'Jurgen Klopp is out there!' - Alexi Lalas joins Tim Howard in calling for ex-Liverpool boss to replace Gregg Berhalter as USMNT boss

The USMNT were humiliated at the Copa America, losing to both Panama and Uruguay and being eliminated during the group stages. As a result, Berhalter's job is hanging by a thread - although he hasn't officially been sacked - and Lalas has joined Howard in calling for the ambitious appointment of ex-Liverpool boss Klopp.

The USMNT must find a manager capable of guiding them into the 2026 World Cup on home soil, and Lalas believes that Klopp may be tempted to attempt to "inspire a nation". Klopp, of course, left Liverpool at the end of the season.

Speaking to The Post, Lalas said: "We're in a situation now that's unique.

“If the World Cup in 2026 wasn’t in the United States, I think the conversation would be a little bit different, but because of this train that is barreling down the tracks and coming at us — in a good way, because it’s going to be incredible — I think the conversation changes a little bit. Over the next two years, you need somebody who is going to ignite and inspire a nation that we are headed in the right direction. You need a bigger-than-life personality.

"If you’re not going to go big, it flies in the face of what America is — we want big, we want bold, and dare I say we want arrogant in the things that we do, in particular, in terms of maximizing the summer of 2026. If you’re not going to do it now, then when are you?

“Someone like Jurgen Klopp is out there. I know people scoff at the idea of someone with his pedigree and background would ever consider doing this. But until you have the conversation, you don’t know.”

The USMNT will first embark on a period of soul-searching after their disastrous Copa campaign. Their next fixture comes September 8 against Canada.