With Gregg Berhalter fired, who might be the next USMNT manager?

Now that manager Gregg Berhalter has been fired from the U.S. men’s soccer team, it’s time to look at who might get the job next.

There’s a wide world out there, so there’s no way every potential candidate will be on this list. But there are definitely some names to know, so let’s consider them.

A certain portion of the U.S. fan base is obsessed with all things European, and doubly obsessed when that shiny object comes from the English Premier League. Klopp checks every box: a Germany native who coached Liverpool to the 2019 Champions League title (and two other finals), the 2020 Premier League title (the team’s first league championship since 1990), and immeasurable fame.

He’s also got all-time charisma with the media, and he knows how to use it.

Before Klopp, 57, stepped down from Liverpool in May, he said in January he was exhausted and wanted to take some time off.

» READ MORE: Gregg Berhalter fired by U.S. Soccer after Copa América flop by men’s national team

“If you ask me now if I will ever manage again, I would say no,” he said back then. “But you don’t know obviously as I’ve never had this situation. But I do know definitely I will never manage a different club in England than Liverpool. It is impossible.”

And he added specifically: “I will find something else to do. But I will not manage a club or country for at least a year.”

If he takes the U.S. job, it would certainly be less than a year. U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said he intends to have the new manager in place by September’s friendlies.

But on July 4 — three days after the U.S. lost to Uruguay at the Copa América in Berhalter’s final game — Klopp posted on Instagram: “It’s the perfect day to think about my trips with @liverpoolfc to the States … We’ve had a great time & the US fans are electric! Happy 4th of July.”

Did Klopp know what was going on over here? And if so, was he throwing his hat in, or just leading his American devotees on?

A sign emerged Thursday when England’s Independent newspaper reported Thursday that U.S. Soccer has already reached out to him, and soon thereafter the Athletic reported that Klopp turned the approach down.

» READ MORE: Why Matt Crocker had to make the big decision to fire Gregg Berhalter

Before we get to more international names, let’s start with the top ones in the domestic pool. Cherundolo, now in his third year leading Los Angeles FC, is the leader here by a long way.

It’s not just that he won the 2022 MLS Cup in his first full season at L.A.’s helm (which Union fans don’t need reminding of). It’s that he played at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups for the U.S. (and was on the 2002 roster but didn’t play because of an injury), and played his entire 15-year club career in Germany.

Now here’s where his coaching record comes in. He already has one more MLS Cup title than Berhalter won leading Columbus for five years, and in 2023 he led LAFC to the Concacaf Champions League final.

Along the way, he’s managed big-time players (and their big-time egos) including Gareth Bale, Carlos Vela, and Hugo Lloris. Another French star, Olivier Giroud, wouldn’t be coming this summer if he didn’t want to play for the club.

There are only two questions left. Can Cherundolo’s ego management work on U.S. players who grew too comfortable under Berhalter — especially Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie — and does he want the job?

Some fans would bar anyone tied to MLS from the U.S. job, for the same reason they obsess over Klopp. But if both of the above answers are yes, Cherundolo is an obvious and sensible candidate.

» READ MORE: Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, and other USMNT players know they blew a big opportunity at the Copa América

The former star player for France, Arsenal, and Manchester City has had a middling record as a manager, but he still checks a lot of boxes.

He has coached at England’s Crystal Palace and France’s Nice and Strasbourg, where he is now, and before then cut his teeth at New York City FC. Vieira really enjoyed his time in the Big Apple, especially when he got to work with young Americans who wanted to learn from him. One such player was Joe Scally, who was the U.S. team’s starting right back at the Copa América.

Vieira was very much in the race when Crocker had to decide whether to bring Berhalter back after the Reyna family scandal. A source with knowledge of the matter told The Inquirer that Vieira didn’t want to commit to the full World Cup cycle, which gave U.S. Soccer good reason to say no.

Now there’s less time to go, and Vieira is in a notably bad job. Strasbourg, where he’s been since last July, is now owned by England’s Chelsea and is basically a feeder team. If he wants to get out of there, it would be hard to blame him.

