Even before the 2026 World Cup, the US Soccer Federation projected an air of confidence in its ability to, someday, replace Mauricio Pochettino.
“We have a process of, on a regular basis, always reviewing sort of succession planning for all of our key roles at US Soccer,” JT Batson, the federation CEO, told ESPN in April. “We’re ready when anything happens, whether it’s CFO, whether it’s a head coach or anything in between.”
Now, it’s time to put those words to the test. Pochettino’s exit is now seemingly a formality, with Manchester United having agreed a deal with him to replace Michael Carrick, who was fired on Thursday.
Upon hiring Pochettino, US Soccer was lauded for garnering the interest of such a respected manager. Few coaches in the men’s game are discussed in similar esteem: such status requires a record of success, ahistory of having built a stable culture and some unquantifiable aura. Throughout his two years with the US, program mainstays spoke glowingly about how Pochettino had changed the culture around the team following Gregg Berhalter’s six years in the role.
In total, Pochettino’s half-cycle term has warped expectations of the ideal profile for a USMNT coach. It’s an expensive evolution, but one that can’t be discounted as the US enter the 2030 World Cup cycle.
Who, exactly, makes sense to sustain the momentum he’s built?
Pep Guardiola
The first name on many fans’ lips. He’s long been at the top of hypothetical wishlists, having spent a year’s sojourn in New York City between leaving Bayern Munich and beginning his decade with Manchester City. There have been rumors for years that he may be interested in leading the US at a home World Cup if his time with City ended beforehand. That timeline didn’t quite come to pass, but he’s unattached now and is the only unemployed manager who would universally be seen as an upgrade over Pochettino.
Then again, the reasons that made Pochettino lasting a full four years in this job seem outlandish are even more relevant to Guardiola, who turned down the Italy job this summer. While Concacaf has improved over the past decade, it’s still among the world’s least esteemed confederations and lacks the hallowed continental championships of Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. Would three and a half years of friendlies, an easier World Cup qualifying path than ever, and routine matchups with Mexico and Canada be enough to whet his competitive appetite until 2030?
Bear in mind, Guardiola – and another available celebrity manager, Antonio Conte – only reach this status by being workaholics. These are obsessives who kneel at the altar of the almighty grind. With respect to the Gold Cup and the Nations League, this just may not be the standard of project that could appease such ambition. Concacaf’s lesser global status could also repel the next tier of proven international managers, which could include Rudi Garcia, Sebastián Beccacece and Diego Alonso.
The Americans abroad
Historically, the USMNT have avoided questions of devotion by leaning into the domestic coaching pool. When Bruce Arena first took the role in 1998, he had just started MLS’s first dynasty. By the time Bob Bradley took over in 2006, he was also among the league’s winningest coaches. When Gregg Berhalter was hired after the failure to qualify for Russia 2018, he was a universally rated option whose race was run in Columbus.
The most qualified American for the job, by nearly every criteria, has almost certainly disqualified himself from contention. Rare is the international window where Canada head coach Jesse Marsch isn’t asked for his thoughts on the USMNT, or US politics, or what beating Canada’s southern rivals means to him on a personal level. Even scarcer is the instance where his answer doesn’t spur a myriad of headlines.
“Let me make it really clear: I never will coach the US national team. Ever,” Jesse Marsch, Canada head coach, told Time magazine in July. “And that’s no problem. There was the possibility of me at one point, but I’m done with it. I don’t even care any more.”
If Marsch has a rival for “best active American men’s coach”, it’s Pellegrino Matarazzo. The New Jersey native graduated from Columbia University and promptly began a playing career in Germany, where he also launched his coaching career. After successful stops at Stuttgart and Hoffenheim, Matarazzo is at the helm of Real Sociedad, where he became the first US manager to win a trophy in Europe’s big five leagues by lifting the Copa Del Rey last spring. If the US came calling, Sociedad would probably work to keep him.
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The domestic options
In between Berhalter’s first and second terms, BJ Callaghan led the US to win the Gold Cup with eye-catching play and impressive control over games. He took his first club head coaching job in 2024, and has since turned Nashville SC into a record-setting team favored to win a rare domestic double this postseason.
Nashville signed Callaghan to a fresh extension in February, locking him into terms through the 2028-29 MLS season. His possession-heavy style of play remains en vogue in the international game. But at this stage, the 45-year-old may revel in his current project for a bit longer.
After Callaghan, the options almost entirely skew towards MLS coaches and few have CVs that could retain players’ enthusiasm after Pochettino’s exit. Steve Cherundolo, a former US defender and the current U-20/U-23 boss, won an MLS Cup, but his Los Angeles FC tenure was more largely characterized by tactical timidness and failing to dictate proceedings in the biggest games.
Even broadening the scope to coaches with MLS success in spite of their passport does little to unearth obvious fits. Wilfried Nancy has arguably been MLS’s best coach this decade, but his intricate style of play would struggle to translate given the stop/start nature of international soccer. The same could be said for the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Jesper Sørensen.
The wild cards
Thierry Henry may be an intriguing candidate. Henry struggled in club coaching roles with Monaco and Montreal, but reveled in the task of leading France’s U-23s to a silver medal at a home Olympics. The relatively occasional nature of international windows may not be a hindrance, and he’s expressed admiration for MLS and the US national team in the past. Antonio Conte has had no connection whatsoever with the US program, but could be a potential option should the federation have donor money to put towards a top-class coaching hire, as they did with Pochettino.
Regardless of which way they go, the path forward is far from clear.
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