Who should coach USMNT next? 11 replacements for PochettinoplayNicol: Why would Pochettino want to stay on with USMNT? (1:07)Multiple contributorsMultiple AuthorsJul 15, 2026, 03:08 AM ET
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Practically from the moment the U.S. men’s national team was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, questions began about the future of manager Mauricio Pochettino. Will he stay? Will he go? Will he take on some kind of advisory role that would allow for an easy exit when the time is right?
The longtime assumption has been that, with his USMNT contract ending after the World Cup, Pochettino would depart and set himself up for a European club job to be named later. Pochettino has avoided definitive answers on the subject and his plans aren’t clear.
What is clear, however, is that the U.S. Soccer Federation is doing whatever possible to keep him. The two sides have engaged in contract talks, with U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson telling ESPN in an exclusive interview before the team’s elimination how much Pochettino and his assistant Jesus Perez have been helping with long-term planning.
“One of our youth national team stars, we want to make sure that he’s focused on the U.S. men’s national team and not one of the other countries where he could play. Mauricio and Jesus spent a lot of time with him this morning,” Batson told ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle. “They’re working with us on the design of the athletes village at the national training center from their experience at Tottenham or Chelsea or PSG.
“And so they’re very focused on, of course, making sure that we’re successful over the coming weeks — and they also want make sure that everything they’re doing is with the long-term success of the men’s national team and U.S. Soccer in mind, and I’m certainly appreciative of that.”
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Meanwhile, Pochettino has reportedly been linked with jobs at AC Milan, Real Madrid and in the Premier League.
After the USMNT’s loss to Belgium ended its World Cup campaign, Pochettino declined to be drawn into questions about his future, saying, “Now isn’t the moment to talk about that.” ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle reports that the situation remains up in the air, with one source with knowledge of the situation telling him: “There’s no specific timeframe right now.”
If Pochettino leaves, the U.S. Soccer Federation has a big decision to make. With that, ESPN reporters/analysts Jeff Carlisle, Cesar Hernandez, Julien Laurens, Mark Ogden, Bill Connelly, Lizzy Becherano and Caitlin Murray offer up 11 candidates U.S. Soccer should consider as possible replacements.
Steve Cherundolo
With the U.S. Soccer Federation naming Steve Cherundolo to coach the U.S. U-23 men’s team at the 2028 Olympics, it looks like the federation has taken the one-time MLS Cup-winning manager out of the running. But looked at another way, U.S. Soccer could be setting Cherundolo up to take the full USMNT job before the next World Cup.
Cherundolo certainly checks a lot of boxes in terms of landing the national team gig. As a player, he was named to three World Cup teams (even though he had to back out in 2002 due to injury). As a manager, he won three different trophies with LAFC and spent considerable time as an assistant coach in Europe.
His preferred style is for his teams to sit deep and strike on the counter, but he once told ESPN, “There’s lots of different ways to win a soccer game.” If Cherundolo were to get the job, it would be interesting to see his tactical approach with the USMNT roster. — Carlisle
Mikey Varas
Is Mikey Varas the most high-profile option? Not at all, but he does check some significant boxes.
First and foremost, he’s already well-versed and connected to the U.S. Soccer world. Once an assistant coach for the men’s senior team just a few years ago, he later went on to become interim for the U.S. in late 2024. Before that, he was the coach of the U.S. U-20 squad that won a Concacaf Championship title in 2022.
Mikey Varas served as interim coach of the USMNT for two games before Mauricio Pochettino was hired. John Dorton/ISI Photos/Getty Images for USSFAside from his familiarity with the USMNT, he’s also currently uplifting the next generation through his ongoing role as head coach of San Diego FC. Leading the MLS side since their 2025 debut, he has made a point to give opportunities to promising up-and-coming U.S. players such as Duran Ferree, David Vazquez, Pedro Soma and Luca Bombino, among others.
But perhaps more importantly, there’s his style of play. It’s proactive in possession, it’s fearless in its buildup, it’s aggressive in its pressing — and with Varas leading the charge — it stunned MLS last season and San Diego claimed a place at the top of the Western Conference. — Hernandez
B.J. Callaghan
B.J. Callaghan’s candidacy comes from a different angle than most other aspirants. Following a lengthy apprenticeship with the Philadelphia Union under Jim Curtin, Callaghan spent two different stints spanning five years as a USMNT assistant under Gregg Berhalter.
He even served as interim manager of the USMNT and led the team to the 2023 Concacaf Nations League title. The run was remarkable in that the team didn’t seem to miss a bit under his leadership and was notable for his bringing Giovanni Reyna back into the fold following the public feud between the Reyna and Berhalter families.
