In a surprising turn of events, the USA's head soccer coach, Gregg Berhalter, has been fired following the team's early exit from the Copa America. 😲 The announcement came on Wednesday from the U.S. Soccer Federation, leaving fans and players alike stunned.
As hosts of this year's Copa America, expectations were sky-high for the USA team. However, they stumbled in the group stage, losing two out of three matches to Panama and Uruguay. This marks the first time in their five Copa America appearances that the USA failed to advance to the knockout rounds. ⚽💔
Matt Crocker, the U.S. Soccer sporting director, made the tough call to let Berhalter go after a thorough 10-day review. He collaborated with president Cindy Parlow Cone, CEO J.T. Batson, vice president of sporting Oguchi Onyewu, and members of the board of directors to reach this decision.
\"I want to thank Gregg for his hard work and dedication to U.S. Soccer and our Men's National Team,\" Cone stated. \"We are now focused on working with our Sporting Director Matt Crocker and leveraging his experience at the highest levels of the sport to ensure we find the right person to lead the USMNT into a new era of on-field success.\"
Berhalter took responsibility for the team's performance, saying, \"The Copa America result is extremely disappointing and I take full responsibility for our performance. Our approach and process was always focused on the 2026 World Cup, and I remain confident that this group will be one of the great stories in 2026.\"
Berhalter's tenure as coach spanned two periods between December 2018 and July 2024, with a break from December 2022 to August 2023. Under his leadership, the USA won 44 out of 74 games, with 13 draws and 17 losses. They reached the Round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar but were eliminated by the Netherlands. 🇺🇸🏟️
The pressure is now on for the U.S. team as they prepare to co-host the World Cup with Canada and Mexico in 2026. Fans are eagerly awaiting the announcement of a new coach who can lead the team to glory on home soil. 🏆✨
Reference(s):
USA coach Gregg Berhalter fired after early Copa America exit
cgtn.com
