The U.S. men’s national team is still without a permanent coach, but forward Tim Weah knows who he’d like to see get the full-time job.
Speaking with TUDN during the USMNT’s camp for their upcoming CONCACAF Nations League knockout matches, Weah voiced his support for former head coach Gregg Berhalter.
Asked about the development of a stronger mentality in high-pressure games against Mexico — like the Nations League semifinal coming up on June 15 in Las Vegas — Weah gave the credit to his old coach.
“I think this question takes me back to Gregg. These past few games [against Mexico], Gregg has really kept us together,” said Weah. “Gregg, B.J., the whole staff, has really kept us as a unit. I think that’s what is our main focal point, it’s that we’re definitely a family. And no one can take that away.
“Gregg really helped us form this type of relationship with each other. So, he was a huge, huge, important part of this team. So hopefully, hopefully he comes back.”
In CONCACAF’s most ferocious rivalry, the USMNT — currently under the stewardship of interim coach B.J. Callaghan — has claimed an edge, going unbeaten over nearly four calendar years. In particular, the USMNT won three huge matches between the sides in 2021: the Nations League final, the Gold Cup final, and a World Cup qualifier in November of that year.
If Mexico doesn’t beat the USMNT next week, it will mark six straight matches in the rivalry without an El Tri win, tying the longest such run in the rivalry’s history (a six-game spell from August 2011 to April 2015).
For the record, the question was about the success of the USMNT over México for the past 2 years. Never mentioned Berhalter’s name. Guess player’s have free will & a mind of their own. Who knew 🤷🏼♂️ https://t.co/79R5eiJYu7
— Michele Giannone (@MicheleG3) June 9, 2023
Berhalter’s situation with the USMNT is an unprecedented one, with the coach meeting pre-tournament expectations at the 2022 World Cup before seeing his contract end while U.S. Soccer was in the midst of a review process of the entire qualifying cycle.
Before the federation could finish that process, a scandal involving Gio Reyna’s playing time, his very angry parents, and a long-buried instance of domestic violence broke into full public view, leaving Berhalter’s position very much in question.
Compounding the situation, U.S. Soccer’s leadership has seen significant change. In January, sporting director Earnie Stewart left the federation for a prominent role at PSV, while Brian McBride’s time as USMNT general manager also came to an end. U.S. Soccer announced in April that they had hired Matt Crocker away from Southampton to take over the sporting director job, but the native of Wales doesn’t start in his position on a full-time basis until August.
Callaghan isn’t even the federation’s first interim coach amid all of this change. Anthony Hudson held the job for a few months before being announced as the new head coach at Qatari club Al Markhiya on Tuesday.
In backing Berhalter — who has never ruled a return out — Weah joins a growing list of USMNT players who have voiced their support. Christian Pulisic has stumped for Berhalter on multiple occasions, while Matt Turner and Antonee Robinson have also characterized their experiences under Berhalter as positive.
On the other hand, Joe Scally and Matt Miazga have offered hints that they’d prefer someone else be in charge. Thierry Henry and Pellegrino Matarazzo are among the big names to acknowledge some level of interest in becoming Berhalter’s full-time successor.
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