"Fire Gregg!" echoed after another United States letdown.
"Fire Gregg!" was followed by rhythmic clapping and constant shouting, as the harsh words became louder and louder.
For all of its money and global power, the USA still has a serious soccer problem.
The easiest move is also the hardest: Firing Gregg Berhalter as the men's national team coach, two years before the 2026 World Cup takes over America.
If Berhalter can barely breathe in Copa, how can he fulfill the increased expectations from supporters, players and financial boosters, all while Lionel Messi plays his normal matches in Major League Soccer and the US is still trying to prove it can compete on an international stage?
As exiting fans shouted "Fire Gregg!" following a 1-0 loss to Uruguay on Monday that kicked the US out of the 2024 Copa America group stage, the biggest stateside names in the sport's history slammed the team once again.
"I'm at a loss for words," Clint Dempsey said on Fox. "It's so frustrating to see. You have a team that you're rooting on and you want to do well. And at the same time, where have we come since 2022?
"You qualify for the World Cup, you get out of the group. And then where have we progressed? And we haven't.
"That's the most frustrating part. This is our Golden Generation and it looks like we're wasting it. With 2026 coming up, you're never going to get this opportunity again. … When are you going to have a better chance to do something special in the World Cup?"
England has been far from perfect in the 2024 Euros.
But Jude Bellingham's brilliant, tournament-saving bicycle kick was a powerful reminder of the top-of-the-world talent surrounding the Three Lions.
Portugal, France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland would all smoke Berhalter's current US team, which just wasted the Copa America in the country's backyard. And set an unwanted tournament first – hosts out in the group phase.
"What golden generation are they looking at?" one fan tweeted. "Not one member of this team would even get an invite to Spain, Germany, England or France pre-camp. Let’s be real … 22 years since 2002 World Cup and we have not progressed at all."
"US Soccer has been the team of future for over 30 years," a second fan posted. "Time for us to find another sport."
"Berhalter should have been gone in 2022," a third fan wrote.
Christian Pulisic disappointed again under the bright lights.
Giovanni Reyna hasn't come close to his hype.
But while the US had to deal with chaos and controversy in its 1-0 gut punch, those are traits that underline almost every major match in international play. The damage was done in the defeat to Panama, a team whose resources doesn't come close to that of the USMNT.
When Phil Foden's apparent breakthrough against Slovakia was erased due to offside, England dug in and turned to two huge names — Harry Kane and Bellingham — to set up a quarterfinal match against Switzerland.
For all the hourly chatter surrounding Gareth Southgate's future in the Euros, England still hasn't lost and is three wins away from bringing it home.
Even when the USA hosts Copa, a country that has spent decades trying to take the next step in the world's most popular sport drops two matches, totals just three points, and barely achieves more than Bolivia.
“You talk about learning from losing, OK?” Alexi Lalas said. “I think what we have learned from these cycles is that this team is not able to do anything better than it has done in the past.That hurts to say, because that’s not what was promised."
"Fire Gregg!"
"Fire Gregg!"
Why wait?
Get it over with — and give the US a chance for respectability when it hosts the biggest tournament in the world in just two years.
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