Gregg Berhalter ‘is FIRED as USA manager after embarrassing Copa America exit’ – sparking rebuild ahead of 2026 World Cup on home soil
Gregg Berhalter has reportedly been fired as coach of the United States men’s national team, just days after his team was eliminated in the group stage of the Copa America.
Berhalter’s second stint as coach of his country ends after just 14 games and after two consecutive defeats in the Copa America against Panama and Uruguay.
Fans have been calling for the 50-year-old footballer to be fired, reaching a fever pitch in the days following his shameful departure. According to FOX Sports, the US Soccer Federation has now decided to make the decision.
The decision will herald a major rebuilding effort just two years before the US co-hosts the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.
Last week it was DailyMail.com columnist Tim Howard who spearheaded the appointment of former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp as the new head coach in the US.
Gregg Berhalter has reportedly been fired as head coach of the US men’s national team
The US were eliminated from the Copa America in the groups after defeats to Panama and Uruguay
In his first stint as U.S. coach, from December 2018 to December 2022, Berhalter won 61 percent of his 60 games. In his second stint, lasting just 11 months, that winning percentage dropped to 50 percent.
Berhalter’s contract expired early at the end of the 2022 World Cup and he was embroiled in an off-field scandal involving his former teammate Claudio Reyna.
Berhalter criticized Reyna’s son Gio, who was part of the U.S. team at the World Cup, leading his mother Danielle to notify the U.S. Soccer Federation of a 1992 domestic violence incident involving Berhalter and his then-girlfriend, now his wife.
That led to a lengthy investigation, which left Berhalter out of the team for six months before he was officially reinstated for a second stint as manager.
Fans made their feelings clear from the stands in Kansas about Gregg Berhalter’s future
Over the past week, several American soccer legends have called for Berhalter to be replaced as head coach after the team failed to advance through its Copa America group.
Clint Dempsey said after the game on FOX Sports: ‘I have no words, it’s so frustrating. You have a team what you stand for and what you want to do well… but where have we come since 2022?
“You qualify for the World Cup, you get out of the group… and where have we progressed? We haven’t. That’s the most frustrating part.
Clint Dempsey didn’t hold back in his assessment of the U.S. men’s national team on Monday
US fans desperate for Jurgen Klopp to get the job now that Berhalter has been sacked
“This is our golden generation and it seems like we’re wasting it. 2026 is coming, we’ll never get this chance again. In ’94 we had it, and now we’re getting it again, but you don’t know when the next time will come.”
Alexi Lalas also joined the discussion and fiercely criticized manager Berhalter after yet another poor performance.
“If this is the best it can be, it’s not good enough,” the former US midfielder said. “This is not good enough from Gregg Berhalter… we can’t afford to be embarrassed, and we can’t afford to come into the summer of 2026 with a team that hasn’t grown, hasn’t evolved, hasn’t improved.”
“I’m sure if Gregg Berhalter was here, he’d say, ‘Oh, but you don’t see what’s going on inside.’ I don’t give a damn what’s going on inside. I don’t care how dynamic it is, I don’t care how much your players love you.”