USMNT to decide the future of coach Gregg Berhalter in January
Coach Gregg Berhalter’s contract expired after the elimination of the United States men’s national team against the Netherlands in the Round of 16.
Gregg Berhalter accomplished his job and took the United States men’s national team to the knockout stages at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The group stage was not easy for the USMNT, but they managed to qualify in second place after tying 1-1 against Wales, 0-0 against England and defeating Iran 1-0.
The United States’ next rival was the Netherlands in the Round of 16 and with the performance they had in the group stage, especially against England, Berhalter and his team were confident that they could make it to the second round of the playoffs. The USMNT pressured high in the decisive match and created good opportunities, but failed to find the back of the net.
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A more experienced Netherlands were on target and scored every time they had an opportunity, to eventually defeat the United States 3-1 and advance to the quarterfinals. After the match, Berhalter was optimistic that this generation has the potential to win the tournament in three and a half years when the United States co-hosts the World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada.
Berhalter’s future is up in the air
Following the elimination, the US Soccer Federation has to decide if they want to keep Gregg Berhalter in charge for the next tournament, because he is out-of-contract. The United States has two friendlies scheduled for late January against Serbia and Colombia to start preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, since they don’t have to fight for a spot in the qualifiers in CONCACAF, and a decision should be reached in the upcoming weeks.
“For the last month, month-and-a-half I have just been fully focused on the World Cup,” Berhalter said last week. “I’ve been focused on achieving things with this group. Over the next couple of weeks, I will clear my head. I will sit down, and I will think about what’s next.”