The United States Soccer Federation will pursue Pep Guardiola as its top candidate to replace Mauricio Pochettino if the USMNT coach departs for Manchester United, sources told The Athletic's Paul Tenorio, Henry Bushnell, and Tom Bogert.
Man United are reportedly close to hiring Pochettino as their next head coach to replace current manager Michael Carrick, whose side has won only three of its last 15 matches and is in the Premier League relegation zone.
Pochettino is under contract with the USMNT through the 2030 World Cup after signing a four-year extension in August.
If Pochettino leaves, U.S. Soccer will reportedly aim to convince Guardiola to take on his first international coaching role, though the pursuit might be far from simple. While the former Manchester City boss has been discussed at multiple levels of the federation's hiring structure, he's shown little recent interest in returning to management, Tenorio, Bushnell, and Bogert report.
Guardiola left Man City this summer after 10 highly successful seasons, winning six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups, and the club's first Champions League trophy. He previously won three league titles in each of his spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, along with three Champions League titles overall.
U.S. Soccer's interest in Guardiola isn't new. The federation contacted both Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp during its 2024 search for a head coach before hiring Pochettino to succeed Gregg Berhalter, according to Tenorio, Bushnell, and Bogert.
Pochettino was still overseeing U.S. training as of Wednesday and is expected to lead the USMNT in its CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal matches against Haiti later in November. The team's next competitive fixtures don't begin until March.
