U.S. Soccer finally brought the Gregg Berhalter era to an end on Wednesday night.
After the team was eliminated in the group stage of the domestic Copa America, the federation had no choice but to release him.
One could make a strong argument that Berhalter should never have been brought back after the 2022 World Cup in the first place, but that's a post for another day.
Now the focus is on the future and how U.S. Soccer can best perform at the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is expected to lead the search for a manager.
Klopp, a free agent who helped turn Liverpool into a powerhouse in the English Premier League over the past decade, has won the Premier League and UEFA Champions League and two Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp is widely hailed as one of the best managers in the world, and if the U.S. Soccer Association is willing to back Brinks Truck for him, it's worth aggressively pursuing.
By keeping Berhalter on for a year and a half after the last World Cup, the US Soccer Federation put itself in a precarious position: They have to get the hire right, have someone in place by the next friendly in September and have that person immediately implement his style and culture on the team.
A year and a half is not a long time, especially for a coach from a country hosting the World Cup. The U.S. national team won't be playing many strong teams for a while, as all teams will be participating in World Cup qualifiers and the U.S. has already qualified as the host nation.
That's what made the Copa America so meaningful, but now that program-building opportunity is wasted, the USMNT is back to square one.
The good news for Klopp is that the US Soccer Federation spent big money to hire Emma Hayes as head coach of the US women's national team. Hayes is widely regarded as the best women's soccer coach in the world, so if they're going to get the best talent for the women's team, they should do the same for the men's team.
Klopp is an attractive manager given the way his Liverpool team is playing and the success he has had there, but his one drawback is that he has never coached at international level.
At club level, Klopp is with his players every day for 10 months and can do whatever he wants, but at international level he has around 12-15 opportunities to bring the whole squad together to fine-tune what he wants them to do on the field.
Forget for a moment what the USMNT wants. Some in Klopp might simply not want the job. He could spend the next year or two relaxing in a European resort waiting for the perfect club job to come along. Why would he risk his reputation for the most high-pressure post in the men's national team?
Well, that last point might convince you that he is the guy. If he can revamp the U.S. national team and lead them to the semifinals of a World Cup on home soil, he will become a legend in the U.S. Nobody expects the U.S. to win the World Cup, but if they can get even a little closer to that goal while playing attractive soccer, that will be a success.
The U.S. Soccer Association also needs to have a backup plan in case Klopp declines.
I don't think anyone wants to see an MLS-based manager take over as manager – the path is too tainted by Berhalter at this point, and there aren't many qualified candidates on the MLS coaching staff yet.
LAFC's Steve Cherundolo is perhaps the most underrated player in the history of the U.S. national team, having won 87 caps for the team and appearing in two World Cups at the underrated left back position.
While Cherundulo is well aware of the U.S. expectations and what the team needs to accomplish at the World Cup, he is only three years into his MLS coaching career and it would be a big burden for him to take over and rebuild the USMNT in such a short space of time, but he should certainly be considered for the 2030 World Cup cycle.
Jim Curtin's chances of becoming the U.S. national team manager have passed – his name was mentioned in conversations after the World Cup and, fair or not, he can be blamed for the Philadelphia Union's decline this season.
Wilfried Nancy is fresh off leading the Columbus Crew to the MLS Cup and is widely regarded as one of the rising stars of soccer, but the U.S. Soccer Association is not in a position to acquire a rising star at the moment, they need a veteran with a long track record.
Which brings us to the dark horse candidate: Herve Renard is currently the head coach of the French women's national team. His contract ends after the Olympics, but there's a good chance he could win it with France.
Leonard has managed primarily in Africa and Asia, where he has had success under far fewer conditions than he did in the United States. He won the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015. At the 2018 World Cup, he led Morocco to a draw with Spain in their final group game before losing 1-0 to Portugal. They have two competitive matches to play against the 2026 World Cup favourites.
Renard also led Saudi Arabia to the 2022 World Cup, famously beating eventual winners Argentina in the first match of the group stage.
I want the U.S. team to be able to compete with Argentina and Spain in the World Cup, so a player with that track record should definitely be called.
England manager Gareth Southgate's contract expires after the Euros, but if England win on Sunday his job will be done. He may seek another challenge, but if not he will remain with England until 2026. Former Germany manager Joachim Löw is also worth noting; he won the 2014 World Cup during his 15-year tenure as Germany manager.
There are plenty of international candidates at this level that can be called upon before U.S. Soccer reverts to the candidate pool from MLS.
It wouldn't be the end of the world if Klopp rejected U.S. Soccer, but the federation would do well to get someone more worthy of leading the U.S. national team to a domestic World Cup victory.
