U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter has been fired following the team’s historic early exit from the Copa America group stage last week, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.
Berhalter’s ejection came after the United States lost 1-0 to Uruguay, the first time the country has failed to advance beyond the group stage in five CONMEBOL tournaments.
It also marked the first time that the U.S. national team had been eliminated from the group stage of a World Cup, Copa America, or Gold Cup tournament that they hosted.
The 2024 Copa America, to be held in 14 U.S. cities, was seen as a dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup, which the United States would host alongside Mexico and Canada.
Berhalter, who was first appointed in December 2018 and rehired in 2023, said after the loss to Uruguay that he believes he is still the right man to coach the U.S. men’s national team.
U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Matt Crocker said in a post-match statement that the team’s elimination would be reviewed. Asked in his post-match press conference if he was still eligible to coach the U.S. team at the 2026 World Cup, Berhalter answered simply: “Yes.”
But he admitted that his performance wasn’t good enough.
“You see the faces of the players in the locker room, the emotions of the staff and the players, and it’s just very disappointing with the result,” he said. The 50-year-old Berhalter signed a new contract in June 2023 that runs through the end of the 2026 World Cup.
Crocker said at the time that the team was looking for players with a “growth mindset on and off the field.”
The 2023 agreement came after a six-month investigation into Berhalter’s conduct following a feud with the Reyna family.
Berhalter, who was in the process of re-signing with the USSF for 2022 after leading the U.S. to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, mentioned during a leadership meeting a World Cup player, later identified as Giovanni Reyna, who was nearly sent home because he didn’t handle a reduced role well.
In response to the comments, Danielle Reyna, the U.S. midfielder’s mother, released details of a previously undisclosed domestic violence incident that happened to Berhalter’s wife, Rosalind, in 1991, when Berhalter was attending college, roughly the same age Reyna will be when he plays in the 2022 World Cup.
The revelations sparked an investigation into whether Berhalter should continue as coach, but the U.S. Soccer Federation ultimately approved Berhalter returning as coach of the U.S. men’s national team.
