Former New York City boss Patrick Vieira has emerged as a potential candidate to fill the USMNT head coach vacancy after ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp ruled himself out of the running.
U.S. Soccer chiefs moved to relieve previous Stars and Stripes helmsman Gregg Berhalter of his duties following the team's lacklustre displays at Copa America . Despite coming into the tournament as the world's No. 11-ranked side, the United States were dumped out at in the group stage after a single win and two losses.
Now, the search is underway for Berhalter's successor, with a host of contenders having already been mentioned after Klopp's decision to reject the chance to take the reins. According to FOX Sport Arsenal legend Vieira is among those under consideration for the role following his recent dismissal from his post as head coach of RC Strasbourg.
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Strasbourg's club president Marc Keller thanked Vieira for his contributions during his year in charge as he confirmed a parting of ways in statement which read: ""We would like to express our gratitude and thank Patrick for the work he has accomplished during this first phase of the project and we wish him much success in the future. He will always be welcome at the club."
After just one season in the hotseat in Alsace, the ex-Gunners hero was unable to convince Le RCS owners BlueCo that he is the right man to head up their project. Vieira led Strasbourg to a 13th-place finish in Ligue 1 last term but picked up a single point less than his predecessors Julien Stephan and Frederic Antonetti presided over last term.
Previous to this, the legendary former France international managed at New York City, Nice and Crystal Palace to mixed fortunes. A World Cup winner during his playing career, the former midfield colossus won three Premier League titles with Arsenal, alongside five Serie A titles while representing both Milan giants.
Meanwhile, U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker has admitted that work is ongoing behind the scenes to identify the right candidate to replace Berhalter. Speaking after Copa America, he said: "Winning is the yardstick, and we didn't do that. We are looking for a serial winning coach and a coach that can also build on the work that has already been put in place.
"Clearly, there's still a lot of potential in the group and we have to turn out the performance and results, so that's what I'll be looking for and that'll be my absolute No. 1 priority. All my energies and efforts will be going into that straight away."
He also provided some insight into the internal review which took place within American ranks follow the humiliation at Copa America , saying: "I think I'm a lot clearer and a lot more confident in what I see and also doing reviews with both Gregg and with (former USWNT coach) Vlatko (Andonovski).
"I'm a lot clearer in what I think we need going forward. I'm in a better place to have a much more targeted search where I'll be more inclined to go hard and go early with specific candidates that I feel meet the criteria that we're looking for."
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