Spain’s Luis de la Fuente has interest in the USMNT coaching job

Massoud Roushandel confirmed to The Washington Post that he and Vicente Montes emailed USSF Sporting Director Matt Crocker on Friday about de la Fuente’s interest in the job. Roushandel is president of Global Elite Sports Group, a U.S.-Spanish management firm. He works closely with Montes, a prominent Spanish sports attorney and de la Fuente’s adviser.

A USSF spokesman said Sunday that the governing body did not want to comment on potential candidates.

The federation is seeking a replacement for Berhalter, whose second term ended Wednesday following the U.S. team’s elimination in the group stage of Copa América. Crocker is overseeing the search, with the aim of hiring someone before home friendlies in September against Canada and New Zealand.

He is expected to interview both domestic-based and international candidates. Among the reported targets was Jürgen Klopp, the most coveted unemployed coach in the world, but the former Liverpool coach is not expected to pursue the job. Possible candidates from MLS include Columbus’s Wilfried Nancy and Los Angeles FC’s Steve Cherundolo.

The job will appeal to many candidates because the U.S. team received an automatic berth in the 2026 World Cup and will spend the next two years preparing for the competition rather than having to qualify. The 48-team tournament will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Last month, de la Fuente extended his contract with the Spanish federation through 2026. He has worked for the Spanish federation since 2013, coaching the under-19 and under-21 squads before overseeing the under-23 Olympic squad at the Tokyo Games in 2021. De la Fuente has been the senior coach since 2022; its only loss in 2024 came in a friendly against Copa América finalist Colombia.

De la Fuente’s coaching career began in the lower tiers of the Spanish leagues, and he worked extensively with first-division youth academies before leading Athletic Bilbao and Alavés in La Liga. Aside from winning this year’s European Championship, de la Fuente guided Spain to the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League title.