Why the U.S. Should Not Hire Klopp
And 2.5 not mentioned candidates they should consider hiring
On Wednesday, I laid out a likely scenario where the U.S. Soccer Federation keeps Gregg Berhalter, what that could look like, and how it actually will shake out. Today, in advance of my appearance on Feuerstein’s Fire, let me play devil’s advocate to the most popular name mentioned as Berhalter’s replacement. I will then give you two and a half names I prefer that are not quite as popular but would be better picks.
Let me begin by saying this is not an anti-Klopp article. Those who know my writing know I admire the man immensely, not just for his managing ability but because he perfectly encapsulates the modern manager. Managers, mind you, are not just tacticians but business people, spokespeople, politicians, and therapists. Klopp’s body of work and his success in tough situations make him reasonably a sought-after manager, but he brilliantly has allowed himself the space to pick his next destination. If that next position is the head coach of the U.S. men’s national team, I would be fine with that.
However, I don’t think that’s the direction Matt Crocker et al. should go, and here’s why:
Jurgen Klopp has no international managing experience. I hammer this point constantly when discussing who the U.S. (men and women) should hire for their head coaching vacancies, and it is not because you need to have this experience to be a success. For the 2026 World Cup, the USMNT needs a manager with this experience. Why? The U.S. co-hosting the tournament gives them a unique opportunity to compete in the World Cup. Host nations are not guaranteed success, but history shows hosting can be a major help. If the U.S. wants to exploit this advantageous location situation, it needs a manager who knows how a World Cup works, how to prepare the players for that pressure, and how to succeed in this unique environment.
Related to this, the club game and international game are vastly different. Klopp has excelled in molding his teams around his specific style of play. That is not to say he cannot find success with what he is given, but for him and his methods, there would need to be time to adapt and adjust. That time is now gone with the World Cup less than two years away. In addition, national team manager Klopp has a limited player pool to build his team when he has more recently experienced the world being his player pool.
Adding to this is the limited time frame international managers have with their players. Again, national teams have limited windows to come together, learn how to play, gel, and produce results. This would also be without the benefit of a competitive tournament, which as we saw exposes flaws of national teams very well. Klopp has experience in the club game where there is more time to tweak and adjust in training and preseason before the club season truly begins. Can he do the same in a smaller window?
If this was 2027, I’d say in a heartbeat “what the heck, let’s try it. The reward could be amazing”. But, again, we’re trying not to blow a major World Cup advantage of co-hosting so we need a manager who is as solid as they come and can maximize what advantages the USMNT has. Because of this, here are three names I want U.S. Soccer to reach out to and have serious conversations about becoming the new manager.
(N.B. I know money is a stated factor on who can and cannot be hired. But let’s suppose it is a deterrent but not prohibitive, or these candidates will take a pay cut for the position).
Joachim Loew1: The former Germany manager is currently remembered for his more recent failures than his early successes with his home country. That said, there is no other clearly available international manager with as much success. He took a German squad and made it a machine (sorry bad pun) in Brazil and embarrassed the host nation on their own pitch. Staying on after that World Cup for as long as he did was a mistake, but this is a two-year assignment not ten. Imagine Loew coming into this U.S. situation - a talented side with European experience that is overhyped but underachieving. That is a lot for someone with his experience to work with. If there could be a “safe” hire outside of hiring an MLS manager, this is it.
Zlatko Dalic: There is nothing to say that Croatia’s manager is available. However, there is certainly a generational change coming for that country’s side and a smart manager may not want to stay for what could be a painful adjustment (see above). Dalic benefitted from a core group of transformative players led by one of the world’s best, but his tactical and emotionally intelligent coaching has won him a number of admirers in the game. While the U.S. talent pool is nowhere near Croatia’s, he would have the opportunity to again coach a core of talented players who are in the prime of their international career. If he was ready for a change after many years in Croatia, a U.S. job would look incredibly enticing. For the U.S., it would mean hiring a charismatic coach that has shown that he can build a culture and core group of players for multi-tournament success. There is even the possibility that staying past 2026 could be an option.
BHAG2 Roberto Mancini: Even if money were not an object, the U.S. might not have enough to get Mancini out of Saudi Arabia. However, you’d not be doing your due diligence if you did not ask. Saudi Arabia are ten years away from hosting the World Cup but are hoping Mancini can begin creating a competitive side well before that. That’s an eternity in soccer - what if you could do the same in two years with a team more ready to compete internationally? Mancini has an incredible resume and can do a lot with a little (or a lot with overrated talent).
Pardon my mangled German to English translations, especially of names.
BHAG = big hairy audacious goal. Read more here https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/bhag.html