On Tuesday, highly decorated England manager Gareth Southgate tendered his resignation from the post. This came on the heels of taking England to the 2024 EURO Final (the Three Lions lost 2-1 to Spain). The decision by Southgate ended an eight-year partnership which initially began in 2016.
While this news likely is more felt across the pond in the U.K., it does hold some significance for the United States Men’s National Team.
Sources tell New Arena that the U.S. Soccer Federation has had a dialogue with Southgate. This comes on the heels of the federation severing ties with former manager Gregg Berhalter. After embarrassingly crashing out of the 2024 Copa America in the group stage, it was determined that the U.S. Men’s National Team needed new leadership.
Matt Crocker, the federation’s technical director, has a longstanding relationship with Southgate. The two worked together for years as they aimed to rebuild the youth setup for the England FA. The familiarity is there, and that’s the first step in potentially coming together on this project.
One scenario involves Southgate signing on for a 1.5-year term, where he’ll lead the United States through the 2026 World Cup before departing for other opportunities. From the U.S. Soccer Federation standpoint, bringing on Southgate makes considerable sense from an optics standpoint. He’s taken England to finals in two major tournaments (EURO 2020, 2024). Southgate has obvious experience on the international stage, and his counter-heavy tactics might be a nice fit for the current U.S. player pool. He’s also a big name within the sport and could draw some further interest from the casual fan.
In eight years as England’s manager, Southgate has a record of 61-17-24. Other rumored candidates for the job reportedly include Herve Renard, Steve Cherundolo, Wilfried Nancy, Mauricio Pochettino, Willy Sagnol, Roberto Martinez, and David Wagner (among others).
