The embarrassing and disappointing group-stage exit from the 2024 Copa America has left the United States men seemingly rudderless just two years before a pivotal summer of soccer in the country.
Set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the USMNT took a massive step back this summer with their final opportunity to prove themselves against top nations outside their own confederation.
Now, with precious little time and opportunity to turn things around, U.S. Soccer has made a massive decision, firing head coach Gregg Berhalter. The change was first reported by Doug McIntyre of Fox Sports and later confirmed by U.S. Soccer. The 50-year-old has built the United States into a CONCACAF powerhouse, but has fallen short at every attempt to get over the hump and into the upper global echelon.
The Sporting News made the case for moving on from Berhalter, and as did other respected voices such as Jeff Carlisle of ESPN and Henry Bushnell of Yahoo. Now, U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker has another search on his hand, and he'll likely start with the candidates listed below, plus many others in the mix as well.
MORE: The top six reasons why US Soccer moved on from USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter
When will US Soccer hire Gregg Berhalter's replacement coach?
U.S. Soccer officially confirmed the departure of men's head coach Gregg Berhalter on the evening of Wednesday, July 10.
U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker, who was hired himself in early 2023 and responsible for re-hiring Berhalter for a second stint later that year, will now lead the search for a new head coach.
“Our immediate focus is on finding a coach who can maximize our potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, and we have already begun our search process,” said Crocker in the official U.S. Soccer release.
Crocker told a small group of reporters in the wake of the announcement that they aimed to officially unveil the next USMNT head coach in time for the September international break, eliminating a need for an interim head coach. "There has been progress made," Crocker said. "But now is the time to turn that progress into winning."
"I'm 12 months into the program now," Crocker continued when asked about the difference between this search and his previous one last summer which landed on re-hiring Berhalter. "I've been in the environment. I think I'm a lot clearer and a lot more confident in what I see. ... I'm in a better place to have much more of a targeted search, where I'll be more inclined to go hard and go early with specific candidates that I feel meet the criteria that we're looking for."
Top candidates for USA head coach with Gregg Berhalter fired
David Wagner
Maybe the most qualified candidate for the position given his experience, German-born American international David Wagner will certainly get a call if U.S. Soccer end up with a vacancy.
Wagner earned eight USMNT caps during his playing days, and since moving to coaching, has been a relatively successful club manager. After beginning his coaching career with the Borussia Dortmund reserve side, Wagner has enjoyed spells in charge of Huddersfield Town and Norwich City in the top two English leagues, and spent time in charge of German club Schalke between those two.
He has been out of a job since being harshly dismissed by Norwich following their defeat in the Championship playoff semifinal. He'll be one of the first options for Matt Crocker, who will have to move quickly as Wagner has also been touted as an option for the opening at South Korea.
MORE: Why U.S. Soccer needed to move on from head coach Gregg Berhalter after Copa America disaster
Steve Cherundolo
If U.S. Soccer makes a push for an American-based coach with deep ties to the program, former player Steve Cherundolo may be the best option. Currently in charge of MLS title contenders LAFC, Cherundolo has risen to prominence within U.S. club soccer quickly.
After retiring from his lengthy playing career in 2014, which saw him make 87 appearances for the USMNT, Cherundolo made the transition to coaching in the youth setup of German side Hannover 96, spending four years with their U-15 and U-17 sides.
He was then hired to his first head coaching position with USL Championship side Las Vegas Lights, and spent two seasons with the club before being hired by LAFC in 2022, replacing the club's first-ever manager Bob Bradley. In his first season, he broke the wins record for a first-year MLS head coach and won the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup double. He reached the MLS Cup final the next year but suffered a narrow defeat to the Columbus Crew, and has LAFC top of the Western Conference at the start of July 2024.
While the decision to hire Cherundolo would likely come with strong backlash from appointing another relatively inexperienced domestic-based manager, he is clearly the strongest candidate in that department.
Wilfried Nancy
The quintessential rising-star candidate, Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy has been touted by many on social media as a quality potential replacement for Berhalter.
