The U.S. Men's National Team is in the market for a head coach , and with the 2026 FIFA World Cup looming, they don't have long to make a decision.
The U.S. Soccer Federation fired long-time head coach Gregg Berhalter in July after a poor showing in the 2024 Copa América in which the U.
S. failed to advance from their group. USSF Sporting Director Matt Crocker, himself in the job for just over a year, has now been tasked with finding a new coach to lead the program forward into the 2026 World Cup, set to be hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
That event is set to be a watershed moment for soccer in North America. The sport in the United States and Canada is nearly unrecognizable from when the World Cup last came to the U.S.
in 1994, with Major League Soccer fully established and thriving, TV viewership numbers soaring , and interest in the sport at an all-time high with Lionel Messi's arrival in Miami. Hiring the right person to be the next USMNT manager is a crucial decision that could impact not only the team's performance in 2026, but how soccer is perceived in America. Time is not on their side.
Crocker has said that his goal is to avoid naming an interim manager , and instead have a permanent manager in place for the September international window . Despite speculation to the contrary, the U.S.
Soccer Federation can shell out big money for a top manager , with ESPN 's Jeff Carlisle reporting in July that the total compensation package could "reach the high s.