French soccer legend Thierry Henry is reportedly interested in the head coach vacancy at the U.S. men’s national team.
Thierry Henry last coached Belgium as assistant to Roberto Martinez but the former New York Red Bulls player is now looking to become a head coach once again.
According to ESPN FC, “Henry has turned down the chance to coach the France women’s national team. Sources have told ESPN that Henry is keen on the vacant USMNT head coach position.”
The role with the USMNT has been vacant since Gregg Berhalter’s contract expired. Whilst Berhalter could still be considered for the job following the investigation into his past behavior, many may feel it is time for a new coach to take the reins after everything that happened with Gio Reyna and the player’s parents.
Thierry Henry’s career as a coach
Henry had a very distinguished playing career with Arsenal and Barcelona. He even won the World Cup with France in 1998. As a player, he learned from great coaches including Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola.
Following his retirement, Henry coached in Arsenal’s academy before becoming an assistant coach to Martinez with Belgium. The team won Bronze at the 2018 World Cup. Henry then became the manager of Monaco. However, he was in charge for just 12 Ligue 1 matches and was dismissed with a record of two wins, three draws and seven defeats.
His next job came at CF Montreal where he managed to qualify the Canadian side for the MLS playoffs. However, he left the role to be closer to his family following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Henry then returned to Belgium to work under Martinez again. At the 2022 World Cup, they did not come close to the achievements they had four years earlier though. The team failed to get out of their group and Martinez and Henry left after the tournament.
Is Thierry Henry the right man for the USMNT?
Henry revealed on CBS Sports, that he had the opportunity to work with Martinez again with Portugal but he decided against it as he no longer wanted to be a number two.
He has now turned down the France women’s national team also. This may not be a wise move as Phil Neville who was head coach of the England Lionesses is now in charge of Inter Miami. Neville’s route proves that coaching in the women’s game can be very good for your career.
It is clear that Henry is confident in his ability. However, he does still lack experience as a manager. In total with Monaco and Montreal, he has just 49 games to his name. Of course, he has worked in international football as an assistant but being a head coach is a big step up from this.
It would be a risk for the USMNT to appoint Henry. The USA are co-hosting the World Cup in 2026 which is a great opportunity for the sport to grow in the country. The national side needs to perform at this tournament. It is still over three years away but they need to get the right coach in soon who can start implementing their ideas on the side.