Given the chance in 2024 to be the manager at Nashville SC, Callaghan has continued to impress, leading Nashville to the 2025 U.S. Open Cup title. They now sit first in the Eastern Conference coming out of the World Cup break. He has yet to make a deep run in the MLS Cup playoffs, though it’s worth pointing out that in the first round of the 2025 postseason Nashville had to go up against eventual champions Inter Miami.
Callaghan is known to the USSF, and he knows the dynamics of a national team. Though it still might be early for Callaghan given U.S. Soccer’s leaning toward candidates with more experience. — Carlisle
Gareth Southgate
We’ve seen a lot of successful club coaches make the jump to the international game ahead of this World Cup without a ton to show for it: not just Mauricio Pochettino, but Carlo Ancelotti, Julian Nagelsmann, Ralf Rangnick, Hugo Broos and others.
The international game — especially an eight-game tournament — just doesn’t work the same way as the 30-plus game season of a club game. And let’s be clear: With the U.S. now having a permanently cushy World Cup qualification path thanks to the World Cup expanding to 48 teams, all the USMNT’s focus ought to be on the 2030 World Cup. Does anyone really care if the U.S. wins the Concacaf Nations League?
And so, the USMNT needs a manager with a proven track record on the international level and in tournament soccer. On that basis, Gareth Southgate warrants a look.
Gareth Southgate, left, led England to the Euro 2024 final, when they lost to Spain. ANP via Getty ImagesHe faced immense pressure with an England squad that was accused of underachieving, but he did coach the team to two Euro finals. On top of that, the expectations and the scrutiny won’t be nearly as high here stateside, so the job could appeal to him.
Southgate’s critics complained about his squad selection, but the USMNT doesn’t have the same embarrassment of riches or difficult roster decisions that England does. He was praised for his leadership and culture-building, which seem like the most realistic areas the USMNT can try to gain an edge other than getting better players. — Murray
Pellegrino Matarazzo
Pellegrino Matarazzo is the rare American coach who has succeeded in multiple European leagues.
He led VfB Stuttgart to promotion to the Bundesliga in 2020, and TSG Hoffenheim qualified for European competition under his stewardship. Then, less than a year after being named manager of Real Sociedad, he led the club to the Copa del Rey title, the first major trophy won by an American manager in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
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As such, Matarrazzo is well-known in U.S. Soccer circles and was a candidate the last time the USMNT job opened up. His style of utilizing a high press and quick counterattacks would seem to be a natural progression from that of Pochettino.
But is it the right time for him? His work with Real Sociedad has just begun. In an interview with ESPN last April, Matarazzo insisted, “I’m happy where I am now,” and that he is “still looking to grow and develop.” The daily work of club level is where that happens most. He also mentioned in the same interview he’s “open” to different challenges. We’ll see the extent to which that is the case. — Carlisle
Pep Guardiola
If Pochettino doesn’t stick around, U.S. Soccer should break the bank (even more than for Poch) and get Pep Guardiola, who stepped down from Manchester City at the end of the club season.
We know that he has always been keen to take over a national team. We know how much he loves the U.S. and especially New York City, where he lived during his sabbatical after he left Barcelona and before he joined Bayern. He can be based there.
He also loves the American mentality around sport. He is always talking to U.S. coaches in different sports — remember his bromance with Joe Mazzulla, the coach of the Boston Celtics?
Pep, who has won six Premier League titles and three UEFA Champions League trophies, would also get a break from coaching superstars — he would have a squad devoted to him, with talent and energy to play the intense style that he likes.
Pep Guardiola led Manchester City to six Premier League titles before stepping down in May. Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty ImagesPerhaps most important for U.S. Soccer, he could also help restructuring soccer at the youth level in the U.S. and work on a long-term process to make sure that the U.S. is making the most of the youth talent it has or could have. It’s pretty obvious this is something U.S. Soccer needs.For me, Pep is the perfect candidate, if U.S. Soccer is willing to go as big as possible. — LaurensJesse MarschI know this suggestion will be laughed out of town before I even get past the word “Jesse,” but it would be self-defeating if the USSF didn’t even consider Jesse Marsch for the role as coach of the USMNT.Yes, he has become a master at antagonizing the U.S. sporting public and maybe even the USMNT players during his time as Canada coach, but ultimately, he is the most high-profile and most successful American coach of his generation. He has taken charge of teams in the Bundesliga (RB Leipzig) and Premier League (Leeds United) and now has a successful World Cup under his belt, leading Canada to the nation’s highest-ever finish.
So what if Marsch’s abrasive personality winds people up? A team usually reflects the personality of its coach, so would it be a bad thing if the U.S. became a little more aggressive and snappy under his watch?
