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Nine days after his team's Copa America first-round loss sparked doubts about his ability to guide the team to the 2026 World Cup, Gregg Berhalter was fired as head coach of the US men's soccer team on Wednesday. Before losing 2-1 to Panama and 1-0 to Uruguay, the United States overcame Bolivia 2-0 in their opening game.
Berhalter's second stint as coach was cut short 10 months after he returned to the bench with high aspirations and said that the team's objective was "to change soccer in America forever." In his second stay, the United States won seven games, lost six, and drew one, for 44 victories, 17 defeats, and 13 draws.
As per AP News, Gregg Berhalter said, “The Copa America result is extremely disappointing and I take full responsibility for our performance.” “Our approach and process was always focused on the 2026 World Cup and I remain confident that this group will be one of the great stories in 2026.”
With incentives of $900,000 for the Americans' FIFA World Cup qualification and second-round performance, Berhalter made $2,291,136 in 2022. Emma Hayes, the recently hired women's coach, may face pressure from the USSF to receive a pay raise if she becomes a prominent men's coach.
In the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2021, he guided the U.S. team to a championship with a B squad and three more in the CONCACAF Nations League in 2020, 2023, and 2024. His players backed Berhalter wholeheartedly, claiming he created a culture that united the team.
Matt Crocker looking for other option
Matt Crocker, the sporting director, recommended Berhalter's successor in addition to rehiring him. September's friendly against Canada and New Zealand are the team's next scheduled games. Among the names being floated as possible successors to Berhalter are Jurgen Klopp, Thierry Henry, Marcelo Bielsa, and Mauricio Pochettino.
There are just 23 months left before the Americans host the World Cup in the United States for the second time, on June 12, 2026, in Inglewood, California. Before then, there won't be any competitive games with the whole player pool outside of the CONCACAF Nations League.