November 12, 2026
The name of Spaniard Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City, has emerged as a potential candidate to take over as coach of the US national football team, in the event of the departure of current coach Mauricio Pochettino to take over the technical leadership of the English club Manchester United.
The Athletic newspaper reported that Guardiola’s name has already been circulated within the corridors of the American Football Association in anticipation of any possible vacancy in the position of technical director. If this step is completed, this will be Guardiola’s first experience coaching national teams, after a busy career with the Spanish clubs Barcelona, Germany’s Bayern Munich, and England’s Manchester City. It is noteworthy that media reports had indicated earlier this year that the Spanish coach had rejected an offer to coach the Italian national team.
These developments come against the backdrop of Manchester United announcing, on Thursday, the dismissal of its coach, Michael Carrick, as reports indicate that Pochettino tops the list of candidates to succeed him. Although the Argentine coach signed a new contract to lead the American national team until 2030 just three months ago, there is mutual interest in his move to Old Trafford.
In a related context, the US Football Association will receive financial compensation if Pochettino leaves before his contract, as reports show that the value of the penalty clause in his contract amounts to 10 million dollars.
