After being knocked out in the group stage of the Copa America after a 1-0 loss to UruguayThe United States became the first host nation to fail to advance to the knockout stages of the Copa America, leaving it at a crossroads as a federation. Cheers of “Fire Gregg” rang out in Arrowhead Stadium after the loss, as fans' patience wears thin after the 2022 World Cup setback under manager Gregg Berhalter.
In his post-match press conference, Berhalter said there will be an evaluation of the tournament's performance and what needs to change going forward, but he also clarified that it is not his decision whether he will be present for the evaluation. US Soccer technical director Matt Crocker opted to rehire Berhalter after his contract expired, but now it's time to decide whether he is the person to manage this team at the 2026 World Cup.
Expectations will be sky-high for the USMNT playing on home soil in an anticipated World Cup, and judging by what Berhalter has done as USMNT manager, he has not proven that he is the person to lead the team in this tournament. When asked at the end of the press conference if he is the person to lead the team going forward, Berhalter’s answer was simple: “Yes.”
But here's why it's time to move on:
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Lack of attack when it matters
When I think back to the biggest USMNT result recently, it was the 0-0 draw with England at the World Cup. The USMNT defended well, forcing England to take shots from bad positions, but in doing so, the offense was unable to get into the game. There is a balance between attacking and defending when necessary, but under Berhalter this team has gone to extremes.
The match against Uruguay was a match where the United States would have been knocked out if they didn’t win and didn’t surpass Panama’s record. And they went on to take eight shots and only put three on target. Uruguay has a good defense, but the urgency wasn’t there. You have to go for it, and even if it means losing 4-1, you have to do more and under Berhalter they haven’t reached that acceleration. They’ve scored just one goal in the last 226 minutes.
The team is too comfortable
Matt Turners His post-game words on Fox stuck with me. When asked what he thought about the direction the USMNT was going in after being eliminated from the tournament, Turner said, “I don't see a problem with the direction we're going.”
With no competitive matches before the 2026 World Cup, the Copa America was a critical growth period for this generation of USMNT, and they failed to advance past Panama in the group. By that measure, their status within Concacaf has declined, but one core member of the team still feels good about their direction.
It’s understandable that a player wouldn’t want to throw others under the bus, and Turner took some responsibility during the interview, but the feelings of anger over not being eliminated from the tournament were not there. The USMNT used to be a team that took a beating and hit back harder and fought as hard as they could until the game was over, but this team doesn’t have that yet. It’s something that might come as they grow, but it also needs a new manager to instill it.
Not enough has changed
Since the 2022 World Cup, the same questions have persisted. The United States has not shown that it can beat the big teams that are not called Mexico and they have few games left to do so now that they have fallen in the Copa America. After losing to the The Netherlands in the World Cup with essentially the same squad, the expectation was that players would learn from that pain and do better next time, and while they did that in some ways against Uruguay, everyone wanted more from this tournament. If anything, the USMNT regressed, despite players playing almost exclusively their club football abroad. It’s not a question of talent, it’s a question of leadership.
Who should replace him?
If US Soccer decides it’s best to move on from Berhalter, there’s no shortage of available candidates. Matt Crocker has proven that US Soccer can attract top prospects from around the world after the US Women’s National Team signed Emma Hayes , but it’s unclear whether the men’s team still holds such an attractive role, even with the 2026 World Cup on home soil. From potentially unrealistic candidates like Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp to domestic candidates like the Philadelphia Union’s Jim Curtin, LAFC’s Steve Cherundolo and Columbus Crew’s Wilfried Nancy, Crocker should leave no stone unturned in this coaching search, as it could change the course of American soccer as we know it.