The 47-year-old Frenchman is an MLS lifer when it comes to his coaching career, beginning in 2011 with the Montreal Impact youth setup before being hired to coach the senior team for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was then hired by the Crew in 2023, where he has skyrocketed to stardom, winning the MLS Cup in his first season and reaching the CONCACAF Champions League final the year after.
Still, there are significant risks with this direction, most of which revolve around his inexperience. He has been a senior manager at the club level for less than four full seasons, and has never coached or played in the international arena. Additionally, being solely an MLS hire would risk angering the growing subsection of fans who feel that a domestic influence is a negative for both players and coaches.
Jim Curtin
The Philadelphia Union head coach was mentioned as a candidate during the last USMNT head coaching search after the 2022 World Cup, and at the time he openly stated he would even consider leaving his MLS job for a role as an assistant coach under the hired individual.
Curtin is the second-longest tenured head coach in MLS behind only Peter Vermes of Sporting KC, in his position since 2014. In that time, Curtin has been wildly successful, building one of the most consistent performers in the league year-in, year-out.
However, his stock has plummeted in recent years. The Union sit 12th in the Eastern Conference this season having taken an enormous step back, which has only intensified attention on the most glaring absence of Curtin's resume — despite all the regular season success with the Union, he has never won an MLS Cup. Curtin's time with the Union may be coming to an abrupt end sooner than many believed, and it would be difficult to hire a coach with such an aura as the next USMNT boss.
Roberto Martinez
Currently the boss of the Portugal national team, Roberto Martinez could be an experienced candidate who would excite the Euro-loving side of the fanbase.
Martinez is as experienced as they come, having managed English clubs Everton, Wigan, and Swansea City at the club level before transitioning to the international stage where he's led Belgium and Portugal. He is well-versed in American soccer, having served as an ESPN analyst through the 2014 FIFA World Cup and impressing in his brief media stint.
However, there are pitfalls. The 50-year-old Spaniard has been often criticized for his managerial tendencies, both tactically and off the pitch. He failed to spur on the "golden generation" in his time at the helm of Belgium, giving way to fears of a repeat in the same situation with the United States.
With Portugal, he's been criticized at Euro 2024 in numerous areas, most notably for his over-reliance on over-the-hill veterans like Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe when there are clearly talented youngsters waiting to contribute. His tactics have also appeared quite aged in recent years, having struggled to adapt with the rapidly changing game.
There's nobody more battle-tested than Martinez, but critics will have plenty to chew on if he's selected.
Other potential USMNT head coach candidates
- Pellegrino Matarazzo (Stuttgart, Hoffenheim)
- Thierry Henry (Montreal Impact, AS Monaco)
- Tab Ramos (USYNT, Houston Dynamo)
- Patrick Vieira (Crystal Palace, NYCFC)
MORE: Read the case for Thierry Henry as USMNT head coach, compiled after the 2022 World Cup
Who has ruled themselves out?
Jesse Marsch
It's unavoidable that Jesse Marsch's name will come up for pretty much every USMNT head coach vacancy for now and the near future. Having managed in MLS, the Premier League, the Champions League, and now internationally, Marsch is far and away the most experienced American manager not to have been hired in the position before, making him an obvious candidate for the position, and a quality one at that.
However, the timing of this always made it relatively unlikely that Marsch would be either available or interested in the position. The 50-year-old was just hired around two months ago to lead Canada, and now sits in charge of the only one of the CONCACAF big three nations to qualify for the 2024 Copa America knockout stage.
Marsch, who has heavily praised Canada since his hire for making him feel comfortable and supported, ruled himself out of the USMNT job in an interview with Pablo Maurer of The Athletic. "I hope they find the right guy," Marsch said, but stated he would need to see big changes at the federation to ever go for that position again. "Unless there’s a big shift in the organization, I don’t think I’ll ever have any interest in that job in the future."
Hugo Perez
A former U.S. international with 76 caps in his playing days, Hugo Perez began his coaching career in the U.S. Soccer youth setup, leading the Under-15 side from 2012 to 2014 when he abruptly left the coaching ranks. While his departure has always been publicly amicable, there have been unconfirmed rumors for years that he was railroaded by various individuals above him in the hierarchy.
