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Just before kick-off of the United States vs. Mexico in the CONCACAF Nation’s League semifinal on Thursday night, The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio broke major news on Twitter: Gregg Berhalter is back as head coach.
U.S. Soccer confirmed this news on Friday, announcing Berhalter will take over starting in September and lead the team through the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The choice is a surprising one, as Berhalter’s split with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) following the 2022 FIFA World Cup was ugly. Despite winning two CONCACAF Finals over Mexico and leading the USMNT back to the World Cup after missing out in 2018, stories began to leak about what happened behind the scenes in Qatar.
Per Sports Illustrated, Berhalter aired Reyna’s poor attitude and effort in camp publicly following the tournament, something his old friend and teammate Claudio took exception to. In response, Claudio’s wife Danielle reported Berhalter’s abuse of his now-wife Rosalind in college to the USSF.
Berhalter then released this statement, where he acknowledged he did kick his wife in 1991 and sought help. The USSF has since “investigated and concluded it was satisfied” with Berhalter’s explanation says ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle.
Despite the controversy surrounding Berhalter’s departure, some of the team’s biggest stars voiced their hope he’d get the job once again.
Yahoo! Sports reported USMNT captain Christian Pulisic wanted Berhalter back. “I think he should be considered,” Pulisic said. “I think he did a great job with the team. I think a lot of people, a lot of guys on the team especially, would agree with that.”
There are many reasons why this hire could go poorly the second time around. There’s the possibility that Berhalter has lost the trust of the locker room. There’s the possibility he’s lost the respect of many for his actions in 1991 and there is the fact that the process looks like a waste of time.
Aside from the team playing under two interim coaches since Berhalter’s contract expired, the USSF also hired a firm to bring on Matt Crooker as sporting director just for the team to end up in the same place as before the World Cup.
But the reality is that of the available options, Berhalter was probably the best available. And while B.J. Callaghan will rightfully get lots of credit for coaching the team to a 3-0 victory over Mexico in his debut, he did it with many of Berhalter’s players.
If Thursday night’s domination is anything to go on, the USMNT’s future remains bright.
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