The search for the next U.S. Men’s National Team head coach is already underway, but it seems that search will continue without a major name. According to a report in The Athletic, former Liverpool FC head coach Jurgen Klopp has “rebuffed” an approach from U.S. Soccer to take over as USMNT head coach in the wake Gregg Berhalter’s dismissal yesterday following the team’s Copa América exit.
Multiple reports this morning had indicated that U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker had made initial contact with Klopp, who departed Liverpool at the end of this past season, to gauge his interest in coming out of his retirement early to take over the USMNT. The 57-year-old had indicated when he left Liverpool that he wanted to take a break from soccer, and apparently he has reiterated that desire to U.S. Soccer.
“It is that I am running out of energy,” Klopp said of his reasons for departing Liverpool. “I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.”
Jurgen Klopp has rebuffed an approach from the United States Soccer Federation to take over as the men’s national team head coach following the dismissal of Gregg Berhalter.
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— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) July 11, 2024
Matt Crocker will continue to contact candidates for the job, with an aim to have the new USMNT coach in place by the September international window, where the USMNT will have home friendlies against Canada and New Zealand. Surely, Klopp will remain a candidate even though he has rejected the initial approach, but it’s safe to say that he will not be coming to lead the United States into the 2026 World Cup.
