Dear U.S. Soccer: Don't Fall For the Mourinho Trap

"Where they play, how they play, IF they play." These nine infamous words exclaimed at a postgame presser during Manchester United's 2017-18 FA Cup charge changed how football (soccer) media approached Jose Mourinho. Mourinho, who at the time was coming off successful but turbulent spells at Real Madrid and Chelsea (the 2nd stint), was opining how he was always at a disadvantage to win the title with the quality of players United had at the time. During that season, Mourinho guided that United team to 2nd and FA Cup Final, and he would later say it was his greatest footballing achievement. Imagine a Champions League-winning manager saying that. 

Mourinho had been showing signs of becoming more prickly, and some would say toxic, during the second half of his career. When he was at Real Madrid, he famously fell out with legendary GK Ilker Casillas. Mesut Ozil also left for Arsenal following rows with The Special One. He ended up getting fired by Madrid and returning to Chelsea again. He managed Chelsea to a shock Premier League title, but the following season saw bust-ups with club management and poor results left Chelsea hovering above the relegation zone. That's when he ended up at United, then Tottenham, and Roma. 

Roma's American owners, the Friedkins, sacked Mourinho following a run of poor results that left the club in 9th in Italy's Serie A. Perhaps that was the right move; they have won three games in a row under new manager and club legend Daniele De Rossi. The courtroom of Twitter was divided about the decision, though. Football Twitter often is regarding Jose. Many are quick to point out his trophy record. Others point to the here-and-now facts. And the here-and-now is this: Mourinho was hired to get Roma back to the Champions League. A lot of the club's transfers and signings were done because he specifically requested players, but the wage bill inflated to the third-biggest in the league. Much of the success of the Mourinho-Roma project was making the Champions League, and the revenues associated it with it. Even with three world-class forwards, one of the most underrated attacking midfielders in Europe, and a decent defense, Roma could not get past 6th in Jose's two full seasons in the Eternal City. 

Of course, football writers put out the pieces: Jose Mourinho will have plenty of suitors who would gladly sign him to chase short-term success. A dangerous game to play, given that modern football revolves around an identity, and Jose's ultra-defensive game plans have been exposed a lot in recent years. Some suggest he will be approached by Chelsea for a third stint. Some say he is making his case to return to Manchester United should INEOS and Jim Ratcliffe not see the vision under Erik ten Hag. He could replace Xavi at Barcelona if they need a lifeline by June.  

One potential suitor could be the U.S. Men's National Team. 

Most American soccer fans took this with a grain of salt. The U.S. Soccer Federation has uneasy feelings about bringing in foreign managers after the fallout from Jurgen Klinsmann's criticisms of the U.S. talent pool and development strategy. If Klinsmann was too fiery for the USSF, imagine hiring Mourinho, who has fallen out with four different clubs now across the last different decade. 

The problem, if you can call it that, is outside of his time at Tottenham (yea yea, no trophies, I get it), Mourinho has still won things. With Chelsea, it was the PL title and Europa League. With United, it was the Europa League and Carabao Cup. With Tottenham, he never got to coach the 2021 Carabao Cup Final, so we'll never know if he could've won it with his floundering Spurs team. With Roma, it was the Europa Conference League. That bought him a lot of favor with the Roma fans and the brass. He rode that wave until he couldn't.

Mourinho has said often he would love to manage a national team. His native Portugal is probably off the list since they just hired Roberto Martinez, the former Belgium head coach. Spain is also off the table since it seems like a new identity is forming under Luis de la Fuente. England hasn't had a foreign manager since Fabio Capello and Gareth Southgate is still riding the 2018 World Semifinal and 2021 Euro Final appearances. Brazil emerged as a leading contender when former manager Tite resigned, but they hired Dorival Junior. Options are few, and at club level, it is not much different. 

Why is the USMNT considered a potential landing spot? Current head coach Gregg Berhalter has a contract that runs until 2026, and that was after he managed the club up entire the final whistle at the 2022 World Cup. Since returning amid a shambolic managerial search carried out by USSF, he has managed to put together some decent results against lower-level opposition, but in typical Berhalter fashion, there are always a few games where the U.S. plays down to their opponent's level and gets punished for it. In other instances, they can't play to their full potential, especially against European opposition. 

In some ways, Mourinho represents what the USMNT fanbase wants: a serial winner, a proven manager. A man with a no-nonsense attitude, who would discipline young players properly and potentially get the best out of them. It's assumed JM would field the best lineup all the time, and that he wouldn't push the U.S. Soccer-MLS agenda Berhalter has – either consciously or subconsciously – made part of his tenure. Essentially, U.S. soccer fans assume Mourinho would tell MLS players the honest truth about their skill levels. 

In my unofficial sports journalist's opinion, that's why he is not what the USMNT needs. It would be nice to have a coach with a clearer tactical idea, but not one who is known to have such toxic tendencies. Jose consistently complains about how players are entitled and they are too distracted by things outside the training ground. He said in a Roma social media video how much he hates Fortnite because players "play that shit all the time" and it makes them late for training. With a group of young U.S. internationals, that is not going to go over well. Not to mention the tactics he does have can best be described as "terror-ball." It is boring, conservative, and honestly, ineffective in today's game. 

Now, I know there are plenty of people on social media saying that players should not be coddled because they are professional athletes. They are being paid to show up, train, and win the match. It is not Jose's fault if they don't win. They also say Mourinho has still been able to win trophies while sticking to his ways during a time when defensive football is getting phased out for high-pressing, quick-passing systems. They will also say how embarrassing it is that Tottenham fans hate him because he was sacked before the League Cup Final, and he might've ended the Spurs trophy drought. The European fan would tweet something like "The Americans should be groveling at Mourinho's feet if he chooses to manage them." Maybe. But like, no. 

I am not a fan of Jose-ball by any means. While I started following PL and the USMNT closely in 2017, I watched the Paul Pogba-Mourinho drama play out in real-time. I was one of the few Tottenham fans who was seriously against Jose replacing Mauricio Pochettino because of how his time at United ended. I watched Tottenham disintegrate from a title challenger to barely finishing in 7th by the end of the season. I remember that night in Zagreb vividly. This man refused to play Gareth Bale regularly because Bale was not reliable on defense. Even if Bale was injured, he was by far better than some of the team choices Jose made. I watched as Toby Alderweiald, Dele Alli, and Lucas Moura had public fallouts with the manager. I wanted nothing more than Jose gone, and he didn't respect Spurs at all even when he was their manager. Why in hell would I want that for the U.S. national team, which is finally starting to look like less of a laughingstock? 

I'm no Berhlater apologist, either. I never wanted him leading that team to Qatar in 2022, but I knew he would be there no matter what. I thought after BJ Callaghan's leadership in the Gold Cup, the USSF would sign the interim coach to a permanent deal. Then Gregg came back, and since then nothing has changed. Berhalter is not universally popular with players, either, as shown by the Gio Reyna drama. But they respect him enough to request him back. At least in that situation, both sides were mature enough to reconcile. Imagine if that happened with Mourinho at the helm. Imagine if Folarion Balogun questioned Mourinho's tactics publicly. They'd never play for the U.S. team again under the Portuguese's watch. 

I know we want the USMNT to take that next step from competing to winning titles, and the World Cup is the true proving ground. I know with the 2026 World Cup coming up, fans would like to see a different face leading the team. I want those things, too. I just don't think Mourinho would be good. He may steady the ship for a couple cycles, but at the risk of falling out with top American players, criticizing the USSF (which we know they don't take lightly), and destroying years of connections the fans have built with this crop of players. I'm asking the USSF politely, don't fall for the Mourniho trap.