Is Gregg Berhalter's time over with the USMNT? For starters, the 1-0 loss last night against Uruguay was far from stellar with barely in chances created with playmakers across the board for the U.S. Uruguay's press and the sub-par possession game from team USA as a whole show that this is not just a lack of talent but a lack of organization. Is Berhalter the blame for last night's defeat, yes but not all of it.
(Photo by Hector Vivas)
USMNT legend and current lead analyst for FOX on soccer, Alexi Lalas, ripped apart not just Berhalter's performance as a coach in the tournament and in the recent years of his employment and affiliation with the USSF but with the new generation of Americans representing the country in this sport. Clint Dempsey, another USMNT legend, was in attendance to Lalas' harsh but fair words towards the team and added on that, "this new generation was the golden generation of talent." The word "was" is not believed to say that the team is a lost cause but he along with the latter of the USA fans and citizens believes that Berhalter is the one to blame upmost.
There is a lot more than just the coach to blame. Opinions aside from his performance, the referee for the match against Uruguay made very controversial decisions during the match. Missed calls, drawing the card from his pocket but letting play continue and the no-call of offside for the only goal in the match, all added to the frustration of the team and fans. The capability and performance of some of the players also do not add up to the expected performance many could imagine. When the opposition would make a mistake, team USA wouldn't capitalize along with the overly fancy movement of the team that eliminated simple shot-on-goal opportunities.
A little over a year ago today, star boy considered "Captain America," Christian Pulisic acknowledged his allegiance as he stated in a press conference that he believes that Berhalter should remain as the USMNT head coach. Is it fair to say that the attitude of the skipper of the team is losing confidence in the manager following this match?
Link to video: https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/37805068
If moving on from Berhalter is the case, what does the federation do now? The financial means of getting some of the available coaches (arguably better than Berhalter) are exponentially more expensive. Judging by the difficulty in bringing him in, who knows how long the process will be. Confidence is at an all-time low as the noise is getting louder for Berhalter's removal but so is the performance of the team. A keeper that hasn't shown promising playmaking abilities from kicks, a shaky and overly rotated defense without the existence of a prolific sign in the attack is hard to blame the coach. Tactics may not be the only thing to blame. Those on the field against Uruguay may not be the only ones to blame. The USMNT have a big problem on their hands and fans are worried like Lalas and Dempsey for the future of the "golden generation."
All in all, this is a grueling result for Team USA and no matter the decision on Berhalter's future, it will take time that may interfere with their possible promising chance in the World Cup in 2026.
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