Tim Howard Claims He Could Convince Jurgen Klopp to Take USMNT Job

Howard wants Klopp to manage the USMNT and thinks he could be convinced.

Gregg Berhalter may finally be out as the United States men's national team coach after a disastrous exit from Copa America. A former U.S. goalkeeper has his eyes on a high-profile replacement and believes he could lure the right man for the job.

On Wednesday, Howard claimed that if he was in charge of U.S. Soccer he would fly to Spain to visit Jurgen Klopp. He said he thought he could convince the former Liverpool boss to take the USMNT job.

Klopp is the dream pick of many U.S. Soccer fans. The 57-year-old stepped down from the Liverpool job following the 2023-24 Premier League campaign after being the club's manager for nearly a decade. In that time he won a Premier League title in 2020, a Champions League crown in 2019, the FA Cup in 2022, and guided the team to runner-up finishes in the Champions League in 2018 and 2022. Klopp won more than 60% of his games while in charge of The Reds. He is universally regarded as one of the world's best managers.

There are several issues that could upend a pursuit of Klopp. One is that he has publicly stated he wanted to take time off after leaving Liverpool. The other is money. Berhalter made $2.29 million in 2023. Klopp was making around £15 million a year at Liverpool. That's a pretty big divide to bridge.

That said, the opportunity to coach a national team set to host a World Cup would certainly be a draw. Those kinds of situations come along very rarely, especially when the team has as much talent as the U.S. has currently on the roster. It would be a unique chance to come in and make a run towards the 2026 World Cup and could potentially only be a two-year agreement.

There is no reason for U.S. Soccer to keep Berhalter around. The national team has not improved on his watch and he still has yet to score a marquee win against an opponent from outside CONCACAF. He should be fired posthaste so the federation can move on to someone better. There is also no reason not to aim high and make the call to Klopp.

Maybe Howard is on to something. U.S. Soccer should book him a plane ticket immediately.