Tag: Gregg Berhalter

Marsch: I don’t want USMNT head coach job

Believe him or not, Marsch flatly rejected the idea of wanting the USMNT job

Jesse Marsch definitely wants a job, but there’s one he says he’s not interested in.

One day after the U.S. men’s national team eked out a 3-1 Concacaf Nations League semifinal win over Jamaica, Marsch — who was seemingly the subject of a dig from current USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter after the match — insisted he wasn’t interested in being the next U.S. manager.

Speaking on CBS’s Call It What You Want podcast on Friday, Marsch batted away the question of whether he’d be a candidate to replace Berhalter should things unravel for the USMNT.

“Is that something you want?” asked host Jimmy Conrad. “Say things don’t go well for us at Copa América. Would that be something you would entertain?”

“The [USMNT] job? No. No, I don’t want that job,” declared Marsch, who has been working as a pundit for CBS on UEFA Champions League and USMNT broadcasts since being sacked by Leeds 13 months ago.

It’s a curious position for Marsch to take, especially as he was strongly linked to the role while U.S. Soccer was sorting through whether to offer Berhalter a new contract or move on. Marsch’s agent eventually went public to rule the 50-year-old out as a candidate for the USMNT post.

Since then, Marsch has been linked exclusively to European clubs, with Southampton, Leicester, Monaco, and Celtic all being connected with Marsch at some point.

As a pundit, Marsch has been more than willing to state his disagreements with Berhalter’s choices. Earlier in March, he questioned the idea of calling Tyler Adams up so soon after his return from a long injury layoff. Marsch has also said that the Berhalter era doesn’t include a signature win, and that the USMNT coach should make John Brooks — who hasn’t been called in by Berhalter since September 2021 — “a centerpiece” of the team’s plans.

In Friday’s podcast, Marsch explained that offering his opinions, whether he agrees with Berhalter or not, is the fundamental duty he has as an on-screen pundit.

“Even when we discuss Gregg, or the tactics, or anything else, it’s always about, are we maximizing what we’re getting out of the team?” insisted Marsch. “Is the tactical model what we what we think is best for the group?… I don’t want anybody to take things too personally because that’s not what it’s meant to do. We’re just here trying to give a little bit of insight.”

Watch Marsch discuss the USMNT job

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Did Berhalter take a shot at Marsch after USMNT-Jamaica game?

The USMNT coach couldn’t help but spike the football after Gio Reyna’s display

After watching Gio Reyna’s incredible display for the U.S. men’s national team on Thursday night, Gregg Berhalter couldn’t help himself.

The USMNT defeated Jamaica 3-1 in extra time, advancing to Sunday’s Nations League final against Mexico at AT&T Stadium.

In his post-game press conference the USMNT coach was asked about Reyna, who came off the bench at halftime and delivered two outstanding assists for Haji Wright to decide a dramatic semifinal.

Chief on Berhalter’s mind was criticism he’d received for calling Reyna up amid a loan at Nottingham Forest in which he’s hardly seen the field.

“I think I heard somewhere or read somewhere, ‘Why did Gio get called in the camp?'” Berhalter said. “Did you guys hear any of that? Anyone?

“Well, I think he showed why he got called into camp. Amazing quality, amazing talent. And for us, it’s about supporting him through the difficult times of adapting to the Premier League. But his quality is unquestionable.

“When you see the plays he made on both the second and third goal, I think most importantly, the ball he wins and then makes the pass [on the third goal]. He has that quality that not many players have and it’s clear that he deserves to play on this team.”

Though Berhalter didn’t name any of the critics, he may very well have been referring to one in particular: Jesse Marsch.

The former Leeds coach and one-time candidate for Berhalter’s job questioned Reyna’s inclusion last week on CBS’s “Call It What You Want” podcast.

Marsch even seemed to suggest that Berhalter was overly deferential to Reyna after the scandal that erupted between the pair and their families last year.

