With Mauricio Pochettino leaving to manage Manchester United, the U.S. men’s national team is searching for a new head coach. 

Pochettino remains in Georgia leading national team training, but U.S. Soccer must begin planning for what comes next and who can lead the program through this World Cup cycle. Here are a few candidates the federation could consider to replace Pochettino. 

Steve Cherundolo

The U.S. men’s U-23 team coach could be primed for the job, at the very least in the interim. Cherundolo played in Germany and for the USMNT, and later joined the coaching ranks, leading LAFC to a Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup title in his first season in 2022. 

B.J. Callaghan

The Nashville SC head coach is a familiar face around the USMNT program, having served as an assistant under Gregg Berhalter and as interim head coach between Berhalter’s two stints. He has found plenty of success in MLS since taking over in Nashville in 2024, with the club winning the Supporters’ Shield this season with a league-record 77 points. 

Pep Guardiola

The former Manchester City boss is already reportedly the top target for U.S. Soccer executives and is unquestionably one of the best coaches out there in the sport. His career has included stops at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Man City. He has captured three Champions League titles, six Premier League trophies, and three La Liga and Bundesliga titles each. 

Pellegrino Matarazzo

The 48-year-old New Jersey native previously had interest in the USMNT position and has a proven record as a manager in Europe, currently leading Real Sociedad to contention for a spot in the Champions League. After taking over last season, he led the club to the Copa del Rey title. 

Roberto Martínez

The Spaniard has the pedigree on the international level, most recently coaching Belgium and Portugal. Martínez brought the Belgium team to the 2018 World Cup semifinals, but his teams have relatively underperformed since then, which included an underwhelming run at the World Cup by Portugal this past summer. 

Julian Nagelsmann: At 39 years old, Nagelsmann comes with a pretty impressive resume that includes having coached the German national team and at Bayern Munich during his career. He oversaw Germany’s runs at the 2024 Euros, 2025 Nations League and 2026 World Cup, though that tournament run ended in the Round of 32 with a loss to Paraguay.