Image source, Getty Images
- author, Simon Stone
- role, Football News Chief Reporter
It’s been nearly eight years since Jurgen Klinsmann was fired as U.S. national team coach.
Germany’s superstar coach was sacked after a dismal start to 2018 World Cup qualifying, bringing to an end a five-year tenure that was most notable for reaching the last 16 at the 2014 World Cup after surviving a group that included Germany, Portugal and Ghana.
Now, coming off a disappointing Copa America campaign in which the hosts became the first team to be eliminated in the group stage, the U.S. Soccer Association must decide whether to stick with current, little-known coach Gregg Berhalter or make a change.
If there is a change, who will be next?
Managers Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino are free agents after missing out on the Manchester United job, while Klinsmann’s German compatriot Joachim Löw has been without a coach since stepping down as national team manager in 2021.
Would any of these stars fit the bill, or will U.S. Soccer look for cheaper options further down the food chain?
Either way, the stakes are high and they need to make the right decision.
In 2018, the United States Soccer Federation predicted that hosting the 2026 World Cup could generate $5 billion (£3.94 billion) in short-term revenue.
The impact it has on those watching on television is immeasurable.
“If you’re a kid watching at home, you want a hero,” former Major League Soccer player Michael Lahoud, who now works for CBS and ESPN in the US, told BBC Sport. “The furthest we went in the World Cup was 2002. I watched that tournament and saw black players who were my role models. I said I wanted to be the next Eddie Pope and DaMarcus Beasley.”
“yes, [hosting] The World Cup is great, but you have to be successful to have an impact.”
Against this backdrop, U.S. soccer is staring into the abyss.
Hosting an expanded Copa America this summer was meant to be a dry run for the tournament that follows two years from now.
For the United States, a loss to Panama in Atlanta on June 26 eliminated them from a seemingly easy group and ended their championship hopes.
Will you follow the path of female Emma Hayes?
The U.S. Soccer Federation confirmed a “comprehensive review” of their performance in the Copa would be conducted immediately following the defeat.
“We must do more,” the group said in a statement.
The review will be led by Welsh technical director Matt Crocker, who has experience with the Football Association and Southampton, and will take up the post in April 2023. The organisation’s biggest decision so far for the men’s side was to confirm that Berhalter, who stepped down after the 2022 World Cup, will return to coaching pending the completion of an investigation into his conduct and a fallout with the family of Borussia Dortmund player Gio Reyna, who was part of their Copa America squad.
No deadline has been set for the review, and the United States won’t play again until friendlies against Canada and New Zealand in September.
“If Gregg Berhalter wants to succeed in his mission to change what the world thinks of us and how we think of ourselves as a soccer-playing nation, he’s going to have to prove it to us,” former U.S. defender and current TV commentator Alexi Lalas said in a post ahead of the tournament. “Some are rooting for him, but others think there are other players on this team who can play better.”
And that is the crux of the problem.
When the U.S. suffered an early exit from the Women’s World Cup last year and coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned, Crocker made the bold move of naming invincible Chelsea manager Emma Hayes as his successor.
Hayes is expected to make the same amount as Berhalter at $1.6 million, but his 2022 salary will be boosted by a $900,000 World Cup qualification bonus — a significant amount, but a pittance compared to the big-name European-based managers.
So the dilemma Crocker will have to address as he conducts his review is, if not Berhalter, who will get his job?
Guardiola, Klopp – ‘Big names are missing’
Former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch, who has previously worked for the Red Bull Group in New York, Salzburg and Leipzig, was appointed Canada manager in May and would have been the leading candidate for the job had he not been under contract until the 2026 World Cup, which Canada will co-host with the United States and Mexico.
Canada won out of a group that also featured three South American teams – Argentina, Chile and Peru – to advance to the Copa America quarterfinals, where they will face Venezuela.
LAFC is currently leading Major League Soccer’s Western Conference and has reached the past two finals. The team is managed by former US World Cup player Steve Cherundolo, who said in 2020 that he wanted to coach the national team.
But others believe Crocker should think bigger.
“What’s been missing so far are big names,” Lahoud said. “Our football exposure comes from the Premier League and other leagues in Europe, so why not make a big splash and take on the challenge?”
“These players need someone to push them, someone to look up to, someone to take them to the next level. U.S. Soccer has the funds to get that person.”
Guardiola is at the top of the wish list for most managerial posts and a “glamorous” job in the United States looks attractive on paper.
Guardiola seems unlikely to leave Manchester City before the end of his contract in 2025, but has already said he is unlikely to stay beyond that.
With Klopp out of football since leaving Liverpool and Pochettino and Tuchel both without clubs, all three could be considered available at the moment, but they would all demand a salary significantly higher than $3 million (£2.37 million) a year.
With the two biggest international tournaments outside of the World Cup currently underway, it would be natural to see more big name players leave their current positions.
LaHood is clear about how he would handle the situation if he were in Crocker’s position.
“That strikes a chord with any big-name director,” he said. “The most respected ones have their eye on legacy.”
“Where haven’t they been yet? It’s an interesting project. The US is one of the last frontiers when it comes to game development. Can I have a say? That’s what I’m playing.”