Gregg Berhalter’s time as U.S. men’s national team head coach has come to an end.
Fox Sports first reported that Berhalter has been dismissed in the wake of the team’s stunning group-stage exit at the Copa América, which was confirmed last week with a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay.
U.S. Soccer confirmed the reports shortly thereafter, releasing a statement on Wednesday.
“I want to thank Gregg for his hard work and dedication to U.S. Soccer and our men’s national team,” said U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone. “We are now focused on working with our sporting director Matt Crocker and leveraging his experience at the highest levels of the sport to ensure we find the right person to lead the USMNT into a new era of on-field success.”
Berhalter, in a statement supplied by U.S. Soccer to media, claimed “full responsibility” for the early Copa exit.
“I want to thank the U.S. Soccer Federation for entrusting me to lead this team for the past five years,” read Berhalter’s statement. “Representing our country is a tremendous honor and I am proud of the identity we have built on and off the field.
“It was very gratifying watching this team improve over the years and I remain grateful for the lifetime bonds created with our players, coaches, and staff members. The Copa América 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.”
Per the federation, Crocker has been tabbed with the task of hiring Berhalter’s replacement, a search U.S. Soccer says is already underway.
“Gregg has earned the respect of everyone within our organization and has played a pivotal role in bringing together a young team and moving the program forward,” said Crocker. “Our immediate focus is on finding a coach who can maximize our potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, and we have already begun our search process.”
Berhalter had been under increasing pressure following the Copa, with former players, pundits, media members and supporters all calling for a change.
The move caps a stunning reversal just one year after U.S. Soccer re-hired Berhalter with the express aim of taking the team through the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
Berhalter’s contract expired at the end of 2022, leaving his status unknown after the USMNT exited the 2022 World Cup in the last 16. A salacious scandal involving Claudio and Danielle Reyna would follow, which appeared to end any chance Berhalter had of regaining his old position.
However, after an extensive search process, U.S. Soccer confirmed that Berhalter would return to the position he had already held for four years.
But results since Berhalter’s reappointment have been disappointing, with the coach under major pressure even before the U.S. embarked on an ultimately doomed Copa América campaign.
Fox Sports added that U.S. Soccer figures to have a new, full-time coach in place before the next USMNT fixture, which is a September 7 friendly against Canada.
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