Greg Verhalter will return to coach the US Men’s National Team, the team announced Friday.
Berhalter led the United States to the final cycle of the FIFA World Cup in November and to the round of 16. He will take office after the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which runs from 24 June to 16 July.current director BJ Callahan will retain his role on the USMNT throughout that event.
Greg Berhalter elected as leader #USMNT To the 2026 FIFA World Cup » https://t.co/ObcP1tCbvH pic.twitter.com/c85nwVS9to
— United States Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) June 16, 2023
As USA coach from 2019 to 2022, Verhalter won the 2021 Nations League and Gold Cup trophies, became the youngest team in the world to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, and then won the World Cup against Wales. Showed a good performance in the group and was eliminated. Iran and Britain. The American’s five points equaled the 2010 team’s record for the USMNT’s group stage record at a World Cup.
Verhalter, 49, is currently 37-11-12 and boasts the highest winning percentage of any USMNT manager.
Berhalter’s return may come as a surprise to some, given the circumstances of his departure. Despite his highly praised US performance in Qatar and leading one of the youngest teams in the world, the US made his tenure successful, but one of the team’s young stars has had problems. As a result, Berhalter’s contract was allowed to expire after the World Cup. .
The winger Gio Reyna was nearly sent home from the World Cup for his actions after being told he would not start the USA squad for the opening game against Wales. Reina’s lack of effort in the ensuing training session almost led to him being fired from the team, but Berhalter chose to keep Reina in Qatar.
However, after the tournament, during the question-and-answer portion of the leadership conference, which was run under Chatham House rules, he addressed these issues without mentioning Reyna’s name. Any comment was usually meant to be off the record. However, those comments were made public and The Athletic reported Reina was the player Berhalter talked about.
After these stories, Reina’s parents, former USA players Claudio Reyna and Danielle Reyna, and longtime friends of Verhalter and his wife Rosalind Verhalter, recalled the events 30 years ago when Verhalter kicked Rosalind during an argument. reported to former football sports director Ernie Stewart. when the two were freshmen at the University of North Carolina.
This led to an investigation by the U.S. Football Bureau.An independent investigation ultimately found Mr. Berhalter cleared He will be rehired by US Soccer.
America fought aggressively, Attractive football brand owned by Berhalter in Qatar. The US ranked eighth in field tilt in Qatar, behind teams such as England, France and Argentina. The slope of the field indicates one team’s percentage of both teams’ touches in the attacking third. The US was efficient in its offensive moves to penetrate dangerous positions. When the United States lost to the Netherlands, only three teams in the tournament managed to capture a higher possession share in the final third than the United States’ 46 percent. The United States are also very good at regaining the ball in attacking positions after losing it, ranking fifth in the tournament for counterpress success rates.
Several star players are in favor of Berhalter’s return. “I’m not here to appoint the next manager,” star winger Christian Pulisic told ESPN. But when asked if he would be “reasonably happy” if Berhalter returned as director, Pulisic clarified his thoughts.
“Yes, definitely,” Pulisic said. “I think the progress we’ve made in the last few years since he was appointed was clear. I think it’s very clear.”
Last week, winger Tim Ware told the media, “Greg really brought us together…we are definitely family and no one can take that away. I really hope he comes back, because yes, he was a very important part of this team because he really helped us build a great relationship.”
in an interview with The Athletic Last week, left-back Anthony Robinson echoed that thought.
“A lot of people have mentioned that. We all enjoyed the environment that Greg created and thought he was a good coach. I understood the level of ,” Robinson said. “So I have no reason why they didn’t want to continue acting with him. But unfortunately it’s not up to the players. It’s up to U.S. Soccer as a federation. I’m sure they will do their best to find the person they think is the best fit for the team, and that’s the most important thing.”
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(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran / USA Today)