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Not many American managers have had success in Europe. Jesse Marsch has had the most in recent years, and he was close to getting the U.S. job last year. In fact, he was Crocker’s choice, but Crocker was new to the job and deferred to the players’ loud desire to have Berhalter back.

Matarazzo, a North Jersey native, has been in Germany for a long time as a player and coach. He’s been with Hoffenheim for a year and a half, and was with Stuttgart for three years before then.

While his longevity is good, his record hasn’t been great, and coaching a national team is very different from coaching a club. It’s hard to see how his resumé would translate.

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Born in Germany to an American father, he briefly played for the U.S. in the 1990s. He’s been a manager for a long time, and has coached McKennie at Germany’s Schalke and Josh Sargent at England’s Norwich City.

That doesn’t mean he’d have any interest in the U.S. job, but Crocker might at least try to find out.

» READ MORE: Brenden Aaronson is excited about Cavan Sullivan’s potential with the Union

The French legend threw his hat in the ring last time from his seat as a CBS Sports UEFA Champions League studio analyst. But there isn’t much of a coaching resumé behind the big name: just 29 games in Montreal, 20 games at France’s Monaco, and work as a Belgium assistant and France youth coach.

That said, he’s France’s Olympic team coach this summer, in a big spotlight on home soil. If Les Bleus win gold, Henry will have proven some coaching chops.

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This would definitely be an outsider hire, but there’s a reason to name him: The Frenchman is a tournament specialist.

After many years working in Africa, he coached Saudi Arabia’s men to their all-time upset of Lionel Messi’s Argentina at the 2022 World Cup. Then he took over France’s women’s team, and though he only got to the quarterfinals, the players praised him a lot. His France deal expires at the end of August, which also has U.S. fans talking.

» READ MORE: USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher remains a quiet leader, even with all her big-game heroics

Yes, he’s on the list. He probably won’t get the job, and the Union’s fall from grace is among the reasons. But he knows how to coach people, whether young prospects or old veterans, and more than enough people in American soccer know it.

Had Marsch gotten the U.S. job last year, Curtin would have seriously considered leaving the Union to be his close friend’s top assistant. If Crocker hires a big-name European, Curtin could make an ideal assistant as the top American on the staff.

But it would be nice, at least from here, if he could go out on a better season than this one.

» READ MORE: Jim Curtin lowers expectations for the rest of the Union’s season, but his job isn’t in danger yet

You won’t find many better managers or people than the Seattle Sounders’ boss of the last eight years. He has two MLS Cups and the only modern-era Concacaf title won by an American team to prove it.

One might wonder, though, whether Schmetzer can replicate his success outside of the city he has called home for almost his entire life. And whether U.S. players would listen to an American manager without any national team chops as a player or coach.

» READ MORE: Some advice for Jim Curtin as the Union’s season falls apart, from South Jersey-born veteran manager Peter Vermes

In a lot of ways, this would be a cool hire. The Salvadoran-American played for the U.S. at the 1994 World Cup, and U.S. Soccer would look great for finally hiring a manger who’s fluent in Spanish.

He speaks his mind on social media often, too, and his love for a national team that has kept him out of its coaching ranks for a decade is clear. It even was when Perez led El Salvador’s program for a few years.

But right now, Crocker has to aim for a bigger name than Perez. The same goes for Tab Ramos, another famed ex-player who spent many years as a U.S. youth coach.

» READ MORE: The U.S. women’s soccer team is Lindsey Horan’s to lead now ahead of the Paris Olympics

The France-born leader of the Columbus Crew not only has MLS’s reigning champion, but its most stylish team. But this might be the ultimate example of how club and national team management are different.

Nancy has said many times how much he enjoys the day-to-day work with players that a club boss gets to have. That’s how he’s been able to make the Crew so successful. But he wouldn’t have such time with a national team — just a few days a month, if that.

Since Berhalter’s complicated tactics were part of why he didn’t succeed, it might be better if U.S. Soccer looks elsewhere.

» READ MORE: The Union have no All-Stars for the first time since 2018