All American Sports Fans Should be Thrilled Gregg Berhalter Was Fired As US Soccer Head Coach
US Soccer finally pulled the trigger and fired its coach, Gregg Berhalter. American soccer fans everywhere are rejoicing, and that joy should spread to all American sports fans who like to cheer on the Red, White and Blue.
Let's face it, if any team puts the USA flag on their uniform, as a sports fan, I am rooting for them. We here at OutKick think that is the same for most sports fans in this great country.
That is why all sports fans should be happy today that Gregg Berhalter is no longer coaching US Soccer's men's national team. To say his tenure was nothing short of disappointing is a gross understatement. Gregg inherited a team that showed great promise, with more internationally based star players than any past USA soccer team. In the end, he never produced a BIG win.
Gregg Berhalter is releived of his duties as head coach of the US men's national soccer team. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The best way to describe Berhalter's coaching style was cynical. He insisted on going backwards before advancing the ball. There was never any sense that the team had goal-scoring plays inside the final third of play. Their set piece play in the offensive zone was offensively bad.
The calls for his job have been loud since the US exited Copa América.
Gregg Berhalter Had Limited Successes As Head Coach
He can claim minor early successes with wins in the ‘21 and ’24 Concacaf Nations league, and the '21 Gold Cup with, at best, B teams competing. But coaches are judged by their performance on the biggest stages. Gregg had two opportunities, and neither gave fans confidence they were witnessing an improving team.
After missing the World Cup in 2018, a massive disappointment for US Soccer fans, qualifying for the 2022 World Cup was mandatory. Through the 14-game qualifying process, the USA only won seven of those games. The other seven games produced four draws and three losses. The three losses came to Canada, Panama and Costa Rica.
Incredibly, they qualified on the final day of games with a loss to Costa Rica. The loss left them tied on points with Costa Rica, but they advanced on goal differential. Seriously, this talented group of players struggled to qualify behind Berhalter's style of play, but at least they were heading to Qatar.
In Qatar, the US played not to win, but to survive and advance. In a weak group, that is all they did. They tied Wales 1-1, wasting a 2nd half lead, tied England 0-0, and then beat Iran 1-0. The Iran win was a white-knuckle bunker job in the second half that saw the US miraculously hold on. The US was on to the knock-out round.
Gregg's squad laid an egg against the Netherlands in the next round. They trailed 1-0 after 10 minutes and 2-0 by halftime. They pulled within one in the 76th minute, but gave one up 5 minutes later and lost 3-1. Once again, the USA was out of the World Cup before the Quarter-finals. The last time US soccer made it to the QF's was in 2002 in Korea.
Gregg Berhalter and the US team are bounced from the 2022 World Cup, losing to the Netherlands 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
With expectations sky-high, 2022 was a painful ride through qualifying and in the World Cup. At no point, did fans get the feeling this club could play anything but hang on and hold on soccer. Ironically, the players backed him through this, and with his contract up, US soccer went through the process of reviewing the performance and deciding next steps.
US Soccer Inexplicably Rehires Berhalter
In a surprise to many, Berhalter's contract was extended and he remained the head coach. This after the public embarrassment of a fight with the Reyna family and Gio Reyna. This after the disappointment of a lackluster performance in Qatar.
So it was on to Copa América, a tournament between the best teams in North, Central, and South America, including the Carribean. Anything short of a Semifinal appearance would be a failure. The Group draw fell the United States way. Uruguay was the best team in the group, but the US seemed easily second best, with Panama and Bolivia also in the group. All the games were in the US. What could go wrong?
Well, everything actually. After beating Bolivia in the first game, Panama was next in Atlanta. This was the unseen disaster that ultimately was what cost Berhalter his job. In the 18th minute, Tim Weah swung at the head of a Panamanian defender and got a red card. Down to 10 men, they took a 1-0 lead four minutes after the red, all they had to do was hold on. But they couldn't even do that. Panama scored in the 26th minute to tie, and then again in the 83rd as the US faded playing with only 10 men.
Needing a win, the tournament ended for the US with a 1-0 loss to Uruguay. The unthinkable was reality. Was it Gregg's fault it all came down to a stupid red by Weah? Probably not, just like it wasn't his fault when Sergino Dest got the red in World Cup qualifying in a loss to Trinidad and Tobago. It should be said though that well-coached teams don't have players make catastrophic mistakes in high-pressure situations, this team had two.
In the end, US Soccer had no choice. The coach who failed to get results in his two biggest tournaments he coached in had to be replaced.
The Next Move By US Soccer Is The Biggest
The next coach for US Soccer must be a great hire. It must come a from a pool of coaches who had international experience and can get the most out of an incredibly talented group of players. He must develop a system designed to play offensive football and find a true goalscorer. The pool is deep.
The best name out there is Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool head coach. US Soccer should offer him whatever he wants to take on the challenge. Other names that can be considered if that doesn't work out are Patrick Viera, Crystal Palace head coach, Thierry Henry, French Olympic head coach, and Matias Almeyda, Argentian who coaches AEK Athens.
The US is already qualified for the 2026 World Cup as the games will be hosted here, Mexico and Canada. That gives the next coach two years to form a team that can play with the best in the world.