U.S. soccer and Gregg Berhalter: Why did he come back?

The guy who is succeeding Gregg Berhalter as the U.S. Men’s National Team coach is…. Gregg Berhalter.

And then US Soccer Twitter lost its collective mind. Him? REALLY? All the coaches in the world, and you went with… him?

During the World Cup last year, fans were complaining about his conservative playing style, his seeming unwillingness to play a potential game-breaking player in Gio Reyna, and on and on. And the criticism came from all over: Social media, pundits, media…

And then, after the Cup, Berhalter made some comments he thought were in front of a safe audience about how one of the U.S. players was misbehaving, and how the team was going to send him home. It came down to a player vote, and the “miscreant” was allowed to stay around.

Word got out about the comments (because no place is really that safe anymore) and people put 2 and 2 together, which added up to Gio Reyna. And then, word gets out about an incident when Berhalter, his wife, and Reyna’s mother were all in college together. It’s been recounted many times, and I’m not here to do it again.

And then there were investigations and all that…

And I have to wonder… why on Earth would Gregg Berhalter be willing to come back to all of that? Why would you come back to a job where your past got dragged out—every skeleton on display for all the world to see and comment upon? Why would you return to a job where there was open hostility with one of your best players—a player upon whom the fortunes of this team somewhat rest heading into the 2026 World Cup on American soil?

Gregg Berhalter gets second chance with an amazing roster

That was the pervading thought, after the initial shock of seeing Berhalter back: Why would he return?

It took me a few moments, but my answer came to me. Not saying it’s the right one, but that it seems to fit.

It isn’t because the players love him. That may not even be true—that may have been an attempt to put the best possible spin on things.

I think Gregg Berhalter came back because the US Soccer powers-that-be offered him something rare: A chance to get it right. And a chance to do it with one of the best rosters this country has ever seen.

This group of players—Pulisic, McKennie, Adams, Balogun, Turner, Robinson, Richards, and yes, absolutely, Reyna, among them—is extremely talented. We’ve heard a lot of whining from USMNT Twitter/Reddit about the over-reliance on players from MLS, the domestic pro league, but most of the major talents above are playing in Europe. And most countries rely on their domestic leagues to fill out depth.

Time will tell if Berhalter was a good re-hire. I feel as though his big test will be the 2024 Copa America. If the U.S. puts in a great showing there, it’s a good move, and he moves to the World Cup.

If not, I, for one, would not be in the mood to give him a third shot.