When it comes to the hiring of a premier international manager, it’s usually a case of “Show me the money.” Hiring top talent requires paying top dollar, and as it pertains to the next coach of the U.S. men’s national team, the U.S. Soccer Federation seems willing to oblige, both in terms of the amount and the mechanisms by which said manager is compensated.

For the entirety of the USSF’s existence, the compensation paid to the USMNT manager came strictly out of the federation’s coffers. That amount has ebbed and flowed to a degree, but mostly increased over time.

According to USSF financial disclosures, the 2011 fiscal year — which included the 2010 World Cup — saw then-manager Bob Bradley get paid $941,647. When Jürgen Klinsmann was hired in 2011, the ante was upped considerably. In the fiscal year that included the 2014 World Cup, Klinsmann was paid $3.2 million. Gregg Berhalter was paid $2.3 million in his World Cup year, including a $900,000 bonus for qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

The seemingly small amounts the federation spent on the USMNT manager’s salary fed the perception that the USSF couldn’t afford a coach with a higher profile. For comparison, recently departed England boss Gareth Southgate reportedly earned £5 million ($6.4 million) a year.

The USSF might need to get accustomed to offering that kind of money. In the wake of Berhalter’s firing two weeks ago, the expectation is that the federation will look overseas to find his replacement. ESPN confirmed a Fox Sports report that U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker spent last week in Europe with an eye on hiring a foreign manager. Recruiting such a talent is likely to cost considerably more than the USSF has spent in the past to fill the position.

Everybody’s fantasy pick, former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, was reportedly making €50 million a year when he stepped down from managing the Reds at the end of the 2023-24 season. About half that amount was salary, with outside sources picking up the rest. While sources have told ESPN that Klopp joining up with the USMNT is unlikely, depending on who does get hired, the total compensation for the new manager could reach the high seven figures.