Mauricio Pochettino has agreed verbally to take over at Manchester United should Michael Carrick be relieved of his duties.
The ex-Tottenham and Chelsea coach is now understood to be the frontrunner to take over, with talks over his appointment in the pipeline.
But the Red Devils will have to finagle a way to get him released from the US national team and his current deal is believed to include a $10 million release clause.
Reports suggest that United have not yet formally reached out to the USSF, though Pochettino has kept the organisation in the loop regarding his conversations.
If all of this sounds complicated, it is because it is – and it could throw a major spanner in the works for the Americans, who are just four days away from their CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final clash with Haiti next week.
The United States will play away to Haiti in Miami on Saturday and then to Cincinnati for the return game on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Carrick continues to take charge of United’s training sessions as his job outlook continues to diminish.
The club chiefs will be expected to have made a decision on whether to keep him in the long-term before he is appointed as manager.
Before moving into international management, Pochettino had previously managed Southampton, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
His exit if it happens would leave US Soccer searching for a new coach before the next set of international games.
