USMNT
Gregg Berhalter returns as head coach of the USMNT
Berhalter, who departed as United States men’s national team boss six months ago, has taken the reins once more.
Gregg Berhalter has officially returned as head coach of the United States men’s national team. According to The Athletic, who broke the news as the USMNT beat Mexico 3-0, Berhalter and US Soccer were closing in on agreeing a deal that would see the 49-year-old reappointed to the job he left at the end of 2022, amid a fall-out with USMNT player Gio Reyna and a domestic-violence probe against the coach. That deal has now been confirmed.
Reyna spat leads to US Soccer investigation
Speaking at a leadership conference in December after the 2022 World Cup, Berhalter criticized Reyna’s attitude at the tournament in Qatar, albeit he did not mention the Borussia Dortmund midfielder by name. Reyna subsequently confirmed that he was the player Berhalter was referring to.
In response, Reyna’s mother, former US women’s national team player Danielle, reported to US Soccer that Berhalter had physically abused his wife, Rosalind, when the pair were still dating three decades ago. At the time, Danielle Reyna was Rosalind’s college room-mate.
US Soccer cleared to reappoint Berhalter
An investigation commissioned by US Soccer later gave the federation the green light to re-hire Berhalter, who has admitted to kicking his wife during a “heated argument” in the early 1990s. “There are zero excuses for my actions that night; it was a shameful moment and one that I regret to this day,” he said in a statement in January.
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Highest win percentage of any USMNT coach
First appointed as USMNT head coach in 2018, Berhalter took the Stars and Stripes to the round of 16 at last year’s World Cup. He also piloted the team to trophy triumphs in the 2019/20 CONCACAF Nations League and 2021 Gold Cup, beating fierce rivals Mexico in both finals.
The former Hammerby and Columbus Crew boss has the highest win rate of any USMNT coach, having registered 37 wins, 11 draws and 12 defeats in his 60 games at the helm.
The USMNT, who beat Mexico 3-0 in the 2022/23 Nations League semi-finals on Thursday, are currently being led by interim head coach BJ Callaghan. Callaghan took over last month from Anthony Hudson, who had been caretaker boss since Berhalter’s departure.
USMNT statement on Berhalter re-appointment
A statement read: U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker led a worldwide search process and made the final decision to appoint Berhalter as head coach. During the search process, Crocker used a mix of data and interviews to evaluate a multitude of domestic and international candidates and determine their capabilities in reaching U.S. Soccer’s lofty ambitions to drive the USMNT into one of the top national teams in the world.
Crocker outlined the ideal competencies for the head coach, which included building lasting relationships with staff and players, planning and effectively driving a vision-led identity, pushing innovation and boundaries, and being a decisive decision-maker. Within these categories, he utilized advanced data analytics, sophisticated metrics, and cutting-edge hiring methods to profile and rank each candidate. During the course of several weeks, candidates were evaluated through all of these filters and went through a battery of practical and psychological testing.