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Pep Guardiola. On the touchline for the USMNT. It sounds like a stretch, and maybe it is, but that is where US Soccer is pointing.
According to The Athletic, in a report picked up this morning by RMC Sport, the federation has made Guardiola its priority to succeed Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine is closing in on the Manchester United job, after Sky Sports News reported a verbal agreement in principle on Wednesday. If that goes through, the American job opens up.
Guardiola has been out of work since leaving Manchester City at the end of last season, after a decade in charge. He chose a full break to recharge, and so far has shown no appetite to come back. Italy found that out first: the Azzurri sounded him out and he turned them down.
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Why the Americans think they have a shot
US Soccer does not see itself as a long shot here, for a few reasons. The contacts are old. The federation already tried to bring Guardiola in before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Money, by all accounts, would not be the obstacle, with the governing body reportedly ready to pay whatever it takes.
There is also the personal link. Guardiola spent his 2012 sabbatical in New York, between Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and he has spoken warmly about the American project before. Back in 2024 he described the US as a fascinating setting where a coach could build over several years, pointing to the size of the country and the place sport holds there.
A calendar that suits him
The timing could help too. Once the two CONCACAF Nations League games against Haiti are done, the only fixture left on the 2026 calendar is a December friendly with Jamaica. That date sits outside the FIFA window and would involve domestic-based players only, so a new coach might not take charge of a real match until March 2027.
That gives Guardiola, 55, room to stretch his break a few more months and still say yes. Whether he wants to is the only question that matters, and nobody in Chicago can answer it for him.
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