United States National Football

The next manager of the United States Men's National Team could come from abroad.

Per Fox Sports' Doug McIntyre, the U.S. is eyeing "the most accomplished international manager possible" as its next hire after firing Gregg Berhalter.

"But faced with the sobering reality that there are no U.S. coaches who are habitual winners at the highest level and available right now — if there are any at all — U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker has instead set its sights on attracting the most accomplished international manager possible, multiple sources told FOX Soccer this week," McIntyre wrote.

Berhalter's exit came after a disappointing showing at the 2024 Copa América tournament that saw the United States win just one game and drop two as it failed to advance past the group stages.

The poor performance at Copa América provided enough evidence that Berhalter wasn't the manager the USMNT wanted leading the charge as it prepares for the 2026 World Cup in North America, which could be a golden opportunity for the team to have success against the world's best teams.

Should the USMNT hire a non-American, it will be just the third coach since the start of the modern era—which began in 1989—to be from outside of the United States. Bora Milutinović and Jürgen Klinsmann were the only non-Americans out of 11 coaches.

But hiring from outside of the United States could be the best plan of attack for the USMNT as it looks to be a serious contender on the biggest stage in the world in two years. With few Americans who have a track record of success available right now, the best person for the job could be an international manager.

"I just want to get the best coach possible that can help the team win," Crocker said. "Whether they're from the U.S. or elsewhere, they've got to fit the profile, which is a serial winning coach."

After firing manager Gregg Berhalter on Wednesday, the United States men's national team reportedly "identified" former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp as a "top target" in its coaching search, according to Miguel Delaney of The Independent.

Delaney added that "initial contact" was made with Klopp, though The Athletic's David Ornstein later reported Klopp "has rebuffed the approach to become USA head coach."

"Initial contact was made with Klopp regarding the possibility of leading the USMNT, but he reiterated that he would like a break from football," Ornstein wrote. "Despite that, interest remains from US Soccer in making the 57-year-old their next head coach."

The U.S. is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico and needs a strong presence to help the team recover from its disappointing group-stage exit in this year's Copa America.

Klopp had served as manager of Liverpool since 2015 before announcing in January he would be stepping down at the end of this year's Premier League season. During his tenure, he brought the club unprecedented success.

The 57-year-old delivered Liverpool its first Premier League title after amassing a club-record 99 points in the 2019-20 season. He guided Liverpool to a UEFA Champions League title in 2019 and UCL finals appearances in 2018 and 2022. Liverpool won the UEFA Super Cup and its first FIFA Club World Cup during the 2019-20 campaign, helping Klopp earn back-to-back FIFA Coach of the Year awards in 2019 and 2020.

When he announced his departure from Liverpool, Klopp admitted that he was "running out of energy" and needed to take a break from management. However, the challenge of leading USMNT back to prominence could be intriguing for him and would be less time-consuming than managing a club.

As ESPN's Ryan O'Hanlon explained: "Klopp has also talked about feeling burnt out from the constant pressure of day-to-day training and club management. Managing the USMNT would scratch the management itch while not requiring him to train every day and live and die with multiple kicks of the ball, multiple times of the week."

The Gregg Berhalter era is over.

Berhalter is out as the manager of the U.S. men's national team after failing to advance past the group stage at this summer's Copa América tournament, U.S. Soccer announced Wednesday.

"I want to thank Gregg for his hard work and dedication to U.S. Soccer and our Men's National Team," said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. "We are now focused on working with our Sporting Director Matt Crocker and leveraging his experience at the highest levels of the sport to ensure we find the right person to lead the USMNT into a new era of on-field success."

Berhalter took "full responsibility" for the team's Copa América performance in a statement:

Former USMNT Manager Gregg Berhalter releases a statement pic.twitter.com/R7GkYZy19j

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2024

Doug McIntyre of Fox Sports first reported the news.

Berhalter's time at the helm of the USMNT has been controversial, to say the least.

Positives included a number of big wins over hated rivals Mexico and advancing past the group stage at the 2022 World Cup. But the United States almost never beat top teams in the Berhalter era and has appeared to stagnate despite arguably having the best young generation of players in USMNT history, led by Christian Pulisic.

The USMNT's most talented, Europe-seasoned generation in history has had to fight through a cycle with an inept U17 coach, a U20 coach who played a 442 out of 1970s hooligan culture, two missed Olympic cycles and now Gregg Berhalter for half a decade. What a waste, man.

