At this point, it appears to be a matter of not “if” but “when” the United States Men’s National Team will part ways with head coach Gregg Berhalter.
And should the move come to fruition, one of the greatest players in the history of the country believes he knows the man for the job.
In an op-ed for The Daily Mail, former U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard expressed his belief that the USMNT should target Jurgen Klopp as its next head coach. In fact, the former Everton keeper even stated he’d be willing to recruit Klopp, who just finished his final season as the manager of Liverpool.
“I am willing to help my country in any way I can. Proud to serve. So if I was in charge of US Soccer right now, I’d be on my way to the airport,” Howard wrote. “Why? Because I believe I could make a very compelling argument to Jurgen Klopp to take over the US Men’s National Team.”
While Howard noted that Klopp’s retirement from Liverpool could be cause for concern, he reiterated his belief that he could make a compelling pitch to the 57-year-old native of Germany.
“The money is certainly there. So my pitch would be simple: he has a young group of players who can play progressive, front-foot soccer – exactly like his Liverpool teams. And in two years’ time he can go to the biggest World Cup in history,” Howard wrote. “Plus, it’s international soccer, so there’s no need to be on the training ground every day. He doesn’t even have to worry about qualification.”
Should the USMNT, in fact, fire Berhalter, Klopp and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola figure to be two of the primary targets. As for when a decision on Berhalter’s future will be made, all indications are it will be sometime next week.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.