OT: US Soccer's investigation of Gregg Berhalter complete...
U.S. Soccer says Gregg Berhalter eligible to coach men's team after investigation.
The tl;dr is the USMNT coach from the last World Cup cycle had an expiring contract at the end of the year. It was not renewed. US Soccer said at the time Berhalter is still eligible to coach but other candidates would be considered.
Shortly after the contract expired, the mom of one of US' stars, who didn't play much in Qatar, came forward to US Soccer about a domestic disturbance from 30 years ago involving Berhalter.
US Soccer in turn conducted an investigation into the complaint.
US Soccer has found no conduct worthy of permanently banning Berhalter and he is eligible to seek the currently vacant head coaching spot for the USMNT.
[editorial] The one bright spot from this is US Soccer will be drafting a policy regarding coach/player/parent interaction moving forward to keep the helicopter parents in their lane.
Discussion for the board.
Would you like to see Berhalter back?
If so, why?
If not, who should be the USMNT head coach? There's already been a couple of candidates come out and state they're not interested.
March 13th, 2023 at 11:02 PM ^
This is ugly. The Reynas certainly sounded like they were the problem side of the equation; I feel bad for Berhalter getting dragged like this for a coaching decision. This makes it hard for any US team to play Gio, because the Reynas, who have the pull of being a family that is embedded in the USMNT fabric for decades, have proven that they'll knife you if you don't do what they want.
But it's not like you can just roll with Berhalter just because, either. The US is hosting the WC in a little over three years. This is THE time to put a good team out there, to aim for a QF or semifinal berth. You need the athletes and you need a coach and a system. Berhalter did a lot of things pretty well, and there's something to be said for just rolling with it... but history suggests that you often need a shakeup at some point and if you make the wrong decision now suddenly you might need a coaching change much closer to the WC and words like "turmoil" start getting thrown around. When do you get another shot at this? 30 years later?
I think I agree with others as far as the larger structure of US Soccer: full housecleaning. Has been happening, obviously, keep it up. If nothing else, that gets you an impartial view of Berhalter as a coach, and cuts off the Reyna family from having that "personal" pull that they have with former teammates (just one family, but if Gio gets healthy and grows as a player it certainly matters given the history and given the possibility that he'll be one of the most important offensive assets for the team in '26). Get directors in place that wasn't part of the team in the 90s and early 00s and have a comprehensive plan with benchmarks for where the team should be at the Copa and the year before the WC, and decide if you want Berhalter to tend the ship or to step aside right now and get someone new.
At this point I think someone new might be a good idea, because I don't think you can ride Berhalter into '26, and so I think someone with a full plan needs to get the chair and start implementing a plan.
March 13th, 2023 at 11:38 PM ^
I'm in the minority and thing GB did quite well and should have been brought back (if he wanted it -- there were plenty of rumors that he didn't want a 2nd cycle anyway). Having said that, all this shit was a little too wild and I think both parties need a fresh start.
Also, fuck the Reynas. The parents should never be allowed around the program again.
March 13th, 2023 at 11:53 PM ^
No. Good enough for CONCACAF tournaments but he was exposed by Van Gaal. We should do better. Too old, but someone like Guus Hidink? Adaptable, experimental and shines in tournaments. I’d like to see someone with Serie A experience as that defensive, counterattacking focus would compliment our style and grit.
The player pool is interesting right now. Who we thought were mainstays might not be now with some newer blood emerging - LDLT, Tillman, Booth, Trusty, Weah as fullback, ,..Balogun!!