Who will be USMNT’s next head coach? US Soccer reportedly close to hiring Marsch

As the United States men’s national team prepares for the Nations League finals and Gold Cup this summer, US Soccer’s efforts to appoint a new full-time head coach continue.

And the indications are that Oguchi Onyewu, US Soccer’s vice-president of sporting, and Matt Crocker, the federation’s sporting director, are closing in on an appointment. According to the soccer journalist Alex Calabrese, former Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch is the choice to take charge of the team.

Marsch appointment close, per report

Indeed, Calabrese says a deal with Marsch is “practically done”, with the 49-year-old expected to become USMNT head coach after the Gold Cup.

Crocker crucial to USMNT’s Marsch pursuit

Crocker’s recent move to US Soccer has reportedly been key to the decision to hand the reins to Marsch, who began his coaching career as an assistant to former USMNT boss Bob Bradley. As director of football operations at English club Southampton, Crocker sought to take Marsch to St Mary’s earlier this season, but the move fell through over the American’s financial demands.

Crocker, whose appointment as sporting director was announced in April, is to assume the role full-time in August, but began the search for a new USMNT head coach right away. He has been assisted by Onyewu, who was hired early this month.

Hudson to lead USMNT into Nations League finals, Gold Cup

Ahead of Marsch’s expected arrival, interim boss Anthony Hudson will remain at the helm for the USMNT’s summer commitments.

Hudson’s men face Mexico in the Nations League semi-finals on 15 June, before contesting either the final or the third-place playoff three days later. The USMNT then kick off their Gold Cup campaign on 24 June, having been drawn in Group A with Jamaica, Nicaragua and a still-to-be-confirmed preliminary-round qualifier. Held in Canada and the US, the Gold Cup runs until 16 July, when Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium is due to hold the final.