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    BEHIND THE CREST EP. 3 | Gregg Berhalter's First Game as USMNT Head Coach
    World Cup 2026

    BEHIND THE CREST EP. 3 | Gregg Berhalter's First Game as USMNT Head Coach



    After three weeks of work, the U.S. Men’s National Team’s first test under new head coach Gregg Berhalter came in a resounding 3-0 win against Panama on January 27, 2019. Go Behind the Crest, in the locker room and on the field in the build up and aftermath of the first match of a new era for the MNT.

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    21 Comments

    3. Space Traveler on

      Any comments on the game verse Costa Rica? I thought we put on a spirited performance… slow in the first half and of course better in the second. Costa Rica is definitely a better team than Panama that’s for sure. A solid win in my opinion.

    4. Poosley on

      Put the money spent producing this towards getting allllll those kids playing soccer in the US actually involved. This is the most hyped produced expensive hype train for an incredibly, incredibly mediocre team.

    5. Matthew Reynolds on

      Things that are better with Triple G as the coach:

      1) US players will no longer admit that they groaned when called up because they hated the environment the coach created (as under JK).  Players are going to want to play.
      2) US players will not have to decide among themselves what tactics to use when sent on the pitch because the coach will have clearly laid out the expectations (unlike under JK).
      3) US players will be coached on specific things that they can do to improve, not just told that they need to try harder and verbally abused (as under JK). 
      4) Young US players will have an understanding voice that knows what it means to come up through the US system, transition to Europe, and generally be an American.
      5) There will no longer be an open adversarial relationship between the national team and the nation's top domestic league.  Instead, there will be a partnership since it is in the best interest of both organizations to see money used to develop domestic youth players, and the USMNT actually needs the MLS more than the MLS needs the USMNT.
      6) The coach will actually now when to sub in players and who to sub in (unlike under JK, see for example the last 15 minutes versus Portugal in 2014).
      7) The team will have a consistent positive culture based on high standards of teamwork, integrity, and patriotic pride.  Instead of having a coach blindly tinkering with a team without clear purpose or denigrating his players often in public when the team fails, we'll have a team with a stable culture and a strategic vision and a coach that stands up for his players. (unlike under JK). 
      8) Players will be fairly evaluated by what role they can play on the team.  Personal grudges and biases won't be a part of it.

      Sure, we might not be better than 20th in the world under Berhalter because there is only so much any coach can do with the current player pool, but we won't be slumming in the lower 40's in the ranking either and we're far more likely to be over performing relative to our talent than underperforming (as in most of the last 8-10 years since Bradley was fired). 

      Of course, there is one thing that won't get better – the toxicity of the US fan base.   There is always going to be that guy who says we suck unless we win a WC, and who thinks that the only thing preventing that from being a reality is failure to bring in European coach, or failure to implement something he heard they do in Europe that he absolutely has no idea how or why it works that way.

    12. Rodger Murphy on

      Berhalter was not a big flashy name but he may be exactly what we need to get our house back in order. The players seem to have a new renewed motivation under him

    14. onebluelove23 on

      Good start to the Berhalter era. But that's all it is right now…a good start. We gotta wait and see how the team does against better competition and in the Gold Cup. Ecuador and Chile will provide two good tests.

    15. happytrailsgaming on

      And who is this guy?? The US will never be relevant i swear! We dont have people in charge who know how this sport is played internationally… Doesnt help that most of our games come from CONCAF as well. We play in a conference that sucks monkey balls 😆 "I want you guys to think about all the times you've played soccer and how many times you've kicked the ball" like wtf lol Thats the speech you've praticed to say to your team before their first game with you as manager?! Smh Jesus help us!
      Edit: Before i get all the hate in the world ive watch the US play since i was a kid and im 32 now. Cant tell you how many times a new squad is implemented and everyone says "we look good and things are look up!" We need to win important games in big tournaments before i have hope again! Real football fan here!

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