The search for US national team general managers is already underway, per new U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro, and a face familiar to MLS fans is reportedly under consideration on the men's side.
SI.com's Grant Wahl reported on Tuesday's FS1 UEFA Champions League pregame show that current Seattle Sounders general manager and president of soccer Garth Lagerwey is being considered to fill the USMNT GM position.
Lagerwey has been the Sounders' GM since January 2015, helping to oversee the construction of a team that would go on to win MLS Cup 2016 and reach the final again in 2017. Prior to his time in Seattle, Lagerwey served seven seasons as the GM and senior VP of soccer operations for Real Salt Lake. During that time, he built RSL into a perennial contender, with the team reaching the playoffs in every year of his tenure after the first, winning MLS Cup 2009 and making a historic appearance in the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League final.
Lagerwey addressed the reports linking him to the USMNT GM position at Sounders practice on Tuesday:
U.S. Soccer currently finds itself in a state of transition, with Cordeiro, who was elected on Saturday, taking over from Sunil Gulati, who served as the federation's president since March 2006. The men's national team – which failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia – will also be looking for a new head coach this year, but are not expected to hire anyone until a GM is in place.
