JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
U.S. Men's Soccer is at a crossroads after firing their coach, Gregg Berhalter, last week. Following his exit, fans are wondering who will take charge of a lagging team and whether that person will be able to right the ship. This all comes as the U.S. is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup. Felipe Cardenas is a senior soccer writer over at The Athletic, and he joins us now to talk about the news and what it means both globally and nationally. Felipe, welcome to the program.
FELIPE CARDENAS: Happy to be here. Thanks for having me.
SUMMERS: So now that we're looking forward, there's going to be a new head coach. I'm curious - what kind of qualities do you think are on the wish list that the U.S. Soccer Federation might be looking for as it continues to look for his replacement at such a key time?
CARDENAS: I think winning. You know, I think a track record of being able to win at the highest level is what this team needs. That is both my personal opinion, and I think that is what the pundits and the fans are really clamoring for - a coach that has been - that understands what it's like to coach at the highest level of this sport, whether it is at the international level or at the club level - and club level meaning, have you coached a big European club?
SUMMERS: Quickly, I just want to talk names. Who might be on the short list? What do we know?
CARDENAS: Well, what we know has been widely reported both by my outlet at The Athletic and then outlets around Europe and around the world, is that Jurgen Klopp, who is the former manager, head coach of Liverpool - won everything with Liverpool, really became an institution and legend at that club. He is German-born and one of the most well-known head coaches and motivators in world football.
He was approached by the U.S. Soccer Federation last week. And what we were able to report is that Jurgen Klopp rebuffed the approach. It wasn't necessarily a rejection, but it is that you're going to a coach who is the top name, in my opinion, that is currently on sabbatical. And so I think his initial reaction was, thank you, but no, thank you.
And so moving on from Jurgen Klopp, you know, I think, just today, the England national team coach, Gareth Southgate, who has taken England to several finals and a semifinal of a World Cup, has resigned after England lost the European Championship on Sunday to Spain. And I honestly think Gareth Southgate is going to be a top, top candidate for the U.S. job because he does check a lot of those boxes. Perhaps he's not the most sexy name, and his teams don't play beautiful soccer. But he gets results, and that's something that the U.S. needs.
SUMMERS: Listening to you talk about what this coach must do, it sounds like you're talking about - there are really two parallel tracks, right? There's the winning. There's the athleticism. There's what happens on the pitch. And then there's this need to not just bring in and elevate top talent, but also to attract new fans to the team and to the sport and make it feel exciting for people with the World Cup just less than two years away. Do you think it's actually possible that U.S. Soccer can find someone who can check both of those boxes simultaneously?
CARDENAS: It'll be difficult because I think the first thing the coach has to do is get this team that has talent to play up to their level and to also be a team that can challenge the top teams in the world - not necessarily man-for-man, but be a team that the U.S. used to be in the early 2000s that were pesky, gritty, dangerous when they played against the top teams in the world - because they were unpredictable, and they worked hard. And they were athletic, and they believed in themselves.
And so that's the first thing that has to happen. A coach needs to motivate this team that, in my opinion, became too complacent. And so this coach has to be front and center. He has to be able to communicate to the fans that - what this means and get an entire country behind a team that isn't accustomed to winning at this level. The Women's National Team - the U.S. Women's National Team have won multiple World Cups. This men's team hasn't.
SUMMERS: That's The Athletic's senior soccer writer, Felipe Cardenas. Thanks so much.
CARDENAS: Thank you for having me.
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