Spaniard Luis de la Fuente inquired about days of empty football in the US before winning UEFA Euro 2024, says report

Representatives of Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente contacted US Soccer about the vacant US men’s national team job just days before Spain lifted their fourth European championship on Sunday. Massoud Roushandel, the president of Global Elite Sports Group, told the Washington Post that he emailed US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker on Friday about De la Fuente’s interest in the job. Vicente Montes, an advisor to de la Fuente and someone who works closely with Roushandel, was also involved in the email exchange.

The email from De la Fuente’s representative came two days after US Soccer announced the resignation of Gregg Berhalter following the team’s earlier-than-expected exit from the Copa America group stage. Crocker said in a statement Wednesday that the process has already begun to find Berhalter’s successor, and the search is expected to be extensive. Many are hoping that US Soccer will bring in a high-profile coach who can take the team to the next level in time for the 2026 World Cup on home soil, and De la Fuente would certainly fit that bill after winning both the UEFA Nations League last year’s competition as the Euro on Sunday.

It seems the perfect situation to stay until the 2026 World Cup, and de la Fuente said: “I want to continue and I think the [federation] wants me to continue’ in his post-match comments on Sunday. Despite the festive atmosphere, De la Fuente used part of his pre-match press conference to criticize the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). The coach did not go into detail, but he appeared to suggest that the federation had not financially supported the national team in a way he deemed appropriate.

“No one gave us anything,” he said after the match. “When things cost so much, they become even more valuable.”

As a result, there is reason to suspect that De la Fuente and his representatives are using the USMNT job as leverage for a better deal with the RFEF. He reportedly signed a new contract last month, a year and a half after stepping into the role following the departure of Luis Enrique. In Spain, post-match comments were interpreted as saying the federation might now be forced to recognize his value after winning the European Championship, especially after he agreed to a lower salary than he would have wanted in his new contract.

“I think Luis de la Fuente has a contractual situation with the federation. Even though he has extended his contract, his wages are very, very low – that usually happens with the national team.” [team] level,” Guillem Balague reported. “I think he was a bit unhappy. I think he just wants to strengthen his position in the federation.”

US Soccer hopes to have Berhalter’s replacement in time for the USMNT’s next matches, the friendlies against Canada and New Zealand in September.