U.S. Soccer is truly in a new era. The hiring of Mauricio Pochettino as USMNT head coach in 2024 was a sliding doors moment for a program that sees itself on the ascendency in the world’s game.
But it also meant that U.S. Soccer, for perhaps the first time, was swimming in waters where sharks are always patrolling. Clubs like Real Madrid, AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, and other institutions of world football weren’t interested in poaching the likes of Gregg Berhalter or Bruce Arena, but they would always have a coach like Pochettino at the top of their list when looking for a manager of their own.
That’s how U.S. Soccer has found themselves in their current predicament. Pochettino is now being heavily linked with a move to Manchester United just weeks after the USMNT earned four wins from four in the September/October international break, with a side largely made up of promising young teenage stars.
The medium-term future under Pochettino felt as promising as any in the national team’s history, but that future may not exist at all. Should Pochettino leave for Old Trafford — which is looking more and more likely with each passing day — the federation will have to quickly bring in their next era-defining coach to ensure they don’t stymie the building momentum.
On Wednesday, reports from The Athletic revealed that U.S. Soccer has labeled legendary manager Pep Guardiola as their top target to replace Pochettino should he depart. That information alone reveals just how U.S. Soccer sees themselves after capturing Pochettino’s services in the first place.
Guardiola would not be too dissimilar to Pochettino. He is a manager without any international football experience, known more for his ability to develop players and build a long-term project at a club than to work within limited parameters that demand short-term results. Guardiola, however, boasts a laundry list of major trophies to his name that Pochettino does not.
Notably, Guardiola has shown a great affinity for American life in recent years. The Catalan coach lived in New York City while on a sabbatical after leaving Bayern Munich, and was frequently seen attending New York City FC matches.
“The USA is fascinating to try to build a project for many years and being able to get the national team to the next step,” Guardiola has said in the past. “The potential with the USA is there for the amount of people and sports and so on.”
Could Guardiola see himself as the man to take the reigns of that project and push it to another level? He will certainly back himself, but others may not be convinced by Guardiola’s lack of experience working with a limited player pool, and a player pool that frankly pales in comparison to the true giants of international football in Europe and South America.
Yet, there is an argument to be made that is the next natural step for Guardiola. The 55-year-old has conquered club football in Europe, and many have suggested that international football is the perfect arena for the great Catalan gladiator to show his versatility.
Despite the natural links, Guardiola has often distanced himself from the Spain job as he sees himself as Catalan before Spanish. In 2017, Guardiola urged Catalonians to call and vote for independence from Spain.
“We will vote, even if the Spanish state doesn’t want it,” Guardiola said. “There is no other way.”
Aside from Spain, the former Barcelona coach has often been linked to the England job after forming a connection with the country and it’s football culture while managing Manchester City.
But Guardiola may just be keen on testing himself in a way that few ever seemed possible. Should all of the necessary pieces fall into place and Guardiola is the USMNT head coach in 2027, we would be in for quite the theatre.
