Pay a new manager with only this on the slate for the next year and then whatever friendlies they can find in fall 2025/spring 2026 while everyone else is trying to qualify for the WC that we auto-qualify for:
Sept 2024: friendlies vs Canada and New Zealand
Oct 2024: friendly vs Panama and one more not scheduled yet(?)
Nov 2024: CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals
March 2025: CONCACAF Nations League semi-final and final (if they won in November, otherwise, friendlies)
summer 2025: CONCACAF Gold Cup
Quote:
A myriad of scheduling conflicts will likely determine how competitive the USMNT's schedule will be as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup. Regional clashes may dominate the calendar for the next year -- in addition to the friendlies already on the schedule, the Concacaf Nations League could take away two international windows and next summer's focus will be on the Gold Cup.
Quote:
In addition to one yet-to-be-named opponent the U.S. will face in October, though, there will be six international windows -- and most likely just 12 games -- for the team to work with. It means the U.S. will have a very limited window of opportunity to improve before the 2026 World Cup rolls around in less than two years.
Quote:
In theory, there's a wide range of strong teams the U.S. can play against in those windows. Most teams, though, will be bogged down with their own scheduling commitments, chiefly World Cup qualifying. While most continents will wrap up their qualifying campaigns by the end of 2025, Europe's will run until the penultimate international window before the World Cup in March of 2026. Teams competing in qualifiers will have chances to sneak away for friendlies, but it will be difficult, so we will have to wait to see how stacked the U.S. schedule is for the next couple of years.
not a lot of action. Do you pay someone to spend a year and see if he can win the Gold Cup next summer with this group? If he does, he's got the next year to see if he can get to knockouts or QF in the WC at home. If he does, he has another cycle and it's a 6 year gig instead of a 1-2 year gig.