McCarthy hunts for new head coach role amid MLS link

Benni McCarthy is contemplating his next move in coaching and has not ruled out Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States as a potential destination.

McCarthy left Premier League side Manchester United at the end of last season, having held a first-team coach position at Old Trafford, and is now looking for a new opportunity as a head coach.  

“After leaving United, that passion for wanting to be a head coach again has come through and that is the next step for me,” McCarthy said in an interview with CNN.

“To go back to the African continent, to manage one of the big, important teams with the knowledge that I have gained, would be amazing.

“Taking a team on the continent and trying to make them one of the powerhouses in African football, but also to try and reach a final in the Club World Cup.

“Or even the MLS interests me a lot. Opportunities like that I would welcome because I have got what it takes to manage there and make players better. To help teams achieve goals they have maybe not achieved the last few years.”

Rob Moore, who is McCarthy’s business manager, would not be drawn on a next destination for the coach, but did confirm to SuperSport.com that talks were ongoing with a potential club in the MLS.

Several South Africans have coached in the league before, not least Bradley Carnell at New York Red Bulls and most recently St Louis City, but also Alan Koch who had a spell with FC Cincinnati.

Going even further back, Eddie Firmani was a heralded coach in the old North American Soccer League in the 1970s and 80s, most notably with New York Cosmos, opening the door for Jomo Sono to play there with Pele.