— Will Parchman (@WillParchman) July 2, 2024

That was compounded by the rough showing at the Copa América, a result that led to major USMNT supporter groups calling for Berhalter's firing. A tipping point had been reached.

"That's a LOSER mentality." 👀@herculezg reacts to Gregg Berhalter signaling the Panama score during the USMNT match. pic.twitter.com/isAxhF31ND

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 3, 2024

"It's got to end... It's time to go and hit your home run hire."@ChrisWittyngham agrees with @MichaelRyanRuiz about it being time for the USMNT to move on from Gregg Berhalter.

WATCH: https://t.co/6vC36Ewpc3 pic.twitter.com/n958lB9rfF

— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) July 2, 2024

"I can't believe in the coach that he's the one that's going to take us forward, I just can't." 🇺🇸@AlexiLalas, @CarliLloyd, @MauriceEdu and @Clint_Dempsey discuss the future of the USMNT and Gregg Berhalter after their elimination from Copa América ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ccqUAyh6IU

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024

"Our tournament performance fell short of our expectations," the United States Soccer Federation said in a statement at the time. "We must do better. We will be conducting a comprehensive review of our performance in Copa America and how best to improve the team and results as we look towards the 2026 World Cup."

There was also the fact that Berhalter was out of the job for six months in 2022 after his contract ran out, as the USSF investigated claims from Danielle and Claudio Reyna that Berhalter assaulted his now-wife, Rosalind, while the pair were in college.

He was ultimately rehired in June 2023. And despite a number of supporters and pundits believing he should have been replaced far earlier than now, he also had his allies, namely among the players.

"I see no issue with the direction we're heading," goalkeeper Matt Turner told reporters after the Copa América debacle. "When you have a fight like that on the pitch in every single game we're in in this tournament, it speaks volumes to how the manager prepares us."

Christian Pulisic when asked last night (by ⁦@JeffreyCarlisle⁩) if he thinks Gregg Berhalter is the right person to lead the #USMNT forward:
“Look, we have a good relationship with him. Whatever the next step looks like, it's not my job to decide.”https://t.co/gAj7VmOa4q

— Doug McIntyre (@ByDougMcIntyre) July 2, 2024

"I believe we all have a comfort with Gregg and we all understand him and we've had him for a long time," Weston McKennie added. "He's progressed the team very far from where we started off four or five years ago. I think the connection that we have with him is what's important, in having a coach that players that would run through a brick wall for him, players that listen to him."

A new era for United States soccer is coming, as the country searches for the right manager to prepare the squad for the 2026 World Cup. It will be a crucial hire for the future of the program.

The United States men's national soccer team on Monday announced the roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics in a video narrated by head coach Marko Mitrović.

Introducing your 2024 #OlyMNT Olympic Roster, as called by Marko Mitrović 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/x6M4DjQOX3

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) July 8, 2024

The full roster, listed by position, is as follows:

• Goalkeepers: Patrick Schulte, Gaga Slonina (alternate: John Pulskamp)
• Defenders: Maximilian Dietz, Nathan Harriel, Miles Robinson, John Tolkin, Caleb Wiley, Walker Zimmerman (alternate: Jacob Davis)
  
• Midfielders: Gianluca Busio, Benjamin Cremaschi, Jack McGlynn, Djordje Mihailovic, Tanner Tessmann (alternate: Josh Atencio)
  
• Forwards: Paxten Aaronson, Taylor Booth, Duncan McGuire, Kevin Paredes, Griffin Yow (alternate: Johan Gomez)
  

Olympic competition kicks off July 24 with a match between Team USA and France.

The group stage will next lead Team USA to face New Zealand on July 27 and Guinea on July 30.

The men's Olympic roster features 18 players from 15 teams. Nine MLS clubs, including Columbus Crew, Philadelphia Union, FC Cincinnati, Atlanta United FC, Nashville SC, Inter Miami CF, Orlando City SC, Seattle Sounders FC and Sporting Kansas City, are represented.

The team used its three overage spots for players over the age of 23 on Zimmerman, Robinson and Mihailovic.

The roster is headlined by four national team veterans who represented Team USA at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup in Zimmerman, Mihailovic, Busio and Slonina.

Zimmerman is the only member of the team who also represented the United States during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Cremaschi, 19, is the youngest player on the roster. His age will also make him eligible for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The InterMiami star was also eligible to represent Argentina in the Olympics.

Schulte, who won the 2023 MLS Cup with Columbus, and Slonina, who led the under-20s to a quarterfinal berth as the starter at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, will compete for the starting role in net.

