According to ESPN’s sources, U.S. national team will get interim coach sometime this weekend, after Bruce Arena decided he will not continue leading the USMNT. U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati spoke to the reporters last week and told them that the decision will be made in seven to 10 days, ahead of the friendly match USMNT will have against Portugal on Nov. 14. If we are to believe the sources, Gulati will stick to his word.
The clear favorite for the interim coach job is U.S. youth technical director and under-20 manager, Tab Ramos. However, it appears that Ramos isn’t so keen on the job. The Sports Illustrated reports that Ramos would take the job of coaching the USMNT but only on the full-time basis, rather than being the interim coach. Gulati, on the other hand, is insisting on the interim label, as the U.S. Soccer Federation looks to take its time in choosing the coach who will lead the campaign for the 2022 World Cup.
If Ramos ends up declining the job, Gulati will search for another candidate among the coaches who are already on the U.S. Soccer payroll. Some of the Bruce Arena’s staff could be in the mix including Dave Sarachan, Pat Noonan, Matt Reis and Kenny Arena. Dave Sarachan would be an obvious choice, since he is the only one with the high-level managerial experience, coaching the Chicago Fire in the past.
Another name that is being speculated as an option is U-17 manager John Hackworth, but the move is unlikely due to the fact that Hackworth is currently leading the U-17 team in the FIFA U-17 World Cup which takes place in India.
USMNT failed to qualify for the World Cup first time since 1986, having lost the key game against Trinidad and Tobago. Now, moving forward, U.S. Soccer Federation will have to be very careful about choosing their approach and get a coach that will make a real difference.