Perez went on to join the coaching ranks of his native El Salvador, where he rose to lead the senior side from 2021 to 2023, being widely praised for his production in a job with very few resources or support.
In multiple social media posts directly replying to the publication of this article, Hugo Perez appeared to hint that he would not be interested in the USMNT position currently, but may make himself available to the federation in the aftermath of the 2026 World Cup.
"Although I appreciate the support of the small community here and that of the journalists, I don't believe in not letting a process finish as I recently just lived," Perez wrote. "In a long term plan there are small steps that you take - some right, some wrong. After 2026 then I can hope."
While that's a bit indirect, Perez seems to be claiming that entering into a national team coaching role in the middle of a World Cup cycle ("not letting a process finish") would go against his principles, citing his dismissal from El Salvador last year ("as I recently just lived") as an example. The conclusion of that post ("After 2026 then I can hope") seems to indicate that he would be open to — even excited by — the prospect of accepting the USMNT head coaching position at the beginning of the next World Cup cycle if offered.
Jurgen Klopp
As soon as the news of Gregg Berhalter's dismissal became official, fans were clamoring for U.S. Soccer to make a big splash and hire former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Considered one of the best managers of the modern game, Klopp stepped down from his role at the Premier League giants to take a year off, citing exhaustion and a desire to spend time with his family.
His current unemployment seemed to make him a viable candidate, but in truth, it was never a real possibility. Sure enough, just hours after a report from Liverpool journalist Miguel Delaney reported that Klopp's representatives were contacted by U.S. Soccer regarding the position, the possibility was ruled out.
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic only hours after the report of contact was penned, Klopp declined the approach, preferring to stay true to his intentions of taking time away from coaching.
Are Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola realistic options for USMNT?
As much as U.S. fans and media want to trumpet their chances at landing one of the top coaches in the world, neither Jurgen Klopp nor Pep Guardiola are serious candidates for the position.
For both of them, money would likely be the first — and potentially most daunting — roadblock. There isn't a ton of reporting on Pep Guardiola's salary at Man City, but the general consensus seems to be that he earns somewhere north of $20 million per year on his current contract, which expires in 2025. Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, reportedly made approximately $19 million in his final Liverpool season.
Compare that to what Gregg Berhalter earned, which was $2.29 million in 2022 including bonuses and is reportedly similar for his new contract signed in 2023. Even looking at just international soccer, the highest-paid coach at the 2022 World Cup, Hansi Flick of Germany, earned $6.5 million, which would require U.S. Soccer to nearly triple Berhalter's salary, and Klopp or Guardiola would likely want more.
The two sides are, simply, not remotely in the same ballpark, meaning Klopp or Guardiola would have to take an enormous pay cut just to be within a realistic range for the United States, even if U.S. Soccer increased their pay window significantly. Sure, Guardiola has a connection and a love for the United States — heck, he was just in Boston to watch the Celtics win the NBA Championship and apparently has a relationship with coach Joe Mazzulla.
But it's just not happening. The only way this could come to fruition is if U.S. Soccer gets the financial backing of MLS owners to chip in and finance a massive deal, which Canada managed to pull off in hiring Jesse Marsch. Yet the difference here is that Canada are in truly dire financial straits, while U.S. Soccer has shown no indication of insolvency.
Additionally, this would cause massive equal pay issues when U.S. Soccer just months ago touted USWNT coach Emma Hayes as the world's highest-paid women's coach when they gave her the same salary as Berhalter. Paying Klopp or Guardiola an insane amount of money would only complicate that recent achievement.
For Klopp, he left his beloved Liverpool after last season aiming to take at least a year away from football coaching before considering a return. Despite that, he's still been linked to just about every open position at a top club and international side by simple virtue of his perceived availability.
It seems that Klopp is serious about his sabbatical, and the U.S. aren't remotely in a position to be the job he breaks that promise for. Coaching a national team is far less stressful from a day-to-day perspective than at the club level. Yet it would feel like a slap in the face to Liverpool, a club he has obvious genuine love for, to take up another position so quickly after claiming exhaustion as the reason for his exit.
