Report: USMNT 'identified' Jurgen Klopp as top manager target

The United States Men’s National Team identified Jurgen Klopp as its top coaching target, according to Miguel Delaney of The Independent.

The report comes on the heels of the US relieving coach Gregg Berhalter of his duties following an early Copa America exit this month. Klopp was most recently the manager of Liverpool but departed at the end of the season following 10 seasons.

But, a move to the United States could be on the docket.

“The Independent understands that initial contact has been made with Klopp over the possibility of replacing the 50-year-old, as the United States gears up for the 2026 World Cup,” Delaney wrote. “The US will co-host the tournament with Canada and Mexico and will be looking to build on a Round of 16 exit in Qatar.

“Klopp departed Liverpool at the end of the Premier League season, bringing to a close a transformative spell at Anfield. The German’s nine years at the Merseyside club saw them win a Premier League title for the first time in 30 years and also brought a Champions League crown.”

Jurgen Klopp targeted as next USA manager

With Klopp on the radar, it could be a shot in the arm to the US Men’s Team.

Berhalter exits with relatively scant production on the international stage after being hired in 2018. He certainly hasn’t produced the kind of resurgence with one of America’s most talented rosters that many envisioned when he was hired.

The USMNT enjoyed some brief success at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, winning one group stage game and drawing the other two to advance.

But the knockout stage proved unfavorable, with a matchup against the Netherlands culminating in a 3-1 defeat and an exit from the tournament. That the USMNT failed to leave the group stage in the Copa America, the next major tournament, only two years later, soured the relationship between US Soccer and Gregg Berhalter.

In all, Gregg Berhalter exits with a record of 44-15-13 with the USMNT. Relative to his predecessors, that’s a good enough mark on paper, but the lack of major tournament success was a killer.

The USMNT did enjoy some success, winning three straight CONCACAF Nations League titles. It also has fared well in recent years against arch-rival Mexico, something America can hang its hat on.

Still, the question was the ceiling and too often it appeared that the USMNT was underperforming its ceiling given the current crop of talent Berhalter and US Soccer have had to work with.