Soccer coaching legend Pep Guardiola is the top target for U.S. Soccer to be men’s national team head coach if Mauricio Pochettino leaves to take the manager job at Manchester United.
The federation has discussed the 55-year-old Guardiola internally at multiple levels, The Athletic reported Wednesday, with reports swirling that Pochettino and Man United were finalizing a deal.
Developments surrounding Pochettino’s potential departure have developed rapidly this week, just as the USMNT opened camp in Georgia ahead of two Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matches against Haiti that will take place on Saturday in Miami and next Tuesday in Cincinnati.
Manchester United has officially made contact with the U.S. Soccer Federation, according to The Athletic. Pochettino has a $10 million buyout clause in his contract.
Michael Carrick remains the Red Devils manager, but the outlet reported the expectation is that club executives will dismiss him face to face after they return from meetings in Monaco.
It would appear U.S. Soccer officials will need to start figuring out who will be the next person to lead the program, with Guardiola at the top of that list.
The former Manchester City boss has had a historic career in European football that has included three Champions League titles, six Premier League trophies and winning La Liga and the Bundesliga three times during a career that has included time managing at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Man City.
Whether interest in the USMNT job is reciprocated by Guardiola is unclear after he stepped away from coaching Manchester City earlier this year. Guardiola would be the leading candidate for any open coaching vacancy across the globe and he already turned down a national team role in July after the Italian football federation offered him the job to coach Italy.
The U.S. Soccer Federation has courted Guardiola in the past to take the USMNT job and he was contacted during the last coaching search after Gregg Berhalter was relieved of his duties in 2024, which ultimately ended with Pochettino being hired.
Guardiola expressed support for Pochettino during a news conference that year and called the U.S. program “fascinating to try to build a project for many years.”
“The potential with the USA is there for the amount of people and sports and so on,” he said.
Interestingly, Guardiola came to the United States in September to watch the Hudson River Derby at Yankee Stadium between New York City FC — a subsidiary of City Football Group, which also owns Manchester City — and Red Bull New York. Also in attendance that night in The Bronx were Pochettino and U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson.
It’s unclear if their paths ever crossed during the evening.
Pochettino is expected to continue to lead the U.S. men’s national team through camp and their two matches against Haiti.
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