The USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter is going nowhere. But a plethora of fans out there want Berhalter to leave after Uruguay humbled his team out of the US-hosted Copa America. Since the USMNT’s coaching role remains the talk of the town, former US player Alexi Lalas explicated who among Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola is best fit to take over the US camp. Interestingly, Klopp has been a recurring motif in conversations on the US coaching role, as he has not found a team since leaving Liverpool this summer.

During the latest episode of the State of the Union podcast, Alexi Lalas’ co-host asked him to choose between Guardiola and Klopp if both were available to coach the US. “I would pick Klopp,” said Alexi Lalas. Then he went on to explain why he snubbed the Manchester City boss. “I think that Pep is high maintenance. I think that Pep is more easily frustrated. I think that Pep needs more at his disposal to make the machine work,” Alexi Lalas added.

Pep Guardiola has notably said that he wants to coach a national team at least once before he calls it a day. Interestingly, the rumor mills have highlighted the US camp as a potential destination for the Spaniard. However, Guardiola has one more year in his Manchester City contract. Furthermore, Lalas’ favoring of Jurgen Klopp shows Guardiola is an unwelcome prospect in the US camp for the time being. Meanwhile, the former Reds manager is in high demand in the US, as ex-USMNT goalie Tim Howard said he can convince the former to replace Gregg Berhalter.

Tim Howard is ready to approach Jurgen Klopp with the US coaching job

Tim Howard did not think twice before lamenting Gregg Berhalter’s failure to take the US team further in the Copa. Howard said Wednesday that he would fly to Spain and convince Jurgen Klopp to be the US team’s manager. “If I was in charge of US Soccer right now, I’d be on my way to the airport to find Klopp and present the idea to him,” Tim Howard wrote in his Daily Mail column. Reiterating his argument, Howard ended his column by asking US Soccer officials to let him go to Spain and convince Klopp.

Jurgen Klopp’s mammoth success at Liverpool is a part of modern-day soccer lore. That makes him a fan favorite among soccer fans in the US. Besides, as per The Athletic, Klopp said in January that he would only consider coaching Germany or the USMNT if he were to land a national team manager’s role. Hence, the demand for the German tactician to join the US team explains itself.

However, these speculations around Klopp might die down as mere rumors because US Soccer seems not ready to let Berhalter go. If Berhalter departs a year later, Guardiola will also find a place alongside Klopp on the US Soccer’s radar.