NEW YORK — Gregg Berhalter was fired as U.S. men’s football coach on Wednesday, nine days after his team lost in the first round of the Copa America, which made people question whether he should stay in charge for the 2026 World Cup.
Ten months into his second stint as coach, Berhalter was fired. He had high hopes for the team and said their goal was to “change football in America forever.” His record after two stints is 44 wins, 17 losses, and 13 draws. In his second stint, the U.S. had seven wins, six losses, and one tie.
Matt Crocker, who is in charge of sports, hired Berhalter again and will also suggest a replacement. The next games are friendlies against Canada and New Zealand in September.
Crocker said in a statement, “Our first priority is to find a coach who can help us reach our full potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup. We have already started the search process.”
Crocker and Cindy Parlow Cone, president of the USSF, both released statements, but they did not immediately answer questions from the media.
Few names have been thrown around as possible replacements for Berhalter. These include Jürgen Klopp, Thierry Henry, Marcelo Bielsa, Jesse Marsch, Hugo Pérez, Pellegrino Matarazzo, David Wagner, Steve Cherundolo, Jim Curtain, Massimiliano Allegri, and Mauricio Pochettino.
It might be the pay.
In 2022, Berhalter made $2,291,136, which included $900,000 in bonuses for helping the U.S. make it to the second round of the World Cup. A top men’s coach could put pressure on the USSF to raise Emma Hayes’s salary as the new women’s coach.
There are only 23 months left until the United States hosts the World Cup for the second time. On June 12, 2026, the Americans play their first game at Inglewood, California. Before that, it’s likely that the CONCACAF Nations League will be the only league where the whole team plays in a competitive game.
On August 1, Berhalter will turn 51 years old. He was the first American to coach the national team after having played for the team in a World Cup. Before being hired to coach the U.S. in December 2018, he played for Hammarby IF in Sweden from 2011 to 2013 and the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer from 2013 to 2018.
His teams won the CONCACAF Nations League in 2020, 2023, and 2024, and he also won the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the U.S. B team in 2021. His players backed Berhalter wholeheartedly, saying that he created a culture that brought the team together.
Because of this support, Crocker hired Berhalter again five months after his first contract expired. This was done while the USSF looked into a domestic violence claim that went back decades and was brought up by the Reyna family, who were angry that Berhalter limited Gio Reyna’s playing time at the World Cup. A law firm hired by the USSF said that bringing Berhalter back would not be illegal.
His critics pointed out that he hadn’t done well against teams from outside the region and that he had trouble on the road against rivals from Central America. The United States got the last automatic spot in the World Cup for the region based on goal difference. It had the second-youngest team at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The U.S. wasted a 1-1 lead in the second half of their game against Wales, tied England 0-0, and beat Iran 1-0 to make it to the next round, where they lost badly to the Netherlands 3-1.
Players weren’t following the rules. Defender Sergiño Dest got a red card in November 2018 for arguing with a referee, and winger Tim Weah was kicked off the Panama game for punching an opponent in the head.
“Everyone in our organisation respects Gregg, and he has been a key part of bringing together a young team and moving the programme forward,” Crocker said in the statement.
This is the second time that U.S. coaches have not done well.
In 2002, Bruce Arena led the team to the quarterfinals, which was its best finish since 1930. In 2006, they didn’t make it past the group stage.
In 2010, Bob Bradley’s team made it to the second round, which earned him a new four-year contract. However, the USSF fired him 11 months later after the US lost the CONCACAF Gold Cup final to Mexico after squandering a two-goal lead.
Jurgen Klinsmann took over and led the team to the second round of the 2014 World Cup. However, he was fired after losing 2-1 at home to Mexico in the first game of the final round of 2018 qualifying and 4-0 away to Costa Rica. Arena came back, and the U.S. lost to Trinidad and Tobago on the last day of qualifying, ending a string of seven straight trips to the World Cup.
The new coach will be taking over players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams who have done well with European clubs. However, goalkeepers Matt Turner, Ethan Horvath, and Reyna have not been able to get playing time with top teams.
