After an eight-month search for a new head coach for the U.S. Men's National Team, U.S. Soccer finally found its man in June. The catch? He's not "new" at all. Gregg Berhalter, who coached the Americans from 2018-22, returned to the post following the conclusion of U.S. Soccer's investigation into his behavior.
While Berhalter's vindication is widely seen as justified — the investigation was driven by the parents of USMNT player Gio Reyna and found to be powered by personal animus — critics are not excited about his return. He is a "safe" candidate instead of one who could push the USMNT toward new achievements.
In an exclusive interview published in Vanity Fair this week, Berhalter aimed to allay critics' concerns and make his ambitions clear.
"The goal," Berhalter said, "is for us to go to a round [of the World Cup] that no U.S. team has ever gone to."
Here are five things to know about the state of the team:
There's only one World Cup round the USMNT has never reached: the final, though fans may remember the team made the semis in 1950 and the quarters in 2002. Berhalter's insistence on making it to that all-important game is bold. The USMNT has much to improve upon before it can be considered a legitimate contender for that spot.
And those improvements should begin this fall, with Berhalter's just-announced USMNT lineup for its September games.
USMNT SEPTEMBER ROSTER VIA AN EMAIL FROM US SOCCER.
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) August 30, 2023
SURPRISES? SNUBS? WHAT YOU THINK? pic.twitter.com/a4OAiHw56P
Notably absent in this lineup is Reyna, the player whose parents Berhalter fell out with during the 2022 World Cup. Berhalter noted in his Vanity Fair interview that he hadn't spoken with Reyna since being reappointed, but that it was a "priority" for him to do so. Is Reyna's exclusion, then, a continuation of the drama that plagued Berhalter during his first stint as coach?
Not exactly. While Reyna is absent from Berhalter's fall USMNT roster, it's important to remember that he's been absent from the Borussia Dortmund roster this season, too. Reyna is recovering from a calf injury and is not fit to play for anyone right now.
Teen phenom Benjamin Cremaschi, who plays for Inter Miami of Major League Soccer, and oft-overlooked goalkeeper Drake Callender made Berhalter's cut for the first time. New USMNT recruit Folarin Balogun, who recently completed a move to AS Monaco, is also back.
It's a standard USMNT lineup, one designed to mesh well with Berhalter's favored high press. But it's one that shares the same weaknesses as every other USMNT lineup of the modern era: not enough bite in defensive midfield and not enough speed in the center of defense. A high press is a dangerous strategy when those two elements are missing, as the USMNT found out against the Netherlands in the World Cup.
Memphis Depay’s goal is the first given up in the run of play for the #USMNT at this World Cup. 1-0 to the Dutch
— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) December 3, 2022
(via @FoxSoccer) pic.twitter.com/KAup9uyxjO
First up are Uzbekistan and Oman in international friendlies —these games are glorified practices and they should be easily winnable. The Uzbekistan match is Sept. 9 in St. Louis. The Oman game is Sept. 12 in St. Paul, Minn.
That'll come in October, when the USMNT plays Germany and Ghana as its next friendly opponents. Both have beaten the USMNT in World Cup play, and each should give Berhalter's team its first real challenge before the Americans return to the CONCACAF Nations League in November.
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