The US men’s soccer team could be forced to navigate much of the next year without a full-time head coach after two top officials resigned on Thursday, including a series of competitive matches. there is.
Earlier this month, US Soccer announced Research For the personal actions of Greg Berhalter, who coached the American men to World Cup success late last year, Complaints from parents of disgruntled players He physically abused his wife in an incident decades ago.
The team has announced it will postpone a decision on whether to retain Berhalter, whose contract has expired at the end of 2022, for another World Cup cycle until an independent inquiry comes to a conclusion. With the Cup building momentum and eager to begin preparations for the 2026 tournament co-hosted by the United States, these processes were expected to take place in relatively short order.
U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cohn said the organization will hire an outside consulting firm to conduct a major overhaul of team structure. According to her, Verhalter remained a “candidate” to coach the national team, but the loss of two key decision-makers and his contract The end of the – no end to the investigation in sight – almost certainly means the end of his term.
“We didn’t plan it this way,” Cohn said Thursday. “We find ourselves in this position. We will use this opportunity to really dig deep on the sporting side and make sure we are as effective and efficient as possible. I want to make sure I am in the best position to achieve my sporting goals.”
Stewart, who works for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, will stay with the organization until mid-February. McBride is leaving at the end of this month. Both men were former national team players and former teammates of Burhalter.
Cohn said the departure was unrelated to Verhalter’s ongoing investigation. college, when he informed him that he had beaten his wife.
Reina and his parents accused Burhalter of not giving the players much time on the field at the World Cup in Qatar, and of Reina’s poor attitude during the post-tournament speech, without identifying him. (Reina’s father, Claudio, another former teammate of Burhalter’s, stepped down as sporting director of MLS club Austin FC on Thursday, taking an advisory role.) said it would move to
“Greg remains a candidate,” Cohn said of Burhalter’s position. “Eventually, the new sports director will hire a coach for the men’s national team,” she added.
Cohn said the team could move forward without a general manager after sports consulting firm Sportsology Group reviewed its organizational structure. She acknowledged that the time required for review could lead to uncertainty “for our staff and players”, but characterized it as an opportunity.
“It’s actually a clean canvas,” she said.
The US team is now led by interim coach Anthony Hudson. The group is currently in the middle of his training camp which ends this Saturday in an exhibition game against Colombia. (On Wednesday night, Serbia lost her 2-1.) In March, the team played his two-game match in the CONCACAF Nations League, a regional tournament that will qualify for this summer’s Gold Cup. to resume.