A few notable roster absences are goalkeeper Chris Brady, midfielder Brian Gutiérrez and midfielder Diego Luna. MLS and USMNT insider Tom Bogert reported that Luna declined the team's request that he serve as an alternate for the Olympic roster.

The United States men's Olympic team will now look to medal at the Olympics for the first time. The team most recently qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics but was eliminated in the group stage. Its best finish came in the 2000 Sydney Games when it placed fourth.

A decision on United States men's national soccer coach Gregg Berhalter's future with the team is expected next week, per a Fox Sports exclusive.

FOX Sports exclusive USMNT update:

A decision on the future of manager Gregg Berhalter is expected around the middle of next week. pic.twitter.com/dTJFdGQJHN

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 5, 2024

The United States just finished a bitterly disappointing performance at Copa América by failing to advance out of the group stage. Despite hosting the tournament and enjoying homefield advantage, the U.S. won just one of three matches, losing its other two to Panama and Uruguay.

The United States was widely expected to at least advance out of the group and finish top two. In fact, the latest FIFA ranking had the United States at 11th, higher than fellow group members Uruguay (14th), Panama (43rd) and Bolivia (84th).

The U.S. started with a 2-0 win over Bolivia but fell 2-1 to Panama in a match best remembered by Tim Weah's 18th-minute red card to put the team down to 10 men early on. Still, the team went up 1-0 in the 22nd minute, but Panama fought back with goals in the 26th and 82nd minutes to earn the victory.

The United States then went into a challenging final match against Uruguay and fell to the eventual group victors 1-0, failing to muster much offense throughout.

Berhalter was first hired as the team's manager in Dec. 2018. The team's top highlight during his tenure is a victory at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. One year later, the United States participated in the 2022 World Cup, advancing out of its group with a win and two draws. However, the team fell 3-1 to Netherlands in the Round of 16.

Ultimately, there are big questions surrounding the team's future after a tough showing here, especially with the team two years out from hosting the World Cup. Now we'll soon find out if Berhalter stays on or if the United States pivots and searches for a new voice.

Former United States goalkeeper Tim Howard believes he could get a high-profile coach to take over for Gregg Berhalter as the USMNT's head coach.

In a column for the Daily Mail, Howard said that if he were in charge of the United States soccer team, he could "make a very compelling argument" to former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.

"I know Klopp has only been retired a few weeks and I know he wants a break. But if we sat around his villa in Spain, I think I could lure him over here," Howard wrote. "100 percent. The money is certainly there. So my pitch would be simple: he has a young group of players who can play progressive, front-foot soccer - exactly like his Liverpool teams. And in two years' time he can go to the biggest World Cup in history."

Howard also wrote that the job would be low-stress as Klopp wouldn't have to be on the training ground and in practices every day, which could be ideal for someone who ended a nine-year tenure with Liverpool in May.

Howard's call for the United States to push for Klopp comes amid a disappointing Copa América exit earlier this week. The U.S. fell to Uruguay 1-0 on Monday to prevent it from advancing to the knockout round and leaving the team with just one victory over Bolivia to show for in the tournament.

While Howard didn't necessarily call for Berhalter's firing, he urged the United States to go all out in its next coaching search should it move on from its current head coach.

"If they decide that Gregg Berhalter cannot survive this Copa America campaign, if they decide another manager must lead the USMNT into a home World Cup in 2026, then they have to go for the jackpot," Howard wrote.

Since Berhalter began his second stint as head coach of the USMNT in 2023, the team has yet to produce a signature win despite, as Howard noted, having "the best footballers that America has ever produced."

Whether the United States will move on from Berhalter is unclear, but Howard has a replacement in mind if it does.

Christian Pulisic and the United States faced a disappointing loss to Uruguay on Monday, ending its time in Copa América.

After the loss, Pulisic expressed his frustration, saying he and his team just didn't have what it took to get the win.

"We had a good start and brought a lot of energy, but at the end of the day just not enough quality," Pulisic said. "I felt like we gave it everything, but we just couldn't find the solution to score."

"At the end of the day, there just wasn't enough quality."@JennyTaft catches up with USMNT's Christian Pulisic after the match ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lSGPYpPM6X

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024

Left-back Antonee Robinson echoed Pulisic's statement, expressing the United States' failure to capitalize on some big moments down the stretch.

"I think just a lack of quality in the final third," Robinson said. "It just felt like it wasn't an even game. They had their chances, we had ours, and when it came to they put theirs away and we didn't. It's really disappointing for us."

