8 possible replacements if Klinsmann is fired
Rumors are circling that Jurgen Klinsmann's time as the head coach of the USMNT may be drawing to a close, following two straight losses in World Cup qualifying, which included a humiliating 4-0 loss to Costa Rica. I wrote this week that Klinsmann's time with the U.S. team should be over, leading several people to ask who could take over if he was fired. Glad you asked. Here are 8 possible replacements.
1. Bruce Arena
The logical choice, and the one that has the greatest chance of happening. Arena has had experience with the USMNT before, leading the team to its best ever World Cup finish in 2002. He knows USSF, he knows the team, he knows the coaches up and down the ladder currently in place. (He coached half of them.) His appointment would smooth over any lingering resentment between U.S. Soccer and MLS after Klinsmann made a punching bag of the league for a while there. If I were a betting man, this is who I would bet on.
2. Dominic Kinnear
Kinnear was born in Scotland but received 54 caps playing for the USMNT, and the 49-year-old has quickly made his mark as a coach in MLS. He led Houston Dynamo to a long and sustained run of greatness (two MLS Cups, near perpetual playoff appearances) before switching over to San Jose Earthquakes in 2014. While not quite as connected as Arena in the U.S. Soccer world, he's pretty dang connected, and would ensure a smooth transition while simultaneously injecting a bit of new blood.
3. Oscar Pareja
The Colombian manager of FC Dallas has been brilliant in his time in charge of the club, developing one of the most exciting, young, attacking teams in the entire league. He's also spent time as an assistant with the U.S. U-17 national team, so he's familiar with the workings of the federation. Pareja once played soccer with Pablo Escobar in a Colombian prison, too, so you'd assume he would be immune to the pressure here.
4. Sam Allardyce
Big Sam was forced out of the England job after an undercover sting by a news source found him willing to help agents get around rules and regulations when it came to the buying and selling of players. The optics were terrible, but Allardyce didn't, well, break any laws, and if the U.S. decides they don't care, he could be an interesting hire.
5. Gregg Berhalter
Berhalter's name has been sporadically thrown into the USMNT discussion over the last few years as he's had success with the Crew SC team. He also has international experience, as he managed Sweden's Hammarby IF team for two years before his time in Columbus. The 43-year-old had a down year with Crew SC, however, and it's hard to see him actually being considered for the job right now. (In the future, though?)
6. Caleb Porter
Another young coach who, like Berhalter, led his MLS side to the MLS Cup final last year. (Porter's team won, though.) Porter has done an admirable job with Portland Timbers, and has made a name for himself as a fiery man manager who can get the most out of his players. Like Berhalter, I don't see Porter getting the nod, though, not yet at least.
7. Peter Vermes
Vermes is a bit similar to Kinnear in that he played a bit for the USMNT and has now had a sustained bit of success coaching in MLS. The leader of Sporting Kansas City has built stout teams that defend well and can beat you on the counter, and he's credited with the development of such USMNT mainstays as Graham Zusi and Matt Besler.
8. Marcelo Bielsa
The pipe dream, but what a pipe dream. Bielsa is a tactical genius (one of the few people alive who can claim to be one) and has heavily, heavily influenced some of the world's best managers in Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pocchetino. He's also famously kind of a maniac, nicknamed "El Loco" and known for his hours-long press conferences and his short tenure with clubs. (He quit the job at Lazio after two days.) He's done wonders with national teams before, changing the entire philosophy of Argentina and Chile and bringing about years of sustained glory, but if Jurgen Klinsmann was a bit too much for U.S. Soccer and the media here, I don't see them taking a chance on someone as difficult as Bielsa.