Editors Note: “What if...?” is a new series that will run periodically on USLChampionship.com, exploring fun hypotheticals tied to current events in the soccer world.

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Monday night was not a good one for the United States Men’s National Team. 

A 1-0 defeat to Uruguay to close the 2024 Copa America group stage eliminated the USMNT, while Panama, which beat the US in group play, advanced to the Quarterfinals. 

Following the game, U.S. Soccer Federation Sporting Director Matt Crocker issued a statement: “Our tournament performance fell short of our expectations. We must do better. We will be conducting a comprehensive review of our performance in Copa America and how best to improve the team and results as we look towards the 2026 World Cup.” 

Many experts and fans are wondering if the federation will make a change at the helm as the nation builds toward the 2026 World Cup.  

If that change comes to pass, there will be many opinions on who should take charge of the USMNT.  

So, we thought it would be fun to ask: What if the next USMNT Head Coach came from the USL Championship? 

Here are a few names to ponder and a poll to us know your thoughts. 

1. Danny Cruz, Louisville City FC

If there’s one thing Cruz knows, it’s the pressure of expectation. Taking the reins at a club that had known nothing but success before him, he’s maintained that standard. LouCity has gone to three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals in his tenure, and Cruz became the youngest manager to lead a side to the USL Championship Final in 2022 at just 32 years of age. In the past two years, he’s overseen a roster turnover that now has LouCity on course for its best season in club history midway through the 2024 season. He would surely bring a proactive, attacking style to the national team. 

2. Ben Pirmann, Charleston Battery

You want a turnaround in fortunes, there’s one person to call right now in the USL Championship: Ben Pirmann. The 38-year-old took a Memphis 901 FC side that had won just 11 out of 46 games to start its history and quickly turned it into a winner. Pirmann’s side posted a 38-21-16 record during his tenure at 901 FC and earned him the 2022 USL Championship Coach of the Year award. After that, he joined the Battery, where he led the biggest single-season turnaround in league history, an increase of 34 points, in his first season. He then led the historic club to the USL Championship Final, and was only a penalty shootout away from winning it. This year, the Battery are right back in the hunt for more silverware. Pirmann’s side would deliver exciting, attacking soccer with a solid defensive base.

3. Mark Briggs, Sacramento Republic FC

Wherever he’s gone, Briggs has delivered success. He achieved it with Real Monarchs SLC, where in 2017 the club won the Championship’s Players’ Shield as he earned Coach of the Year honors. Since his arrival at Republic FC, he’s taken the club from strength to strength. Briggs recently became only the third coach in Championship history to pass 100 career victories, and he has a track record of getting his sides to punch above their weight, regularly knocking off MLS clubs in the U.S. Open Cup. Republic FC’s run to the 2022 Open Cup Final is exactly the sort of performance you’d like to see the USMNT make at a World Cup on home turf, isn’t it? 

4. Bob Lilley, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

He’s literally the godfather of USL Championship coaches (and, incidentally, the godfather of the USMNT captain, Christian Pulisic). Lilley has won more than 300 games in the USL since he first took the sidelines more than a quarter of a century ago. Yes, the Hounds are struggling this season, but you can’t underestimate what Lilley does. Give him the USMNT’s level of talent, imbue it with Lilley’s drive and dedication to organization, and watch the team thrive.