Gregg Berhalter at risk as US Soccer issues ominous warning… while Christian Pulisic stops short of backing coach after Copa America exit
Gregg Berhalter’s position with the U.S. men’s national team may be in jeopardy after U.S. Soccer issued an ominous warning about the state of the team.
Although the 50-year-old player has been in trouble for some time, the United States’ defeat to Uruguay on Monday, which knocked them out of the Copa América, could be the last straw for his appointment.
After the 1-0 defeat in Kansas City, US Soccer Federation sporting director Matt Crocker expressed his displeasure with the result.
“Our tournament performance fell short of our expectations. We must do better,” Crocker said in the statement.
‘We will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of our performance during the Copa America and consider how we can best improve the team and results ahead of the 2026 World Cup.’
US Soccer issued an ominous warning about changes following the team’s 1-0 loss to Uruguay
USMNT’s defeat in Kansas City led to their elimination from the 2024 Copa America
Additionally, USMNT star and captain Christian Pulisic’s comment about his coach seemed to mirror Crocker’s tone.
“Look, we have a good relationship with him,” he said. “Whatever the next step is, it’s not my job to decide.”
The AC Milan midfielder was visibly frustrated with the officiating during Monday’s match, but many fans claimed that – referees aside – the US played a poor game.
“We didn’t get the results we wanted in this tournament and that hurts,” Pulisic said. “That doesn’t mean we’re a bad team or that we haven’t improved.”
The US national team opened its Copa America campaign with a 2-0 victory over Bolivia.
USMNT captain Christian Pulisic made his displeasure clear in his post-match comments
Mathias Olivera scored the only goal to help Uruguay progress to the tournament
Berhalter remains confident he will coach team for 2026 World Cup
However, in their second match they were beaten 2–1 by Panama after Tim Weah was shown a red card in the 18th minute and goalkeeper Matt Turner was substituted injured at half-time.
The team must make decisions before the World Cup, which the US is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.
While Berhalter is adamant that he will still be in charge by then, doubts remain over the team’s future.
“I don’t think this tournament really had anything to do with the coaching staff or the tactics or the way we play,” USMNT star Gio Reyna said. “I think it was more individual mistakes. The coaching staff can only do so much.
‘Ultimately the players didn’t do enough to move on.’