The United States Men’s National Team apparently had a coach reach out to express their interest in the vacant head coaching job. According to a report by Steven Goff of the Washington Post, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente contacted the U.S. Soccer Federation about the USMNT job.
The contact came as the job opened up when Gregg Berhalter was fired after the USMNT crashed out of the Copa America in the group stage. The 63-year-old de la Fuente is fresh off leading Spain to the Euro 2024 title, the nation’s first men’s continental title since 2012.
Representatives for Luis de la Fuente confirmed to the Washington Post that they contacted US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker last weekend to express the coach’s interest in the vacant position. US Soccer is still in the process of evaluating potential candidates, with an aim to have a new coach in place before the team gathers for the September international window for home friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.
Luis de la Fuente has been the Spain coach since 2022, but has been coaching at various levels in the Spain national team system since 2013. He extended his contract with the Spanish federation last month through 2026. In addition to winning the Euro 2024 title, he also led Spain to the UEFA Nations League title in 2023.
While reaching out to U.S. Soccer indicates some interest on the part of de la Fuente, it’s quite possible that the coach is using the U.S. Soccer job to get a new deal from Spain after winning the Euros. Using that job as leverage could spur Spain to offer a new deal with a more competitive salary. While U.S. Soccer is in the middle of evaluating candidates, Luis de la Fuente could be an intriguing candidate to speak with, especially if he truly wants the job. Fans should probably not get their hopes up too much until more detail emerges about the level of de la Fuente’s interest and there is confirmation that he is not using the USMNT job for leverage to keep his current one.
