Dream Mauricio Pochettino replacement just landed in the USMNT's lap

Whatever happens at the World Cup this summer, Mauricio Pochettino will have been the most ambitious hire US Soccer have ever made - well, on the men's side. However, with plenty of attractive jobs, and slightly less attractive in the case of Tottenham, opening up across Europe this summer, it is extremely unlikely that the 54-year-old will remain stateside beyond the World Cup.

Pochettino will be a tough act to follow; an MLS or domestic appointment would feel underwhelming, but the ideal candidate has just become available.

On Friday, completely out of the blue, Hervé Renard was sacked as Saudi Arabia's head coach, a mere 59 days before the Green Falcons' World Cup opener against Uruguay in Miami. Renard's team had been beaten in two friendlies last month, smashed 4-0 by Egypt in Jeddah and 2-1 by Serbia in Bačka Topola, but this was still a massively surprising decision.

So, why should US fans want to see the 57 year old in their dugout come September? Well, for starters, there are few coaches who are more experienced in the international game.

Hervé Renard's international résumé

Renard first became widely known after leading Zambia to Africa Cup of Nations glory in 2012. The Copper Bullets' triumph in Libreville 14 years ago represents one of the biggest upsets in international football history, alongside Denmark and Greece winning the Euros.

Côte d'Ivoire were the side Zambia defeated on penalties in that final, so les Éléphants decided to appoint Renard themselves, defeating fierce rivals Ghana after a shootout in the final three years later in Bata.

Therefore, he is the only man to win AFCON in charge of two different nations. Since then, he has led Morocco and Saudi Arabia at the last two World Cups, the Atlas Lions holding Spain to a 2-2 draw in Kaliningrad, before the Green Falcons famously beat eventual winners Argentina four years ago.

He then ditched the Middle Eastern nation in 2023 following an approach to become France's women's head coach, after the player rebelled against Corinne Diacre. This was viewed as one of the most exciting hires in women's football history, but did not quite yield the hoped-for results.

Les Bleues were ousted by co-hosts Australia in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, before also suffering a last-eight elimination from the Olympics 12 months later, dumped out 1-0 by Brazil at Stade de la Beaujoire.

Renard thereby resigned, before being re-hired by Saudi Arabia, with the team in danger of missing out on the World Cup. The rescue mission proved a success, as his team beat Indonesia 3-2 and then held Iraq to a goalless draw to, just about, cement their spot stateside. Thus, he is viewed as a hero in the part of the world, making it a real surprise that they sacked him so soon before the tournament.

So, why should US Soccer be interested? Well, they won't find anyone with greater experience when it comes to the international landscape. Obviously, not hosting next time, the United States will have to negotiate CONCACAF World Cup qualifying in the coming years, which can often be an arduous process, but Renard is well-versed, having qualified nations from Asia and Africa.

Put succinctly, his entire career has been based around getting teams to be greater than the sum of their parts and compete with teams who are, on paper, simply better. This is exactly where the US are right now, looking to overachieve against stronger nations, so Renard really ticks all the boxes.