This was hardly the first time that Marsch had taken aim at Berhalter in recent months. The former Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig coach also questioned the inclusion of Tyler Adams on the current roster, called for exiled defender John Brooks to be given a major role on the USMNT, and said the USMNT lacks a signature win under Berhalter.

Given all of the above, it’s tough to really blame Berhalter if he felt like spiking the football a bit on Thursday night.

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USMNT calls Aaronson, Wright up for Nations League as injury replacements

Snubbed no more, Aaronson and Wright will get their shot at the Nations League

The U.S. men’s national team has had to make a pair of changes, with Gregg Berhalter adding Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright to his squad for the Concacaf Nations League.

The duo will join up with the USMNT after Luca de la Torre and Josh Sargent had to withdraw from the team with injuries ahead of Thursday’s semifinal against Jamaica in Arlington, Texas.

De la Torre was forced to withdraw with what U.S. Soccer called a quadriceps strain, while Sargent — whose superb recent form earned him his first call-up since 2022 — will miss out due to ankle irritation.

The recall comes at a critical time for Aaronson. The New Jersey native said he is enduring “the toughest year of my life” on Saturday, shortly after what was arguably his best single-game performance with Union Berlin. Aaronson scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over Werder Bremen, just two minutes after notching his first assist of the year.

Wright, meanwhile, is flying high. The USMNT recall comes a day after the Coventry City striker notched a stunning stoppage-time winner to send the Sky Blues through to the FA Cup semifinals. The Californian has eight goals in Coventry’s last 10 matches.

Despite the injury news, Berhalter had a series of options to sort through, particularly in replacing Sargent. Brandon Vazquez has been thriving since completing a winter transfer to Monterrey, while Jordan Pefok has started 10 straight for Borussia Mönchengladbach. If a wide attacker had been preferred, the list of players vying for a spot would have to include Kevin Paredes, Cade Cowell, Alex Zendejas, and Griffin Yow.

If Berhalter had concerns about the balance of his squad going too attack-heavy, Gianluca Busio, and Aidan Morris could have all been in the mix as well. Another option, Lennard Maloney, remains out for Heidenheim with a knock.

Updated USMNT Nations League finals roster

Goalkeepers (3): 22-Drake Callender (Inter Miami; 0/0), 18-Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City; 9/0), 1-Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest; 37/0)

Defenders (8): 2-Sergino Dest (PSV; 32/2), 23-Kristoffer Lund (Palermo; 3/0), 16-Mark McKenzie (Genk; 13/0), 13-Tim Ream (Fulham; 55/1), 3-Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; 14/1), 5-Antonee Robinson (Fulham; 39/4), 12-Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 28/3), 19-Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach; 8/0)

Midfielders (5): 4-Tyler Adams (Bournemouth; 36/1), 15-Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis; 9/0), 8-Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 49/11), 6-Yunus Musah (AC Milan; 33/0), 7-Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest; 24/7)

Forwards (7): 11-Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 38/8), 20-Folarin Balogun (Monaco; 8/3), 17-Malik Tillman (PSV; 8/0), 9-Ricardo Pepi (PSV; 22/10), 10-Christian Pulisic (AC Milan; 64/28), 21-Tim Weah (Juventus; 35/5), 14-Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 7/2)

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USMNT captain Adams returns for Bournemouth after six months out

Adams’ return is a massive boost for the USMNT ahead of the Concacaf Nations League matches later this month

After six months on the sidelines, Tyler Adams is back.

The midfielder came on for Bournemouth in the 71st minute against Luton Town on Wednesday, marking his first appearance since September.

Bournemouth would go on to cap a miraculous comeback, as Antoine Semenyo claimed a brace to give the hosts — who trailed 3-0 at halftime — a stunning 4-3 win.

Barely two hours after Adams was named to a USMNT roster for the first time since the 2022 World Cup, the New York native returned from a hamstring injury that has required two surgeries.

The first came in March 2023, ending his season and playing a major factor in Leeds’ eventual relegation. The second came seven months later, shortly after Adams made a 20-minute Cherries debut that essentially set him right back to square one.

