It may seem difficult that Gregg Berhalter’s job as USMNT coach is in grave danger because one of his players decided to slap an opponent in the head.
On the other hand, in the USA’s last big tournament test before co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, a coach expected to reach at least the quarter-finals is facing a group stage exit from the Copa América, barring which seems an unlikely triumph. against one of the favorites, Uruguay, in Kansas City on Monday.
Nice guy, Berhalter. Popular among players, respectful of the media, hardworking, caring, sincere and caring. But the central question since the last 16 exit to the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is relentless in its clarity and simplicity: is the man who admirably resurrected the program and nurtured a talented group of youngsters towards maturity after the failure to reach the 2018 World Cup? Is the World Cup also the right man to take the US to the next level? Will it perform better in 2026, the biggest single opportunity to grow the sport in the U.S. since 1994?
Related: USMNT at risk of early exit from Copa América after chaotic defeat to Panama
Much of the debate going into the World Cup was about Berhalter’s team’s growing need to achieve a landmark victory. He took charge of his first game in January 2019, a 3-0 victory over Panamait’s Thursday demoralizing 2-1 defeat to the same opponents in Atlanta it was his 73rd game. However, under his management, the most talented squad in the country’s history, with a true global star like Milan’s Christian Pulisic, supported by a cast of other players from top-flight European clubs, has yet to achieve a victory over a player not belonging to Concacaf. country in the top 25 of the FIFA rankings.
A likely quarter-final against Brazil or Colombia was predicted to be the opportunity for a show-stopping, confidence-boosting event. However, with Uruguay top of Group C with six points from two games, the USA and Panama are drawn in three, and Panama still have to face Bolivia – a dismal team for a country currently facing a failed coup attemptwhich seems like a pretty reasonable excuse to get distracted by something even more important than football – Monday could be Berhalter’s last chance.
The match at Arrowhead Stadium against Uruguay, who are ranked 14th in the FIFA rankings (three places below the USA, but don’t let that fool you), would be an opportune moment to change the narrative. However, it is difficult to feel optimistic that the coach or the players, who were sloppy in three of the four games this month (the honorable exception was an excellent 1-1 World Cup game with Brazil), have what it takes. It is necessary to overcome Uruguay, led by the great Marcelo Bielsa, beat Panama 3-1 last Sunday and defeated Bolivia 5-0 on Thursday.
Looking ahead to the potentially defining night of his managerial career, Berhalter offered pablum to reporters. “We know we have to go out there and get a result, and we will do that,” he said. “We believe in this group. It’s a strong team. I think if we stay focused and execute a game plan we’ll be fine.” This didn’t happen on a Thursday night tarnished by online racist abuse from several US players.
As frequent Concacaf opponents, it’s not as if Panama’s brutal mix of direct passes and impolite fouls – Adalberto Carrasquilla was sent off late in the game for a vicious hit on Pulisic – came as a surprise. But, to paraphrase Mike Tysoneveryone has a plan until Tim Weah punches someone in the face.
The red card for the off-the-ball incident with Roderick Miller recalled Sergiño Dest’s petulant expulsion against Trinidad and Tobago in the Concacaf Nations League last November, both for its sheer undisciplined idiocy and the way it catalyzed a US retreat against an opposing bottom.
As early and shocking as it was, Thursday’s 18th-minute red card for Weah, a 24-year-old Juventus winger with a penchant for dipping in and out of games, should not have been enough to precipitate a tactical collapse and territorial that saw Panama score in each half and finish with an extraordinary 74% of ball possession, especially since the USA, attacked by a crowd of 59,145 people at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, took the lead shortly after the expulsion.
Berhalter replaced the dynamic and self-confident Folarin Balogun, who scored a wonderful opening goal, with Ricardo Pepi, who was unfortunate in the comfortable 2-0 victory over Bolivia last Sunday. Pepi wasted the USA’s best chance in the second half, heading the ball past the goalkeeper. At half-time, Berhalter introduced defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, so difficult in the 5-1 friendly defeat to Colombia earlier this month, and the Celtic player was again an agent of chaos, attempting a hasty tackle that was ruled as penalty before. the decision was rightly overturned by VAR.
While there was a certain logic to sacrificing playmaker Gio Reyna for a defender, especially after the disturbing loss of goalkeeper Matt Turner at half-time after he was injured on a poor clearance, Reyna’s creativity and composure on the ball may have served as a pressure relief valve in the second half and it was a smarter strategy than adding a third defender and hiding in search of an equalizer.
“Tim was run over, was examined and reacted. He apologized to the group and I think he understands the difficult position he put the group in,” Berhalter told reporters. “He is an excellent team player. He stood up and took responsibility immediately and we will move forward.” In his public generosity, this was classic Berhalter: finding a way to praise a player who deserves blame. See an individual mistake as an opportunity to emphasize collective responsibility.
We will issued an apology, saying he is “sad and angry with myself” and “committed to learning from this experience.” This is the US under Berhalter: always on an educational journey. But unless the coach can somehow find a way into Bielsa’s school on Monday, his international tour could be coming to an end.