He’s not a perfect candidate by any means — my colleague Juls is right, the U.S. should make Pep Guardiola an offer he can’t refuse — but Marsch would be an American coach with top level European experience, so he should absolutely be in the frame. — Ogden
Julian Nagelsmann
The former German national team and Bayern Munich manager has high-pressure, major job experience and modern tactical chops.
He earned Champions League playoff qualification at Hoffenheim, took RB Leipzig to the Champions League semifinals and averaged 2.31 points per game in just under two years at Bayern Munich*. With Germany, he fielded probably the second-best team at Euro 2024, too. (They were not the second-best team at the 2026 World Cup, no.)
It’s not every day that you can try to grab a young (38 years old) and extremely successful coach who is also desperate to rehabilitate his image and keep his coaching trajectory solid, but with his German tenure ending, he might be pretty open to the job. While he has a bit of an edgy or abrasive personality at times, that might actually play better in the U.S. than in Germany.
The biggest drawback at this point might honestly be, well, his German-ness. Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure at the helm of the USMNT ended in collapse (and, eventually, failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup), and while Klinsmann had his own unique personality, it might be too soon to try to rally support for another German coach just yet. Especially one who has the aforementioned edginess. Regardless, he’s an excellent coach.
(* Yes, everyone wins big at Bayern, but he was much more successful than successor Thomas Tuchel.) — Connelly
Thierry Henry
As the USMNT looks to 2030, Thierry Henry might just be the perfect candidate to kick-start the campaign.
His decorated playing career gives him a unique perspective into what it takes to be successful both at a club and international level, and he also boasts a diverse managerial résumé, with club stints in the Arsenal academy before moving on to AS Monaco and CF Montréal.
Thierry Henry coached CF Montreal in MLS for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Minas Panagiotakis/Getty ImagesHis résumé is strongest on the international front, however. He served under Roberto Martinez as a Belgian national team assistant coach and for his native France he served as the under-21 team’s head coach, leading the 2024 Olympic team to the silver medal.
But he also understands the American soccer system well enough to enter the job prepared while maintaining a global perspective of the game.
Henry currently works as a broadcast analyst covering the World Cup and the Champions League for American audiences, where his job is literally to watch, learn and dissect the sport with credibility. Asking him to translate that to managing the USMNT might be a small leap of faith, but he could fit in well.
When asked a couple of years ago if he would want the USMNT head coach position, Henry was clear: “Do I know the players? Yeah, I know the players. Do I know the league? Yeah, I know the league. It’s a different ballgame, I cannot talk about it now like that, but would I want to be a manager at any level? Yes, of course. That’s one of the things I’d like to do.” — Becherano
Thomas Frank
Look, there’s no denying that Thomas Frank’s stock is now much lower than it once was, but Tottenham were terrible under him mostly because the roster made no sense. A long injury list only exacerbated the problem.
When Frank coached Brentford, he managed to coax his squad to play above its talent level and its wage bill and, well, he’d need to pull off a similar feat to get the USMNT to land any higher than the top 16 teams in a World Cup. That was why Tottenham went after him, after all.
His tactical approach highly values flexibility and adaptability to specific opponents, including switching between three-back and four-back formations. Now, that is a lot harder to do in the sparse and spread-out rhythm of international soccer, but that sort of flexibility is a plus in a different way because national team coaches have to adapt to the players they have rather than having the luxury of picking their players for a rigid system.
The fact that he has international experience managing for the Danish Football Association and is also available after being fired by Tottenham means this wouldn’t be out of the question. — Murray
Brian Schmetzer
Does the USMNT coach matter much? I’m not convinced. But that doesn’t still mean that a bad coach can’t hurt a team a lot more than a good coach can help a team.
As then-Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti once mentioned: “There are two types of managers: those that do nothing and those that do a lot of damage.” He’s right — and we’ll ignore that Ancelotti might have become closer to the latter at the helm of Brazil in this World Cup.
U.S. Soccer doesn’t need another billionaire to fund the hiring of a decorated club coach. They just need a coach who can competently steer the USMNT squad toward its strengths without overthinking it. And then, with a dash of good man management and some motivation, maybe that person can build a USMNT that won’t show up for a round-of-16 match looking not just outmatched, but scared and unprepared, too.
They can find an American who is doing the job for more than a paycheck, and then they can use all the money they’ve saved on more scouts or youth development or something that will actually improve the player pool.
So why not just hire someone like Brian Schmetzer? He has only ever coached teams in Seattle, sure, but he does have one of the best records in the MLS Cup playoffs of any coach in the league’s history, and he has been the Sounders’ coach for a decade, so the sample size isn’t small. What is the World Cup if not just an American-style league playoffs, anyway? — Murray
