Gregg Berhalter fired as United States coach after Copa America exit

NEW YORK – United States coach Gregg Berhalter has been fired following his team’s disastrous group-stage exit at the Copa America, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) announced on July 10.

In a statement, the USSF said that the 50-year-old former US international, who was brought back to manage the team in 2023, had been relieved of his duties “effective immediately”.

“We are deeply grateful to Gregg for his commitment the past five years to the men’s national team and to US Soccer,” said USSF sporting director Matt Crocker.

“Gregg has earned the respect of everyone within our organisation and has played a pivotal role in bringing together a young team and moving the programme forward.”

Berhalter’s dismissal comes after his team were eliminated from the Copa America in the group stage after defeats by Panama and Uruguay following an opening win over Bolivia.

That early exit – the first time in history a Copa host nation have been knocked out in the group stage – triggered widespread calls from former players, pundits and fans for Berhalter to be dismissed.

The sacking comes just two years before the United States co-hosts the World Cup with Canada and Mexico in 2026, a tournament which is viewed in the US as a golden opportunity to widen football’s appeal.

Crocker said the search for Berhalter’s replacement was already under way.

“Our immediate focus is on finding a coach who can maximise our potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, and we have already begun our search process,” Crocker said.

Berhalter had faced relentless scepticism since he was first appointed as US coach six years ago in the wake of the team’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Although he enjoyed respectable results in regional competitions – winning the inaugural Concacaf Nations League in 2021 before adding the Gold Cup in the same year – his results against top-tier nations remained poor.

He helped the team qualify for the 2022 World Cup, where they were eliminated in the last 16 by the Netherlands, after emerging from a group that featured England, Wales and Iran.

However his future as US coach was plunged into uncertainty in the wake of the Qatar World Cup, where an ugly feud with the family of midfielder Giovanni Reyna exploded into public view.

Berhalter’s contract, which expired in December 2022, was not automatically renewed.

The USSF meanwhile conducted an investigation into a 1992 allegation of domestic violence by Berhalter against his then girlfriend, now wife.

He was cleared and then reappointed to the job in June 2023. That decision was widely viewed as unimaginative and underwhelming by many US fans.

The pressure on the US coach was amplified by the team’s failure to mount a serious Copa challenge, while at the same time, another American coach, Jesse Marsch, took Canada to the semi-finals.

Berhalter, meanwhile, had insisted he was the right man to lead the US at the 2026 World Cup following their Copa demise even though he admitted performances at the tournament had not been good enough.

According to ESPN, big names such as Jurgen Klopp, Marcelo Bielsa, Mauricio Pochettino and Thierry Henry are among those being speculated about as candidates to replace Berhalter. AFP