U.S. Soccer hires Lars Knudsen as Set Piece Coach for USMNT

CHICAGO – The U.S. Soccer Federation has appointed Lars Knudsen as Set Piece Coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team. Knudsen departs the Danish Football Union after four years where he has served as the head coach of the U-18, U-19 and U-20 Men’s National Teams. In addition, he worked as a scout for the senior Men’s National Team.

“We are pleased to add a coach with the experience and expertise that Lars brings,” USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “Set pieces are a critical component for any team at the World Cup, and we are confident that Lars will help elevate our quality in this part of the game even higher.”

Prior to his work with the DBU, he served as the first team assistant coach from 2016-18 at FC Midtjylland in the Danish Super League, helping the club to the 2018 championship. He spent nearly eight years at AaB serving in various roles, including reserve team head coach, first team scout and U-17 head coach. A native of Aalborg, Denmark, Knudsen holds a UEFA Pro License and a master’s degree in Applied Philosophy.

“I feel excited and honored to join the U.S. Men’s National Team,” Knudsen said.” From my talks with Gregg I feel very aligned on both soccer ideas and leadership. Having qualified for the World Cup with such a young group says a lot about both the quality and the potential for this team, and I’m really looking forward to the things we have in front of us.”

The U.S. Men’s National Team will face fellow World Cup finalists Japan and Saudi Arabia in September for its final preparation matches ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Along with the games against Morocco and Uruguay, the USMNT will have faced four different World Cup teams prior to traveling to Qatar in November.