Pirlo admits he'd be interested in MLS coaching job

Andrea Pirlo says that he'd be open to coaching in MLS someday as he looks to take the lessons learned during his time at Juventus and apply them to his next job.

Pirlo spent just one season in charge of Juve before being let go this summer in favor of Massimiliano Allegri.

The former Italy star says he's now looking forward to his "next adventure" which could possibly come in MLS, where he spent three seasons playing for New York City FC.

What did Pirlo say?

"I’m not ruling out anything,” Pirlo told The Athletic when asked about MLS. “It’s a great league. I see lots of coaches coming to MLS from other countries. I was lucky enough to play there.

"You saw what the USMNT did in the Gold Cup so I’d say the American game is taking off. Lots of Americans are now playing for the best clubs in the world — Juve, Barcelona, Chelsea. If they’re playing at that level, it speaks to their potential.”

Despite having left the league in 2017 upon his retirement, Pirlo says he still keeps tabs on what's going on in MLS and American soccer in general.

“I don’t watch all the games but I turn it on when I can,” Pirlo said. “I know it’s really hot this time of year. I remember playing in that heat. It’s hard for players to maintain high intensity when it’s this hot.

“I watch all the teams. I love New York — I had a place there before I moved stateside — but I like everything about MLS. I really enjoyed my time there. I got on well with the club, my teammates, the staff and the coaches I had.

"It was a great life experience, a great football experience too. Two of my kids were born in America, so it’s something we’ll always carry with us. It’s like home to them, a part of our lives. They’re American.”

Lessons from Juve 

Pilo lasted just 52 games in charge of Juventus, with the club failing to win Serie A and only barely securing qualification to the Champions League.

He was hired without any managerial experience, having only been named Juve's Under-23 coach 10 days before his promotion to lead the senior team. However, Pirlo says that his footballing philosophy has not changed despite his experience at Juve as he still believes in a style of play that can work at the highest levels.

“I’m not going to change it because some of the results weren’t good,” he said. “That’s still how I think about the game — playing out from the back, looking to keep the ball, regaining possession as quickly as possible. A lot depends on the players you have available to you and what they enable you to do. Players are much more important than coaches. It’s the coaches who must adapt.”

“I learned a lot,” he continued. “It was my first experience as a coach but it was very intense because we started the season with only one friendly game. It all went very quickly. We played every three days, without fans, without being able to recover and without being able to train and prepare for the next game. It was difficult to try something new. Recovery was more important.”

Currently without a job, Pirlo says that he's spent the last few months looking both inward and outwards at coaches that could inspire him going forward towards his next role.

“I’m looking at lots of different coaches,” he said. “You can learn from anyone. I’m watching games and training sessions online.

"Once it’s easier to travel, I’ll go watch some in person. I bumped into Mauricio Pochettino on holiday in Ibiza and he asked me to swing by Paris and say hello. If I can, I’d like to go to Manchester to see [Pep] Guardiola.”

Further reading