Gregg Berhalter will no longer coach the United States men’s national team because it was starting to feel unimaginable for him to stay on. The clamor simply grew too loud. The team’s two leading supporter groups, the American Outlaws and Barra 76 , put out statements calling for a new manager in the wake of the U.
S.’s ignominious group stage exit from a Copa América played on home soil. In the 1-0 loss to Uruguay that ultimately doomed the campaign , American fans could clearly be heard chanting “Fire Gregg!” This well-organized effort by the fans to oust the coach was as unprecedented as it was effective, powered by concern over the team’s trajectory less than two years before the U.
S. will cohost the men’s World Cup with Mexico and Canada. Looked at one way, this was a sign of growth in the American game: an awful lot of hard-core fans cared loudly enough, and plenty of casuals took note and asked tough questions.
U.S. Soccer had to listen and act.
We haven’t really seen this level of concerted engagement in the national team before. On Wednesday, the news that had begun to seem inevitable finally became official. “Gregg has earned the respect of everyone within our organization and has played a pivotal role in bringing together a young team and moving the program forward,” U.
S. Soccer’s sporting director, Matt Crocker, said in a statement. “Our immediate focus is on finding a coach who can maximize our potential as we continue to prepare for the .
