June 15 – Gregg Berhalter is returning as coach of the U.S. men’s national team,
Berhalter was in charge of the US men’s team from 2018 to 2022 but did not have his contract immediately renewed at the end of the Qatar World Cup.
While US Soccer was reviewing his next contract, Berhalter was involved in a very public row over one of his star young players, Giovanni Reyna, who had underperformed at the World Cup and who Berhalter had said he almost sent home for disciplinary reasons.
Reyna’s parents Claudio and Danielle objected to the public condemnation of their son by their longtime friend and reported to an incident from 30 years ago to former U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart in which Berhalter had kicked his wife Rosalind during an argument when they were at the University of North Carolina.
U.S. Soccer opened an investigation (which eventually cleared Berhalter) and the appointment of a new coach was put on hold and Anthony Hudson was promoted to interim head coach from within the system.
He was then replaced two weeks before the Nations League finals and B.J. Callahan, another internal appointment, took over as interim head coach. Callahan will continue to lead the US team in the Nations League final on Sunday and through the Gold Cup that the US kicks off in Chicago on June 24.
The federation appointment was made by U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker, who joined the organisation only a few weeks ago, though how much of the decision making process was his is unclear.
US Soccer said it was all his and in their statement said: “A special thanks to Matt for deftly leading a thorough process that allowed him to speak with a number of highly regarded candidates from across the globe. Matt came in with a clean slate, having never met Gregg before this process. He took the time necessary to explore a diverse pool of candidates, and we’re a better, smarter organization for the work that went into this search.”
Berhalter had built a squad of young talented players, potentially the most talented squad the US men’s team has ever had. However, he very often favoured a more pragmatic approach to the game which saw a flat back four. It was effective in Concacaf competition and in 2021 he won both the Nations League and the Gold Cup.
The US team in the Nations League semi-finals were a very different, free flowing and pacy outfit to much of what has preceded them, driven forward by Christian Pulisic and the younger players like new boy Folarin Balogun, Timothy Weah and the mercurial Pepi. Gio Reyna was also a standout in Callahan’s line-up.
“We have built a team that plays with more freedom and confidence than we’ve seen in a very long time. Many of our key players are at the beginning stages of their career, and we see great potential for them to grow together,” said US Soccer.
It is now Berhalter’s task again to see what potential actually looks like in the run-up to and through the 2026 World Cup.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1732718347labto1732718347ofdlr1732718347owedi1732718347sni@n1732718347osloh1732718347cin.l1732718347uap1732718347