Former United States males’s nationwide crew defender Oguchi Onyewu is reportedly a candidate for US Soccer’s vacant sporting director job. Based on sources at FOX Sports activities, the 40-year-old retired participant is being thought of for the position. The information outlet reached out to each Onyewu and U.S. Soccer for remark, however each neither confirmed nor denied the report.
Onyewu made 69 whole appearances for the USMNT within the decade between 2004 and 2014. The middle again began matches throughout the 2006 and 2010 World Cup tournaments. He helped the Yanks accumulate three CONCACAF Gold Cup trophies, as nicely. Onyewu was included within the crew of the event for the 2005 Gold Cup and named the U.S. Soccer athlete of the 12 months in 2006.
Expertise in membership official roles
After asserting his retirement as knowledgeable participant in 2018, Onyewu then transitioned to extra behind-the-scene roles. His first shot at sporting director got here in 2018 when he was chosen to guide the Orlando Metropolis B crew. After only a 12 months on the place, the previous defender returned to varsity to earn a bachelor’s diploma in worldwide enterprise and French.
Onyewu’s most present job with a crew was with Belgian second tier membership Royal Excelsior Virton. He was the membership’s secretary basic for 16 months earlier than departing the crew in November. He’s now at the moment a studio analyst for CBS Sports activities.
Oguchi Onyewu on shrinking listing of Sporting Director candidates
U.S. Soccer has been with no sporting director since Earnie Stewart left the put up for the same position with PSV Eindhoven. Stewart beforehand oversaw the U.S. males’s, girls’s, and youth nationwide groups starting in 2019.
The pool of potential candidates has been shrinking in latest weeks. Peter Vermes and Earnst Tanner had been reportedly approached by U.S. Soccer; nonetheless, the duo each rejected the chance to turn into sporting director. Vermes as a substitute signed a brand new contract to stay Sporting Kansas Metropolis’s head coach. Tanner, however, will stay sporting director of Philadelphia Union.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Belga