Gregg Berhalter was rehired by US Soccer Federation to take the USMNT to the 2026 USA World Cup. US Soccer, fans, and media quickly lost their minds.
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21 Comments
Let's all chill out
If we think about some of the top teams from the CONMEBOL(?), we have ARG, URU, BRA. In CONCACAF, Mexico is in mud, but Canada isn't nothing. I don't trust 3G to get us past these teams in a definitive manner.
I don’t think we can take the Pepi endorsement super seriously. He’s in a no win spot. If he says anything even remotely negative he’s jeopardizing his future. Gregg already left him off one major roster… if the USA doesn’t make a strong run in Copa America, then I think he should be sacked. This is too important of a cycle to stay stuck in neutral.
All that said, no hate, just disappointment. But I’m never disappointed in you :). Thanks for the content.
Well there you go. I guess we have to be reasonable, balanced, and nuanced. I think Greg has been a B- coach, maybe a B. Team construction and recruitment is A+. Team camaraderie A+. Flexibility, game day adjustments, roster selection, C-. I really hope he can just loosen the reins a bit. Greg needs to chill and let the players play and oh…play the best players, duh. What I really hope for is growth. Show us you can grow, evolve, and adopt Greg.
Gregg is not a good coach. He’s a crap coach. He’s stubborn and holds grudges against players who criticize his tactics. Stats don’t tell the picture of who he wins against. Beating the worst Mexico teams in generations does not bolster his credentials. I gave the thumbs down for your Gregg appreciation, but the algorithm will still boost the video. Keep up the good work Jake.
USSF is not good for everyone's self esteem.
The hate for GreGG is well justified. I disagree with what the Reynas tried to do, but GreGG’s mishandling of our top talent and in game mismanagement has turned me off.
It's rather simple, we've called for a team using a ten at least some of the time now for several years now and to cut the dead wood from a typical roster…. to hold GGG. for announcing his decision to not use Reyna in Qatar, it simply wasn't a wise or needed thing to have done, it was a stupid thing to have brought up and tarnished GGG in our eyes
the win percentage against Haiti or Grenada or Martymique damned well should be high for any US coach… the fact his that FIFA has made it hard to play outside of CONCACAF due to looking to make more money with Nations League…. so yes Berhalter has high winning percentage, but that Japan match said it all, we got our butts kicked because we just were predictable and they completely handled us… his end game management repeatedly was lesss than stellar and I have no great expectations that anything will dramatically change under a return to his "system"
USMNT was successful in the Berhalter era in spite of Berhalter and not because of him. Look at the player pool he had available before him.
Players should never had so much say so in running the team, and endorse the coach or other players. Remember all player are fighting for playing time and will kiss the coach’s ass.
Berhalter did so-so against opponents in the worse soccer continent on the planet, not being able to beat Canada, one of the worst teams in the WC.
I agree with you so much I also think pundits naming all these potential hires as if there was a chance we could ever get them i.e Ancelotti or Mourinho or Pep is a false narrative.There is not enough money in the federation because of all of its previous failures and to think these big name coaches are going to leave their club jobs that are paid well and are more prestigious for a national team especially ours is crazy to me. We have to live in the reality of our continent and our federation.
Greg just brings a lot of drama to begin with. Which is why its SO unnecessary to bring him back. The fact you had to make this video is clear why he should not have come back(would you have made the same title if Viera or Marsch was chosen?). ANY other coach would not bring this much drama, which all of US Soccer does not need. For someone who wasn't the highest quality of a coach. Just mediocre. He never put forth a strong attacking team or style of play that was fun to watch. And From his sketchy hiring at the start of his tenure to all that we know. Majority of the criticism about him has been valid(even choosing to play outside in Minnesota in February against Honduras? Give me a break. That was such a poor, unnecessary choice that makes me question Greg/USSF decision making ability). They were 3rd in WC qualifying, when they shouldn't have been. Won the easiest trophies in World Football on home soil. He was horrible on the road. Against Japan and Saudi Arabia before WC he was outclassed bigtime. Had a weak WC group where they should have beaten an old Wales team and beat a much weaker Iran(he has credit for the England game). Its why it is frustrating. And I think fans are just expressing that. A new leader is welcomed. But not much needs to change. Just growth. Majority of players like Greg. Cool. Thats good. Thats not always how professional sports work though to get the best. To me Greg did the key job in building comradery. And frankly I think the team will be able to maintain that no matter who is in charge. Growth can mean moving on from a coach. They like playing for each other. We all see that. They are professionals and will be successful with any coach who respects them back. I think someone with a better feel for the game(especially reading the game as it happens), feel for the team, who can bring a edge to the team, with strong tactics, at this point is what's needed. That isnt Greg. There were some good candidates and realistic(No not Pep/Mourinho). My question is did Crocker or USSF do a thorough search, scouting, and pitch to the right potential candidates? Names like Marsch and Viera would have been interesting. I dont see how we couldnt sell this team to someone like Herv Renard( Yes, even after the Womens WC) or Paulo Bento(who successfully coached S. Korea and Portugal, speaks English and knows International Football at a high level). Hugo Perez deserved more respect and actual consideration.
It's important to listen to this whole commentary. His points are valid about the nature of some of the ways heos being attacked. Berhalter deserves an apology from most of us. But not the job. But Berhalter doesn't deserve any credit for "finding" Dest. Barcelona found Dest. Dortmund "found" CP. Or the Chelsea youth squad "found" CP. Berhalter found Wil Trapp. He is an above average MLS coach and a below average international coach. The USSF does not know what they are doing. And US soccer fans are just learning what right soccer and wrong soccer look like. So we are like kids when Thing One and Thing Two come into the house. It confuses us and creates internal battles. The mental dialogue is, "I know this ain't right but does anyone else see it?"
I'm indifferent about his hiring. The only real problem I have right now is fans essentially saying that they'll be outraged if We lose in the round of 16. I'm not saying I don't have faith in my team but we fluctuate from 12 to 16 in the world rankings. The round of 16 is literally where we're expected to go out. Anything above that is just us exceeding expectations
I love you Jake, but I think you’re way off base here. Responding to the worst comments like they’re the norm is pretty rough. Also labeling people who are mad at the hire and the process as just doing it for clicks is gaslighting to the highest degree. Gregg isn’t the worst hire ever, but he’s also a huge disappointment for a lot of people. The process is already being exposed as a joke as well too, with multiple candidates only receiving a short phone call. If you’re video was just let’s all chill out and it’s not the end of the world, I would somewhat agree with you. That’s not what you did though, disappointed
"Statistaclly one of the hardest groups of the 2022 World Cup"
The group: U.S.
England
Iran
Wales
😂😂😂
He's just not good enough. The results are due to the improved player pool, not gregg
While legally the USMNT does not have to be paid the same salary as the women’s coach, do you really think if the USMNT got a big ticket coach, there wouldn’t be a substantial amount of controversy?
Ppl comparing berhalter and The Austrian painter kinda have a good point