USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter sacked after dismal Copa América performance | USA
Gregg Berhalter was fired as US men’s soccer coach on Wednesday, nine days after his team’s first-round exit from the Copa America flamed doubts he was the right person to remain in charge for the 2026 World Cup.
Berhalter’s second term as coach was cut short 10 months after he returned to the bench with high hopes and proclaimed the team’s goal was “to change soccer in America forever.” In his second stint as coach, the US won seven games, lost six and drew once, leaving his overall record at 44 wins, 17 losses and 13 draws.
Technical director Matt Crocker rehired Berhalter and will also make the recommendation on his replacement. The team will next play in September friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.
“Our immediate focus is on finding a coach who can maximize our potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, and we have already begun our search process,” Crocker said in a statement.
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Jürgen Klopp, Thierry Henry and Marcelo Bielsa are among the candidates being speculated as potential replacements for Berhalter, along with Jesse Marsch, Hugo Pérez, Pellegrino Matarazzo, David Wagner, Steve Cherundolo, Jim Curtain, Massimiliano Allegri and Mauricio Pochettino.
Salary could be a problem, though. Berhalter earned $2.2m in 2022, including $900,000 in bonuses for the Americans qualifying for the World Cup and reaching the second round. A top-level men’s coach could put pressure on US Soccer to increase the salary of newly hired women’s coach Emma Hayes.
Just 23 months remain before the World Cup comes to the US for the second time and the Americans play their opener at Inglewood, California, on 12 June 2026. The only competitive matches with the full player pool before then likely will be in the Concacaf Nations League.
Berhalter was the first American to coach the national team after playing for the team at a World Cup. He was hired to coach the US in December 2018 after stints with Sweden’s Hammarby (2011-13) and Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew (2013-18).
He led the US to titles in the Concacaf Nations League in 2020, 2023 and 2024 and to another with a B team in the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. His players strongly supported Berhalter, saying he fostered a culture that bound the group.
That support led to Crocker rehiring Berhalter five months after his initial contract expired amid an investigation of a decades-old domestic violence allegation that was brought to the US Soccer’s attention by the Reyna family, which was upset that Berhalter limited Gio Reyna’s playing time at the World Cup. A law firm retained by US Soccer said there was no legal obstacle to bringing Berhalter back.
His detractors cited lack of success against teams outside the region and struggles on the road against Central American rivals. Under Berhalter, the US failed to beat a team in the top 25 of Fifa’s rankings outside Concacaf.
The US gained the region’s final automatic World Cup berth on goal difference, and it had the second-youngest team at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The US wasted a second-half lead in a 1-1 draw with Wales, tied England 0-0 and defeated Iran 1-0 to reach the knockout stage, where the US played poorly in a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands.
Players exhibited a lack of discipline: Defender Sergiño Dest received a red card last November at Trinidad and Tobago for arguing with a referee and winger Tim Weah was sent-off against Panama in a pivotal game at Copa América for punching an opponent.
“Gregg has earned the respect of everyone within our organization and has played a pivotal role in bringing together a young team and moving the program forward,” Crocker said.
In general, US coaches have not fared well in a second cycle. Bruce Arena led the team to a quarter-final appearance in 2002, the best since 1930, then failed to advance past the group stage in 2006. Bob Bradley’s team reached the second round in 2010, earning him a four-year contract extension only for the US Soccer to fire him 11 months later after the US wasted a two-goal lead and lost to Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup final.
Jürgen Klinsmann replaced Bradley and led the team to the second round of the 2014 World Cup, then was fired after opening the final round of 2018 qualifying with a 2-1 home loss to Mexico and a 4-0 defeat at Costa Rica. Arena returned and the US lost at Trinidad and Tobago on the final day of qualifying, ending a run of seven straight World Cup appearances.
While the new coach inherits players such as Christian Pulisic (Milan), Weston McKennie (Juventus) and Tyler Adams (Bournemouth) who have thrived with European clubs, goalkeepers Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest) and Ethan Horvath (Cardiff) and Reyna (Borussia Dortmund) have failed to gain playing time with first-tier teams.
