The representatives of victorious Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente have purportedly been in contact with the U.S. Soccer Federation about potentially replacing Gregg Berhalter - after Jurgen Klopp turned down the job.
The 63-year-old masterminded his country's triumph at Euro 2024 with his team arguably the best performing side across the competition, securing the trophy after beating England 2-1 in the final. Having previously coached in Spain's youth set-up, leading his nation to glory in Berlin represents the standout achievement in his career to date.
The victory secured a first major trophy for La Roja since 2012, with De la Fuente having defied his pre-tournament critics in instilling an entertaining brand of possession football to prevail. Perhaps the nadir of his time in charge came after a qualification defeat to Scotland in March 2023 as he faced questions over his role - but his team rallied to go unbeaten in competitive outings since this lowpoint.
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However, it remains to be seen whether the experienced coach will decide to go out on top after ending his country's 12-year wait for another tournament triumph. In fact, according to the Washington Post , the Spaniard is allegedly among the leading candidates for the vacant USMNT head coach post - despite being under contract with his current employers until 2026.
Although Columbus' Wilfried Nancy and Los Angeles FC's Steve Cherundolo have also been mentioned as potential targets, they claim the Spanish boss' representatives have spoken with for the U.S. Soccer Federation. This comes after former Liverpool boss Klopp ruled himself out of the running for the job as per The Athletic .
The search for a new coach follows the dismissal of Berhalter after the U.S. crashed out of Copa America 2024 at the group stage after a win and two losses. U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Matt Crocker explained the decision to part company, saying: "At the senior level, we’ve got to win.
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"We know winning is the yardstick, and we didn’t do that. We are looking for a serial winning coach, a coach that can also build on the work that has already been put in place. Clearly, there’s still a lot of potential within the group and we have to turn that into performance and results."
As for De la Fuente , there was no word on his future after leading Spain to glory at Euro 2024, as he reflected: "I was sure that my players believed in me... for a year and a half they have been infallible. The only thing that I was worried about was that the players believed in me and were convinced by what we said.
"This group of players can keep growing and improving because they don't get tired of it, of competing, of trying to win, of making you proud of them, from the first day until the last, now. I am happy for my country, for Spain, for the excitement we generated and I hope (people) feel the same pride, thanks to all these footballers."
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