Just days after being sacked by Crystal Palace team management, Patrick Vieira could be seen in the dugout soon. Premier League outfit Crystal Palace announced the dismissal of Vieira as their manager last week. It is now being learnt that the Frenchman is in contention to become the head coach of an international team. A report published by Goal claims that the United States men’s national football team have been advised to consider the idea of hiring Vieira as their head coach. Vieira, although, is not the lone figure in the fray for the USA national team’s job. The report mentions that Vieira and his former teammate Thierry Henry will battle it out to become the next manager of the American side.
The United States men’s national football team are without a permanent coach following the departure of Gregg Berhalter. His contract expired on December 31 last year. The USA, under the coaching of Berhalter, reached the last-16 round of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
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Former American player Alexi Lalas has now opened up on the matter. The 52-year-old stated that Patrick Vieira can be the perfect choice for the USA job. “I think Patrick Vieira is worth a chat. But I think it’s useless to talk about potential USMNT coaching candidates until a men’s GM (who will pick the next coach) is hired," Lalas wrote on Twitter in response to a certain user asking him about Vieira’s suitability for the role.
I think Patrick Vieira is worth a chat. But I think it's useless to talk about potential #USMNT coaching candidates until a men's GM (who will pick next coach) is hired. https://t.co/ad8upbstin— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) March 18, 2023
Patrick Vieira was sacked by Crystal Palace team management after enduring a hapless 12-match winless streak. The Selhurst Park-based outfit have not secured a win yet in 2023 and in their last fixture, they were thrashed by Premier League toppers Arsenal 4-1. Crystal Palace, with 27 points to their name, are currently placed in 12th position in the Premier League standings. Vieira was appointed as the head coach of the Eagles at the start of the 2021-22 season. He had guided Crystal Palace to a 12th-place finish in the last Premier League campaign.
Thierry Henry, on the other hand, has handled managerial duties at Monaco and Montreal Impact. The 45-year-old also had two stints as the Belgium assistant coach under Roberto Martinez. Henry departed following the conclusion of the Qatar football World Cup and the Arsenal legend has been without a job for the past three months.
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