Bournemouth and the USMNT both had to be pleased to see him come on when he replaced Adam Smith in what was a wild match. Adams unsurprisingly stepped into a central midfield role for Andoni Iraola, who had his team see the game out in a 5-2-3 formation.

Shortly before that match kicked off, USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter addressed reporters, discussing what had to happen for Adams to be in the 23-player Nations League squad.

“This decision was basically the output of months of communication with his club to track where he’s at, to see the levels that he’s performing at in training, the loads that he’s doing in training,” explained Berhalter. “Finally, a conversation with [Iraola] two days ago, and really hearing from the coach where he thinks Tyler’s at.”

Per Berhalter, Iraola gave a glowing review of Adams’ progress, which in turn sealed the deal from the USMNT’s perspective.

“He couldn’t say enough good things about [Adams],” said Berhalter. “He’s actually ready to play minutes [Wednesday] in the Premier League. So, we’ll see how that ends up, potentially 30 minutes, 15 minutes, who knows?

“But certainly, they think at the club that he has enough to play up to 45 minutes for us. So once we heard that, we jumped at that idea, because he means so much to the team, both on and off the field. It’d be nice to get him back. His last time with the national team was at the World Cup, so he’s been missed for a while. It’ll be nice to get him back into this group.”

Berhalter made sure to keep the door open for Adams as long as he could, naming him to the team’s 60-player preliminary roster for the upcoming Nations League semifinal against Jamaica (March 21), which will be followed by a contest — either a final or a third-place game —against Mexico or Panama on March 24.

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Juventus took McKennie’s locker and parking spot away last summer, Berhalter says

Juventus wanted the USMNT midfielder out, but he worked his way back into the club’s good graces

Juventus really seemed to want Weston McKennie out last summer.

After the midfielder returned from an ill-fated loan at Leeds, he got a rather frosty welcome back to the Serie A giants.

Juventus reportedly told McKennie that he wasn’t in the club’s plans for the 2023-24 season. The American midfielder himself has said “I came back and I felt like nobody really cared.”

But that level of dismissal went one step further apparently. According to U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter, McKennie didn’t even have a place to park or change in Turin when he arrived for preseason.

“Weston was in a situation where he went back to Juventus after the summer and he didn’t have a locker and he didn’t have a parking spot,” Berhalter said on a conference call Wednesday after naming his Nations League roster.

But as we all know now, things turned around quickly for McKennie. First he earned his way into manager Max Allegri’s plans for the season, then he became a regular starter. Now, as the season enters its final months, McKennie is one of the first names on the teamsheet and reportedly nearing a contract extension.

Berhalter was full of praise for the 25-year-old, who is now second in the Serie A assist charts after a two-assist performance over the weekend.

“Most players would say ‘OK, I’m done. I’m leaving this club. It’s not for me,'” Berhalter said.

“And Weston said, ‘I’m going to dig and I’m going to prove that I belong.’ And he’s done not only that, but he’s proven to be one of the best players of Juventus this year and one of the top midfielders in all Serie A.

“So it shows his mentality, shows his growth as a person. And it shows that he’s able to take these obstacles and continue on and keep performing. And I think that’s a mark of a really good player.”

McKennie and Juventus have one more game before the international break, as they face Genoa on Sunday. The midfielder will then travel to Texas to meet up with his USMNT teammates ahead of a Nations League semifinal against Jamaica on Thursday.

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Crocker: Reyna set for USMNT recall after Berhalter talks

“I think both Gregg and Gio are in a good place to move forward and that’s the best thing to say”

What could have been among the most fraught conversation in U.S. men’s soccer history appears to have worked as intended.

U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker says that head coach Gregg Berhalter and midfielder Gio Reyna have spoken, and that the Borussia Dortmund man is — if fully fit — in line for a USMNT return in October.

“Gregg has had conversations with Gio. They’re in a place where as soon as Gio is fit, he’ll be in the next camp,” said Crocker in quotes published by The Athletic. “I think both Gregg and Gio are in a good place to move forward and that’s the best thing to say.”

Last month, just before making his return to the touchline for the USMNT, Berhalter admitted that he and Reyna had not yet spoken.