"We weren't good enough to get the win today."@JennyTaft speaks with USMNT's Antonee Robinson after the match ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/FUNONlIEzV

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024

The match was scoreless until the 66th minute when Uruguay scored in controversial fashion. What appeared to be a possible offside call was upheld, giving Uruguay what would be the game-winning goal.

The VAR review of the Uruguay goal ruled this as onside 🎥🧐 pic.twitter.com/awOZVDqp6a

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024

The showing at Copa América certainly raises questions about how the United States can improve moving forward, but goalkeeper Matt Turner remains confident in his team.

"I see no issue with the direction we're heading," Turner said. "When you have a fight like that on the pitch in every single game we're in in this tournament, it speaks volumes to how the manager prepares us."

"I see no issue with the direction we're heading. When you have a fight like that on the pitch in every single game we're in in this tournament, it speaks volumes to how the manager prepares us."@JennyTaft talks with USMNT's Matt Turner after being eliminated from Copa América pic.twitter.com/x3eE89M7Um

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024

While Pulisic was disappointed with the loss, he's counting on his team to recover from the early exit and begin preparing for the future with the World Cup on the horizon.

"Now it's just about getting a little bit of rest and regrouping and finding an identity again," Pulisic said. "We have some big things ahead and we look forward to that."

The United States will now have some time off before a pair of international friendlies against Canada and New Zealand in September.

The United States men's national soccer team has been eliminated from Copa América after falling 1-0 to Uruguay on Tuesday in Kansas City.

Mathías Olivera scored the game's lone goal in the 66th minute after heading in a rebound.

URUGUAY TAKES THE LEAD 😱😳

Just seconds after Bolivia tied the game vs Panama, Uruguay scores and the USMNT is back out of Copa América 2024 pic.twitter.com/0IZfEwPzJw

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024

Uruguay looked to be offside after review, but the call stood.

This was somehow not ruled offside after review 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Oh2Xn9Z7bK

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024

A look at the VAR angle of the Uruguay goal vs the USMNT 🧐🤔 pic.twitter.com/VnOEe3jQvn

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024

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Group Standings

Group A

1. Argentina: 9 points (3-0-0), +5 goal differential

2. Canada: 4 points (1-1-1), -1 goal differential

3. Chile: 2 points (0-2-1), -1 goal differential

4. Peru: 1 point (0-1-2), -3 goal differential

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Group B

1. Venezuela: 9 points (3-0-0), +5 goal differential

2. Ecuador: 4 points (1-1-1), +1 goal differential

3. Mexico: 4 points (1-1-1), 0 goal differential

4. Jamaica: 0 points (0-0-3), -6 goal differential

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Group C

1. Uruguay: 9 points (3-0-0), +8 goal differential

2. Panama: 6 points (2-0-1), +1 goal differential

3. United States: 3 points (1-0-2), 0 goal differential

4. Bolivia: 0 points (0-0-3), -9 goal differential

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Group D

1. Colombia: 6 points (2-0-0), +4 goal differential

2. Brazil: 4 points (1-1-0), +3 goal differential

3. Costa Rica: 1 point (0-1-1), -3 goal differential

4. Paraguay: 0 points (0-0-2), -4 goal differential

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Knockout Bracket

Here's a look at the latest knockout bracket. By virtue of finishing first, Uruguay will play the second-place finisher in Group D. Panama will play the Group D winner.

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Given Panama's 3-1 win over Bolivia, the United States would have needed to beat Uruguay to advance through to the knockout stage.

The Uruguay match proved to be the stiff test it appeared on paper. Obviously, falling behind 1-0 on a goal that appeared to be offside hurt, but the United States couldn't get much going on the attack with just three shots on goal all evening.

Both teams also suffered injuries. Sadly, Uruguay's Maximiliano Araújo was stretchered off with his neck in a brace after a collision while going up for a header. Uruguay confirmed that he suffered a head injury but would be fine.

A hobbled Folarin Balogun also was subbed off for Ricardo Pepi in the 40th minute for the U.S.

It was a disappointing result, but the U.S. could have been in a better shape with a tie versus Panama. The team's tournament ultimately comes down to that performance, a 2-1 loss that put the United States in a brutal spot going into the match against Uruguay, a pre-tournament favorite.

Tim Weah was sent off with a red card in the 18th minute against Panama, putting the United States down to 10 men early. The U.S. scored a goal four minutes later but quickly conceded one back before allowing a dagger in the 83rd minute.

And now the USMNT has now been eliminated in the group stage of a senior men's tournament it hosted for the first time in team history.