Beware the USMNT rumor mill

The U.S. men’s national team is at an extremely low point in its recent history. But, here’s the thing. The USMNT is also still a high-profile program with appeal worldwide. That’s why you’ve already seen some popular names from around the globe — like Laurent Blanc, for example — being linked to the open manager job.

The most recent rumor has been brought up by talkSPORT in England. They claim that West Ham manager Slaven Bilic is “a front-runner” for the USMNT job. There are several issues with this. First and foremost, Slaven Bilic is employed by a Premier League club. Sure, he could be fired between now and the time that [whoever is in charge of making such decisions] is ready to make a choice of who to hire, but that seems like a big reach.

Another big reason to doubt a rumor like this is the source of which it comes from. Unlike the Blanc link from a respected outlet like France Football, talkSPORT is not known for being reliable when it comes to reporting or speculating over rumors. Here’s a page full of rumors that they throw about willy-nilly.

Don’t get taken by every rumor you see in these trying times. There will be many names popping up over the months to come. It’s highly unlikely that a site known for trying to get clicks will have a solid rumor. Unless it’s coming from an American source like Grant Wahl, Steven Goff, Paul Tenorio, or several others that would do their due diligence before reporting, it’s probably not worth taking seriously.