Jürgen Klopp turns away USMNT head coach inquiry, reports say

One candidate for the U.S. men’s national soccer team’s vacant coaching job has reportedly turned down an early inquiry into his availability and interest in the position.

Jürgen Klopp, the former Dortmund and Liverpool coach, told U.S. Soccer he wishes to continue his break from the sport, The Athletic and The Independent reported Thursday.

Despite his disinterest after U.S. Soccer's initial approach, Klopp will remain a top target for the job, according to the reports.

In the meantime, the USMNT coaching search continues elsewhere following Wednesday's firing of Gregg Berhalter.

“We are now focused on working with our Sporting Director Matt Crocker and leveraging his experience at the highest levels of the sport to ensure we find the right person to lead the USMNT into a new era of on-field success," U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement Wednesday.

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Crocker said his focus is on finding a coach "who can maximize our potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, and we have already begun our search process."

The U.S. men failed to reach the knockout stage during this summer’s Copa America, an embarrassing effort as the host nation for the tournament.

It was a step in the wrong direction after Berhalter, who was USMNT’s coach for nearly six years, reached the Round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

The U.S. finds itself in a peculiar position, needing a new soccer coach less than two years before the country co-hosts World Cup 2026 with Canada and Mexico.

Klopp, 57, left Liverpool - and managing soccer altogether - in May after nine years because he was "running out of energy," despite saying he loves absolutely everything about the club. During his time there, Liverpool won a Premier League title for the first time in 30 years and won the 2019 Champions League after a a 14-year dry spell.

ESPN reported Klopp may not ever manage again, but even if he did his salary demands would reach into eight figures.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jürgen Klopp rejects USMNT head coach inquiry. Here's what we know