“It’s not something where you just pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey bud, here’s how it’s going to be,'” Berhalter said in August. “There is work to be done.”

The fracturing of the relationship between Berhalter and Reyna is extraordinarily complex. The ordeal started with a simple on-field decision, with Berhalter informing the attacking midfielder that his role at the 2022 World Cup wouldn’t be particularly substantial.

From there, things spiraled. Reyna, by his own admission, gave inadequate effort in a subsequent closed-door match, and Berhalter later revealed at a HOW Institute event that he considered dismissing the 20-year-old from the World Cup squad.

Berhalter’s remarks going public were followed by Reyna’s parents, former U.S. internationals Claudio and Danielle Reyna, bringing an incident of domestic violence involving Berhalter and his wife Rosalind from 1992 to light.

A U.S. Soccer investigation eventually found that Berhalter was still eligible for consideration for the USMNT job, while also casting a very dim view of the elder Reynas.

Crocker: ‘A clear way forward’ for Reyna, Berhalter

In the aftermath, Berhalter said that he had apologized in writing to every USMNT player for his discussion of internal issues at the HOW Institute. Reyna, meanwhile, returned for the U.S. under interim coaches Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan, playing well in the team’s CONCACAF Nations League triumph in June.

However, an injury sustained in the Nations League final prevented Reyna from participating in Dortmund’s preseason. On September 8, he participated in a Dortmund U-23 match, but has yet to make his season debut for the senior team.

“Clearly, there’s been a lot of emotions over the last 12 months, but the common connection is they both want the program to be successful,” said Crocker. “That’s the starting point. There is a clear way forward and a professional way of working and they’re both ready. Gio’s looking forward to the next camp, since he’s fit, and Gregg’s looking forward to working with him, the same as all the staff and all the players that want to welcome him back.”

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Berhalter talks USMNT strikers after Balogun, Pepi both score in Oman rout

Berhalter has to be liking what he’s seeing as both No. 9s were on the scoresheet

The U.S. men’s national team could have the sort of “good” problem that every team in the world wants: multiple in-form strikers.

Tuesday’s comprehensive 4-0 win over Oman saw Folarin Balogun open the scoring after 13 minutes, while Ricardo Pepi snuck a 79th minute effort into the bottom corner to give the USMNT its third goal on the night.

Balogun now has two goals in his four USMNT caps, while Pepi scored in both of the team’s games in this window. This comes right after the duo secured moves to better situations at club level that both bear some similarities.

Balogun was one of the best strikers in Ligue 1 last year, which encouraged Monaco to put up €40-plus million to seal an August transfer from Arsenal. Pepi, meanwhile, joined PSV in an €11 million transfer after the 20-year-old impressed on loan in the Eredivisie last season with strugglers Groningen.

With both players settling in at their new clubs and having success with the USMNT, it was no surprise that head coach Gregg Berhalter took multiple questions about the two options in this camp at the No. 9 position.

“You always want your forwards scoring goals. Our job as teammates and as coaches is to put them in a position to score goals,” Berhalter told reporters in a post-match press conference. “It’s important that they both scored. As far as we see the competition, it’s twofold, right? It’s what they do for their clubs each and every week, and what they do for us when they’re in camp.”

Focusing on Pepi first, Berhalter didn’t particularly even focus on the goal, instead citing his play in pressing situations and a near-assist in the game’s final minutes.

“I thought from a pressing standpoint, Ricardo did a great job,” said Berhalter. “It’s really good to see him playing full of confidence. That move he had, and the pass to Weston [late in the match] would have been a fantastic goal. All you really want is your players to be confident, and Ricardo certainly is.”

Asked about Balogun later in the press conference, Berhalter said that he feels the USMNT’s other players are only just starting to figure out where to look for the former Arsenal man.

“I think we’re still trying to figure out the best way to utilize Balo, because we know he’s high quality,” explained Berhalter. “He made a number of good runs behind the back line today that we didn’t pick up on, so he’s still integrating that side of it. And for us, it’s again, all we want to do is put the forwards in position where they can score goals.”

