boston Celtics throughout their profitable quest for the NBA title this season. Many followers in New York Metropolis and Los Angeles nonetheless inform tales about seeing Guardiola watching large matches within the cities’ soccer bars throughout his 2012-13 sabbatical.
The problem stays the timing. Maybe the U.S. may cook dinner up some type of plan with an interim supervisor and Guardiola taking up for the Gold Cup, however Brazil’s failed pursuit of Carlo Ancelotti supplies a cautionary story in that regard.
If Klopp or Pep do not flip up, a handful of MLS managers will undoubtedly have their hand as much as lead the nationwide workforce. One who will probably be within the combine is LAFC chief Steve Cherundolo.
Whereas his solely first-team teaching expertise comes within the U.S., first with LAFC affiliate Las Vegas Lights after which with the Black and Gold, he additionally has European expertise that many different MLS-based candidates do not. After an extended taking part in profession in Hannover, Cherundolo labored within the German membership’s academy setup and in addition was an assistant there and at VfB Stuttgart.
Cherundolo gained the MLS Cup and Supporters’ Defend double in 2022 and, like Berhalter, additionally had an extended profession as a participant with the USA.
Nancy is probably the most effective supervisor in MLS proper now, however he would not qualify as a home rent. The France native is aware of soccer in North America nicely, nevertheless, having labored within the Montreal Affect Academy after which as an assistant to Thierry Henry earlier than taking up the primary workforce.
Columbus coaxed him to Ohio to teach the Crew a 12 months later, which proved to be resolution. In his first 12 months there, Nancy led the Crew to an MLS Cup title, even with the membership parting methods with star Lucas Zelarayan mid-season.
Along with successful MLS Cup, Nancy secured outcomes over Tigres and Monterrey in a run to the CONCACAF Champions Cup closing, falling to Pachuca within the closing in Estadio Hidalgo.
Nancy does play a selected fashion which may not translate instantly to the worldwide recreation, however he has confirmed himself to be an adept communicator whom gamers consider in.
Considerably forgotten within the present crop of MLS managers, Óscar Pareja could also be an outdated dependable. U.S. Soccer reportedly contacted Pareja the final time it had a managerial emptiness, and taking the job could be a dream for the previous Colombia worldwide, who has referred to as the U.S. house since transferring to MLS as a midfielder in 1998.
After a short sojourn to Tijuana to work in Liga MX, he is discovered a house in Orlando Metropolis. He led the membership to its first trophy within the 2022 U.S. Open Cup and quite a few good showings within the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Bilingual and adaptable, Pareja brings many qualities the U.S. needs to be searching for in a males’s nationwide workforce supervisor. Nevertheless, he does not have worldwide expertise or the worldwide profile many crave.
In some ways, Marsch is the best candidate. For one, he is American. He is skilled, having labored as a U.S. assistant earlier than working at Purple Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Leeds United. He additionally needed the job.
However pay shut consideration to the tense of that verb. Whereas Marsch hoped to get the U.S. job, the timing is not proper anymore. He is within the Copa América semifinals with Canada, helming the Reds at their first main match.
With a deal already achieved with Canada—one which required the federation to get artistic and ask the nation’s three MLS groups to kick in money to assist carry Marsch in—and an thrilling venture already underway, he won’t even need to go away.
Pérez is a uncommon breed: A former U.S. worldwide with expertise as a world supervisor due to his stint with the El Salvador nationwide workforce.
He took La Selecta to new heights and introduced in quite a few new gamers who nonetheless kind a part of the nationwide workforce. By the top of his tenure, outcomes had been tougher to return by and El Salvador moved on, though those that have adopted even have failed to seek out wins.
He appeared to say he wasn’t within the U.S. job in a social media submit final week, as he mentioned he did not “consider in not letting a course of end.” Nonetheless, if the U.S. referred to as, it is powerful to see Pérez not answering.
Whereas they overlapped solely briefly at Southampton, U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker and Mauricio Pochettino presumably have a minimum of crossed paths.
Poch jumped from Southampton to Tottenham Hotspur, main the North London membership to an historic run to the UEFA Champions League closing. He then went to Paris Saint-Germain, the place he gained Ligue 1 however could not replicate the Champions League feat, and most not too long ago labored at Chelsea.
Would he need to enter the worldwide recreation? Maybe. It is also attainable he has one thing else lined up. After teaching the World XI at a Soccer Help occasion, he posted on social media with a graphic hinting at a return to the bench.
Whereas he is but to handle in Europe, Gallardo is a sizzling teaching commodity for the exceptional job he did with River Plate. He left the Argentine membership after successful two Copa Libertadores and reaching the ultimate of one other, plus accumulating quite a few home trophies.
His most up-to-date job with Saudi membership Al-Ittihad did not go as nicely, however that leaves him free to signal with any workforce he’d like. Whereas it is lengthy been anticipated Gallardo will make the leap to one in all Europe’s high leagues, maybe he’d be attracted by the U.S. job.
Gallardo has a number of connections to the U.S. He briefly performed in Main League Soccer for D.C. United, and his son, Matias, is within the academy in Atlanta, the place U.S. Soccer is transferring its headquarters.