The dreaded investigation into what went wrong for the United States at the Copa America seemed almost inevitable, even though it came much sooner than expected. However, the question marks that were already hovering over Gregg Berhalter and the apparent Golden Generation at his disposal have now turned into exclamation points.
It’s not the kind of exclamation point that indicates excitement, either, but rather a sense of warning, a sense of panic after the utter disaster that has occurred on these shores over the past six days.
On Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Berhalter’s tenure as USMNT head coach reached its nadir when a disappointing performance and a 1-0 loss to Uruguay sealed his fate in a domestic tournament that should have been the perfect springboard to the two-year World Cup heading this way.
The hosts were unable to pull off what would have been a great escape after last week’s chaotic 2-1 loss to Panama, a result that bruised the ego of a team considered the best in the country’s history and shattered the confidence of its adoring fan base.
Gregg Berhalter faces big questions about his future after the Copa America disaster in the United States
So after finishing second to a team that is 32 spots behind them in the FIFA World Rankings, and bowing out with a whimper from a championship in their own backyard, where does the U.S. go from here?
Fan sentiment toward Berhalter had already soured before this summer’s Copa America began, with a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Colombia putting a damper on the belief that he is the most equipped to lead this group of players.
An opening 2-0 win over Bolivia ultimately proved to be a false dawn, as the Panama debacle that followed left the United States reeling and in need of a surprise victory over a well-oiled Uruguay machine simply to stay there.
Many fans came to Arrowhead for this fateful rendezvous with a decided opinion of Berhalter, and they expressed their opposition to his regime with damning T-shirts and signs in the crowd. Even if the miracle were to happen and he turned things around, even if he dragged them to the knockout stages by the skin of their teeth, they would have seen enough to conclude that he is not the right man for the job.
Monday’s narrow loss, as Berhalter and several of his players pointed out, was not what caused them to lose control of the tournament. It wasn’t enough, as a brilliant first 20 minutes turned into total mediocrity, but the damage inflicted against Panama was irreversible. And for Berhalter, that slip-up was surely the straw that broke the camel’s back.
In a tournament on home soil, the USMNT came out with a whimper in a favorable group.
Christian Pulisic and company have been sacked after two consecutive defeats in the group stage.
Monday’s loss to Uruguay must surely be the final nail in the coffin for Berhalter.
If the United States wants to avoid a similar humiliation when soccer’s biggest festival comes around in 2026, keeping faith with the current coaching structure cannot be the answer. This was Berhalter’s audition for the World Cup and he has failed with flying colors. There is nothing positive that he, his team or his supporters can take from what has happened here this summer.
New leaders and new ideas are needed to inject some life into a squad with enough talent to get out of a group that includes Panama and Bolivia. Yes, there are arguments to be made about whether they are as talented as the Golden Generation label implies. However, there are none to debate whether they are on par with the team that reached the quarterfinals at their expense.
With three brilliant attacking options in Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and Folarin Balogun, and players like Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah in midfield, there is a solid foundation for any potential new manager to work from going forward.
In defence, Berhalter has been able to rely on Premier League and Bundesliga talents such as Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson and Joe Scally. Tim Ream may need a replacement at 36, but the point is that this is a US squad that is significantly underperforming.
Following Monday’s bitter group stage exit, Berhalter was asked if he thinks the team has progressed over the past nine months. “Yes, I think in a number of ways,” he said. “Defensively we are a very good team, in most games we have more expected goals than the opponent, we create chances, we move the ball well.
“For me, the important thing is to continue to advance the team, and we have achieved that.”
The American coach assures that he is still on the right path, but it is difficult to take his words seriously
If being grouped by Panama wasn’t discouraging enough, Berhalter’s claim to be on the right track after all is perhaps the most telling sign that something needs to change.
While it may not have been a smart decision to dismiss a group of young players with an average age of 25 years and 255 days after such a resounding failure, it is inconceivable that the leader of the United States would defend his work after such a complete failure.
Whether it’s another American coach or a name from abroad, the U.S. men’s soccer team is crying out for a new vision and a breath of fresh air amid a dark cloud hanging over the upcoming World Cup.
Keeping faith in a regime that collapsed at the slightest obstacle this summer is asking for trouble in 2026.