Berhalter expanded a bit on how his system is designed to create the kinds of chances that Balogun (and Pepi) tend to do well at converting. “That’s our game. That’s our game model. That’s how we play: to get our forwards chances, we need to get low balls in the penalty box. We need them to attack in space between the center backs, runs behind the backline, all those things will help create chances for them.”

With October friendlies against Germany and Ghana looking like a more stern test for the USMNT, Berhalter will be hoping that both players maintain or even improve on the confidence and finishing form they’ve shown of late.

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Berhalter backs Arena after legendary coach’s resignation

Berhalter played for Arena with the USMNT and Galaxy, and also coached alongside him

U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter has said Bruce Arena is a “great person” following the New England Revolution manager’s resignation over the weekend.

Amid a MLS investigation into “insensitive and inappropriate remarks,” Arena stepped down on Saturday, admitting in a statement that he “made some mistakes.”

MLS said that its investigation confirmed some elements of the allegations, though it wouldn’t go into further detail.

Berhalter and Arena have a long history, with the latter coaching the former on both the USMNT and LA Galaxy, before Berhalter became an assistant coach under Arena with the Galaxy following his retirement.

With details of what Arena actually said still not available, Berhalter was careful not to opine on the specifics of the situation on Monday, but did offer a backing of Arena as a person.

“I’m not entirely informed with the ins and outs of that whole thing,” Berhalter told reporters ahead of the USMNT’s match against Oman on Tuesday. “What I’d say is that I know Bruce, I know he’s a great person, I know he’s a great coach. I know he’s a very successful coach. He has a strong family. That’s all I can really say about that. I know Bruce has a great character.”

Arena, who coached the USMNT at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup, has the most wins (262) and most MLS Cup titles (five) of any coach in MLS history.

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Berhalter, despite Uzbekistan win, cites USMNT shortcomings: ‘We need to improve’

Berhalter wants to see the USMNT speed play up at the right times, among other things

A 3-0 win over a potential future World Cup foe is normally a time for praise, but the U.S. men’s national team is focused on how to improve.

That’s the word from head coach Gregg Berhalter, who honed in on elements of a victory over Uzbekistan that was far closer than the scoreline indicates.

The USMNT snagged an early lead through Tim Weah, but only secured the three-goal margin of victory late while enjoying a man advantage due to a late injury for the Uzbeks.

“How Uzbekistan competes, how they go in for everything, how they leave their bodies in, it shows us that we can improve,” Berhalter told reporters at a post-game press conference. “And, we will.”

Berhalter dug into a few specific aspects of the USMNT’s performance that will need work. Some were simple, with the newly reappointed manager acknowledging some poor turnovers. Others will require a bit more nuance and a sense of timing from the players on the field.

“When we were building, and were methodical about our build trying to attract the opponent, I thought then, we lacked [in] speeding up the attack, once we broke through [Uzbekistan’s] front five,” explained Berhalter. “That could have been better.”

Later, Berhalter returned to the point, saying that the tempo can be slower as long as the USMNT knows when to add in some aggressive choices on and off the ball.

“I don’t really mind the slower rhythm as long as it’s intentional, and then as long as there’s a change of pace when we’re in the attacking area,” said Berhalter. “If we had to take our time to draw out their defense and then find someone, once we break their top five, then we need to speed up the attack. We need to have numbers getting forward, we need numbers entering the penalty box, we need runs behind the back line. And I thought that’s what we lacked.”

Berhalter added that his team’s counter-press, which had been a strength during his first run in charge of the USMNT, needed to sharpen up as well, an unsurprising thought given how often Uzbekistan was able to convert a change of possession into an attack in the second half.

“Our press after loss [of the ball], defensive transition, needs to get better,” said Berhalter. “I think we gave them too many opportunities to get behind us when we could have been positioned better to win the ball immediately after we lost it.”

Turner, substitutes draw praise from Berhalter

Nonetheless, the press conference could hardly be characterized as entirely negative. Berhalter started off by name-checking several players who he felt came in and had a positive impact.

