When the whistle sounded between the USMNT and Uruguay, one thing was apparent: the difference between the men and the boys. On one side, the Uruguayan national team continues its upward trend under Marcelo Bielsa. Not only that, La Celeste went perfect in the group stage, and numerous players who ply their trade in Brazil, Mexico, and Europe have come together as a cohesive unit.
Then there are the boys, the USMNT players who boast of playing in some of the top leagues in the world, yet many have never truly measured up to their polished club status. Since the return of Gregg Berhalter, the USMNT has produced a meager 7-6-1 record, showing a team on a downward spiral for well over the last year. Now, it seems that the U.S. Soccer Federation may have no choice but to make a change.
Pundits such as Charlie Davies, Tony Meola, Clint Dempsey, Jimmy Conrad, Nico Cantor, Hérculez Gómez, Sebastian Salazar, as well as online vloggers like Tactical Manager and 11Yanks have been adamant that Berhalter’s time with the team is past. To make matters worse for the 50-year-old manager, even past supporters such as Alexi Lalas and Stuart Holden have turned against him.
What will USSF do?
After the bitter defeat to Uruguay, the federation issued a statement: “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.”
One thing is certain: USSF has never acted decisively or quickly, especially in the past decade. Berhalter will not be fired today, nor tomorrow, nor even this month.
The federation will lick its wounds and try to reevaluate, although how they can conclude that the USMNT is on the right track would be mind-boggling.
Signed until December of 2026, the former Columbus Crew manager will certainly have a termination clause. However, with two years left before the 2026 World Cup and very few coaches realistically available for the job, USSF will need to think long and hard about whom to give the program if they do decide to fire Berhalter.
The team has currently succumbed to poor performances, and even in matches where they have shown some face, like the defeat to Uruguay, the USMNT was held to only one shot on goal against the 15-time Copa America champions.
USSF painted themselves into a corner as they waited a full year to rehire Berhalter.
Along the way, capable coaches like Marcelo Bielsa, Ralf Rangnick, Roberto Martínez, Marcelo Gallardo, and even Jesse Marsch all took jobs. Now, the pool of international coaches who would consider the USMNT job is thin, with the only obvious choices being Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy and Union boss Jim Curtin within MLS domestically, and only a handful of international coaches to truly really consider prime candidates.
If the USSF does not act fast their Golden Generation may be heading to the 2026 World Cup with an under qualified manager for soccer’s last big gasp to break through to the mainstream and stop being a niche sport.
