After Jurgen Klopp rejected the United States’ attempts to take over the men’s national team position, it’s time for US Soccer to consider their ‘Plan B’ options.
With Gregg Berhalter recently fired as manager of the U.S. national team, there has been much speculation about who will replace him.
US Soccer technical director Matt Crocker told reporters he is looking for a “serial winning coach” and hopes to have a full-time replacement in place for the September international break.
Klopp may have been the player who eluded the federation, but there are plenty of other players on the market – both American and non-American – who could perfectly fit the USMNT’s needs.
DailyMail.com takes a look at seven potential replacements for the top job on the US men’s national team.
With the dismissal of American coach Gregg Berhalter, there has been wild speculation about his replacement
Jurgen Klopp has turned down an offer from US Soccer to take over national team duties
Jesse Marsch, 50, Canadian Men’s National Team
After leading Canada to the semi-finals of the Copa America, many wondered how Berhalter could be chosen over Jesse Marsch.
Marsch was able to work with a talented collective and lead them to success, something he could have done in the US after applying for the job with Matt Crocker.
Crocker could always decide to open his chequebook and spend more than Canada for the former Leeds United manager, but there are doubts whether that would be fruitful. After all, it’s only been two months since Marsch took over the job and there’s no indication he’s ready to go yet.
Could Jesse Marsh, who has only been Canada’s coach for two months, make the switch to the US?
Herve Renard, 55, France women’s national team
Renard is an experienced international manager and has shown in the past that he can take talented groups to levels beyond their imagination.
He won the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia at his second attempt, led Morocco at the 2018 World Cup and led Saudi Arabia to a famous upset at the 2022 World Cup against eventual winners Argentina.
Renard currently plays for the French women’s national team. He led his home country to the quarter-finals, but lost on penalties to hosts Australia.
The only potential setback is that he has no experience coaching in the United States and is not American. Normally that wouldn’t be a big deal, but consider that the USMNT hasn’t had a non-American coach full-time since Jurgen Klinsmann in 2016.
Herve Renard would be a perfect fit for the US if they want to break their American streak
Steve Cherundolo, 45, Los Angeles FC
Cherundolo is the first of two MLS managers on this list and has been very successful since joining LAFC.
In his three years as a coach in Major League Soccer, he has reached the MLS Cup final twice, winning the 2022 title and the Supporters Shield.
He also has a lot of coaching experience in the lower echelons. After retiring after his 400+ appearances at Bundesliga club Hannover 96, he joined as an assistant coach for their youth team. He later served as an assistant at VfB Stuttgart.
What may be holding Cherundolo back from the job is his lack of head coaching experience. In addition to his three years in Los Angeles, he has only one season as manager of Las Vegas Lights FC of the second division USL Championship.
Additionally, it appears that Cherundolo is content coaching one of the best teams in MLS and may not be so willing to give up on a project mid-season while he tries to win a third straight Western Conference title.
Steve Cherundolo is bidding to win his third straight Western Conference title
Pellegrino Matarazzo, 46, Hoffenheim
Pellegrino Matarazzo is one of the most underrated American managers in football. He has been coaching in Germany for several years, where he is learning from one of the best managers in football: Julian Nagelsmann.
He got his first coaching job at Stuttgart, after which he returned to Hoffenheim, where he guided the team, which finished 12th in the Bundesliga last season, back into European football for the 2024-25 season.
And that’s why he might not take the USMNT job if he’s asked. It would be hard for Matarazzo to leave the project he started at the club where he spent such formative years.
But the New Jersey native coaches a very attractive style of soccer and deserves to be considered for the job.
Pellegrino Matarazzo is perhaps the best American coaching talent in world football
Wilfried Nancy, 47, Columbus crew
In his first season at Columbus, Wilfried Nancy led the Crew to the title and reached the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup that season.
The only setback that could end his campaign for the job completely is his lack of management outside of North America. He led the academy for the Montreal Impact and later became their manager when they were rebranded as CF Montreal.
But aside from his time at Columbus, that’s also the only experience he has as a coach at the highest level, which could negatively impact his chances of a career in the top division.
Nancy may play beautiful football, but even Berhalter lived in Sweden for a while before coaching the USMNT.
Could a lack of international experience jeopardize Wilfried Nancy’s chances to coach the US?
Mauricio Pochettino, 52, single
Next to Klopp, Pochettino is probably the biggest name on the free agent market, which is why he is on this list.
His coaching resume speaks volumes. He reached the Champions League final in 2019 and has coached at the highest level of European football, winning over 300 matches for teams in Spain, England and France.
Pochettino’s name is also very high profile and well-known, which could breathe new life into the USMNT fanbase after the divisive decision to re-hire Berhalter before he was fired yesterday.
There is only one question that needs to be asked: does Pochettino want to make the move into international management?
If so, there are few jobs better suited to him than the United States. But it is also likely that he could find himself back in the club’s coaching ranks in January or February if he wants to stay. Either way, the question is worth asking.
Mauricio Pochettino is probably the biggest coaching free agent on the market right now
Gareth Southgate, 53, England men’s national team
The most controversial choice on this list is undoubtedly Gareth Southgate, who is in the process of leading England to the final of the European Championship for the second time in a row.
He has come under fire for his tactics, substitutions and style of play, which is almost a reflection of what Berhalter has experienced during his time as manager.
But what cannot be denied is the success of Southgate, who guided his England team to the semi-finals of two World Cups and the final of two European Championships – with the chance to give the Three Lions their first trophy since 1966.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons why Southgate wouldn’t take the job. Maybe a title would finally make him happy with England and he’d want to continue managing there. Maybe US Soccer wouldn’t be willing to spend the millions of dollars they’d have to pay the FA to get him out of his contract (and then millions more to pay Southgate a nice salary).
But Southgate has also been working for England for eight years. Perhaps it is time for a change of scenery, and where better to go than the United States to work with Matt Crocker again.
Gareth Southgate has reached two semi-finals and two finals during his time as England manager