“Really, really liked the mindset in the last 10 minutes of the game,” enthused Berhalter. “You can see the guys still wanting to push. It wasn’t about holding on to the 1-0, it was about getting aggressive… I liked that the guys wanted to attack it. Kristoffer [Lund] comes on, and [was] just trying to get forward. Brenden [Aaronson] trying to get forward, Malik [Tillman] and Ricardo [Pepi], so I think that was really good.”

Berhalter then turned his attention to goalkeeper Matt Turner, who produced a top-drawer save late in the first half to deny Eldor Shomurodov’s breakaway.

“The other person I’d love to single out is Matt Turner,” said Berhalter of his No. 1, who revealed to TNT’s broadcast crew post-game that he would be heading back to England ahead of the birth of his second child.

“I thought he made the saves when he needed to make [them] —  particularly that one-on-one, was an amazing save — and you know that’s why he’s playing at the level that he’s playing.”

One last positive? Let’s go back to the scoreboard.

“Happy with the three goals,” noted Berhalter. “Obviously they [were] a man down when we scored the last two [due to Khojakbar Alijonov’s injury]. But Uzbekistan doesn’t concede goals. I think they conceded maybe six all year last year.”

Uzbekistan had in fact given up just five goals in 10 games played over the last 12 months, producing six shutouts and losing only once.

“With the back five, 5-4-1 [formation], they’re very difficult to break down. So, happy with that part.”

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USMNT strikes early and late in tougher-than-expected win over Uzbekistan

Don’t let the score fool you: this was a tough one for the USMNT

The U.S. men’s national team welcomed Gregg Berhalter back with a big win on the scoreboard, without necessarily providing the performance to go with it.

The USMNT defeated Uzbekistan 3-0 at St. Louis’ CityPark on Saturday, getting an early striker from Tim Weah before padding the lead with two stoppage-time goals from Ricardo Pepi and Christian Pulisic.

Fans expecting an easy game against an unfancied opponent didn’t get that, however, as the Uzbeks caused danger on the break and used some hard-but-clean tackling to unsettle the USMNT for long spells.

Any worries about a slow start to the second Berhalter era ended quickly, as an enterprising run from Luca de la Torre — who would depart after 33 minutes with a potential broken nose — sparked a USMNT attack that eventually ended with Weah’s powerful strike.

Uzbekistan were struggling whenever the U.S. got numbers forward, with Folarin Balogun heading off the post in the 17th minute after good work from Weston McKennie teed him up.

That said, a rare foray forward nearly gave the Uzbeks a stunning equalizer. Khojakbar Alijonov raided forward from his right wingback role before cutting inside and launching a rocket that was only denied by the crossbar.

Despite the USMNT’s overall control, a gift nearly handed Uzbekistan an equalizer just before halftime. Tim Ream simply took a poor touch preparing for a backpass to Matt Turner, handing striker Eldor Shomurodov a chance to race in alone on goal from 50 yards. Shomurodov tried to shoot back across goal after dragging Turner to one side, but was denied by a huge stop from the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper.

Turner was tested again by Alijonov in the 61st minute as Uzbekistan was becoming a more frequent threat by playing early balls in behind the USMNT back line.

The positive U.S. start seemed like a distant memory as the game wore on, with Uzbekistan’s ability to get in behind causing fits. Berhalter got less than ideal news elsewhere: both McKennie and Antonee Robinson joined de la Torre as substitutes whose fitness will be in question for Tuesday’s match against Oman. Robinson came off having received treatment for some kind of hamstring discomfort (allowing Kristoffer Lund to make his USMNT debut), while McKennie had gestured at his left hamstring in the minutes preceding his exit.

The U.S. needed something to give the match more of a positive feel, and got it in stoppage time from Pepi. The move started with his PSV teammate Sergiño Dest, and ended with Pepi simply overpowering goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov.

Substitute Malik Tillman still found time to win an even later penalty kick, with Pulisic firing past Yusupov five minutes into stoppage time.

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