The clock is ticking. The World Cup is 24 months away on home soil and the U.S. national team is in dire straits. Gregg Berhalter has been fired and now U.S. Soccer bosses must find a replacement to lead the team in 2026. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
They only have one chance: there is no turning back and no re-evaluation in six months. That’s all they have: they have a short time frame. They must make the most of it and they must do it well.
That means no dollar is too much. No stone is left unturned. No settling for the third- or fourth-choice coach.
For me, Jurgen Klopp remains the most attractive candidate in the world. He has the name, the experience and he is free. For a moment, it looked like the stars were aligning, but it was always going to be an uphill task.
The bad news is that Klopp turned down the job. The good news is that the U.S. Soccer Federation tried. It’s a sign of their intentions. They’re in a tough spot: everyone knows they need a coach, everyone knows they need to do well in the next World Cup. And everyone knows they have the money. That puts them in a very tough spot.
Jürgen Klopp has reportedly turned down the opportunity to become coach of the United States national team.
DailyMail.com columnist Tim Howard
Maybe Klopp is being canny. Or perhaps “no” really does mean “no.” Fortunately, there are other world-class coaches available who would be a good fit.
I’ve always liked Mauricio Pochettino. His teams have a real identity and an attacking style. He would be ideal for this US team, which is primed for success: young, dynamic and full of talent.
Gareth Southgate could also be available after this weekend. He knows the demands of working under the spotlight that will follow the next US coach at this World Cup.
Other names have been mentioned, including MLS’s Steve Cherundolo and Wilfried Nancy.
The key is to hire someone with experience, someone with the ability to put a team together quickly, because the U.S. national team’s next game is against Jesse Marsch’s Canada.
Marsch was passed over in favor of Berhalter and, after leading Canada to the Copa America semifinals, would love nothing more than to beat the United States.
The players must be prepared for this. Yes, Gregg paid the price for recent results, but a large part of this failure was down to the squad. They are fortunate that it is always easier to replace a manager than 22 players.
Gregg Berhalter was fired after the disappointing results of the United States national team in the Copa America
Former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is among those who have been linked with the role.
They can’t hide anymore. Gregg did a great job of changing the mindset of the U.S. national team. He put it into the heads of young American players that we can be progressive, that we can compete head-to-head with some of the best teams in the world.
He put this team in a prime position to get results, but they never came. This golden generation has not had those signature triumphs that allow players to think: we may be the underdogs, but we can do our best.
That will require another mindset shift. Gregg did a great job in starting that process, showing the U.S. national team that it can play in a different way. Now these players must take the next step.
Southgate has shown that it can be done. He has changed the culture around playing for England. I lived through the era of division for 13 years, playing alongside team-mates – at Manchester United and Everton – who went to play for their national teams and sat at different tables to the Liverpool players.
I thought it would be impossible to break that cycle, but Southgate has done a phenomenal job. He has created an environment that allows players to perform under pressure.
Gareth Southgate has led England to their second successive Euro final
Early in his tenure, Southgate took his England team to a training camp with the Royal Marines. When I was playing for the US national team, we visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
We met wounded soldiers representing our country on the front lines. Seeing what true service meant was a humbling experience. It made us realize that we represent our country too. So let’s carry the flag with pride.
Those off-field experiences can help. They create chemistry within the group, but what really matters is that there is trust and responsibility between the players. That’s what this team needs.
We had it in abundance, both when he was young and coming up through the USMNT ranks, and when he was a senior player.
But it wasn’t built on long days away from home. What made the difference was six, seven or eight lads sitting up until four in the morning in each other’s rooms, talking about the right way to approach the game or any internal problems we had.
Howard helped past U.S. teams excel at World Cup competitions.
We didn’t have to be pressured or called into a team meeting by the coach. It happened on our own. And that’s why I say that this is the players’ responsibility.
The only thing team building exercises do is give you the opportunity to build trust, which then allows you to go out on the field and really push yourself. Or really hand it over to a teammate and hold people accountable.
There’s a lot of talk about how this current team gets along. It sounds great, but are they afraid of each other? Do they respect each other enough to challenge each other? Getting along is great.
But that doesn’t mean there are leaders within the group. Sometimes it’s okay to dislike each other. Sometimes, you actually perform better.
The coach can try everything in his power off the pitch to bring them together, but then it’s all up to the players: having respect and having difficult conversations. Time is running out.
