The United States men’s national team (USMNT) is officially searching for a new head coach after parting ways with Gregg Berhalter.
In a precarious position following a miserable showing at Copa America, the pressure to find the right person for the job is at an all-time high considering the importance of the next two years.
“Winning is the yardstick and we didn’t do that,” US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said (h/t Fox Sports). “We are looking for a serial winning coach and a coach that can also build on the work that has already been put in place. Clearly, there’s still a lot of potential in the group and we have to turn out the performance and results. So that’s what I’ll be looking for and that’ll be my absolute No. 1 priority.”
Here are five potential candidates that USMNT could be looking at even after Jurgen Klopp, former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool manager, declined US Soccer’s initial offer.
Jochim Löw
Löw spent 15 years as a coach with Germany and continued its brilliant tradition. He led his country to five straight semifinals and two major trophies at Euro 2008 and the 2014 World Cup. He has been out of work since 2021 but has expressed a desire to return to international management and there are obvious German-US connections.
Löw was an assistant under Jurgen Klinsmann with the Germans from 2004-2006 before taking over as manager. Klinsmann then took over as head coach of the United States from 2011 to 2016 following a stint with Bayern Munich.
The problem with Löw is that he has never managed a team outside of Germany and his ending with the national team was rather stale. In his final two major tournaments, his side was bounced from the group stage at the 2018 World Cup and the Round of 16 at Euro 2020.
Herve Renard
Renard is no stranger to the international coaching stage. Before his current stop with the French women’s national team, he oversaw Zambia, Angola, the Ivory Coast, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. It was with Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup that he orchestrated one of the greatest upsets in international soccer history, steering his team to a shock upset over eventual champions Argentina at the start of group play.
This is a fiery coach who knows how to squeeze the most out of a roster. Imagine what he can do with one as talented as USMNT?
He will be available in a little over a month from now as he has already made it known that he will depart his post with France after the 2024 Olympics.
If US Soccer is looking for sustainability, though, there will be reservations regarding Renard as his international stints have been short.
Steve Cherundolo
The former USMNT player is expected to be seen as the most likely candidate out there. He has reached the MLS Cup Final in each of the last two seasons with LAFC and won the league in 2022.
He has shown an ability to adapt his tactics — whether it be an MLS-style press or a possession game or on the counterattack — and has been successful because of it.
This would be a sizable jump for a coach of his experience. He has only three years under his belt in MLS and the opposition is, obviously, a completely different animal on the world stage. He will have to fall back on his experience as a player considering he appeared in three World Cups for the US.
Jesse Marsch
Marsch probably should have gotten his job when Berhalter took his leave last year and now, US Soccer could rue a massive missed opportunity.
Marsch has built an impressive resume that began gaining notoriety with the New York Red Bulls during a successful stint from 2015 to 2018. He served as both an assistant and a head coach with Red Bull Leipzig in the Bundesliga and also with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. The 50-year-old then made the jump to England where he helped Leeds United avoid relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the 2021-22 season.
In May, he took the managerial job with the Canadian national team and made US Soccer look all the more silly when he outperformed his home nation. As one of the larger surprises of the tournament, Marsch steered Canada to the semifinals of Copa America while the US crashed out at the group stage.
It will be difficult to lure Marsch away from a job he just took — and it is doubtful that Canada would just let him go, too. Plus, there will be questions about his relationship with US Soccer, too, after he criticized the team’s play at Copa America.
Thierry Henry
The France and Arsenal legend has not had the best experiences as a head coach. He struggled mightily with Monaco and things did not go much better with Montreal in MLS.
While he has an abundance of experience on the international stage as a player, competing on World Cup and Euro-winning French teams at the turn of the century, Henry also has some coaching experience serving as Roberto Martinez’s assistant with the Belgian national team.
He can strengthen his resume this summer as he leads the French men’s team into the Summer Olympics.
