The USMNT crashed out of Copa America 2024 in the group stage as huge pressure is building on head coach Gregg Berhalter.
A 1-0 defeat to Uruguay on Monday in Kansas City meant the USMNT lost two of their three group stage games, as they beat Bolivia 2-0 in the opener, then lost 2-1 to Panama (after an early Tim Weah red card) and never got going against Uruguay.
U.S. Soccer technical director Matt Crocker released the following statement after the game:
“Our tournament performance fell short of our expectations. We must do better. We will be conducting a comprehensive review of our performance in Copa America and how best to improve the team and results as we look towards the 2026 World Cup.”
At this point it seems highly unlikely.
The USMNT have two years until the 2026 World Cup is on home soil and this tournament was supposed to give this talented, but still young, squad some invaluable experience against South America’s finest.
That opportunity has been wasted and the USMNT have been stagnant for some time.
Berhalter’s side have taken advantage of Mexico’s struggles to win several games against El Tri in recent years and win several CONCACAF titles along the way, but the lack of real competition from their own region has papered over the cracks.
Via Stars and Stripes, if we look at Berhalter’s six years in charge the USMNT have played 24 games against teams ranked in the top 30 of FIFA’s ELO rankings when that game was played. Excluding games against Mexico (four wins from seven), they have won two games. A 1-0 win against Iran at the 2022 World Cup and a 1-0 friendly win against Ecuador in 2019.
There has been no progression when playing against top teams and even if the USMNT hasn’t had the opportunity to play against them as often as they would like due to various CONCACAF tournaments, scheduling issues during COVID and other external factors, the proof is in the pudding.
The most talented player pool the USMNT has ever had hasn’t lived up to expectations. That is the bottom line and that is why a coaching change is needed to get the most out of these players.
It has all become too comfortable and the fact that most of these star players wanted Berhalter to come back so badly after his contract ended and he was embroiled in controversy in early 2023 said it all. They were happy with how it was going because they weren’t being pushed out of their comfort zone.
Now U.S. Soccer has to make a big hire, get these players realizing their potential as a group and focus on what they want from the next coach and what direction they’re heading in.
Berhalter has been a coach who wanted to change the playing philosophy of the entire player pool and nurture a talented group of youngsters. He did that but hasn’t been able to make the next step. Now it’s about hiring a coach who can do one thing: win games against the elite.
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