Soccer: Can Gregg Berhalter survive the inquest into the USMNT’s early exit from the Copa America?

Ahead of any major international soccer tournament, there will inevitably be plenty of pressure on the host nation to go deep into the competition. These expectations tend to be ratcheted up a few notches as pundits tend to surmise that the home nation will thrive on the familiarity and that they should be able to feed off the vociferous home support. With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, there will be plenty of pressure placed on the shoulders of the joint-hosts and having had the benefit of a dry run this summer, the USMNT will be expected to put on a decent show at this much-anticipated FIFA event. 

Nevertheless, Gregg Berhaltar’s side were far from impressive at the 2024 Copa America with the hosts eliminated at the group stage and forced to watch the rest of the CONMEBOL and CONCACAF representatives fight it out on their turf. 

USMNT went into the tournament as fifth favourites for success, with World Champions Argentina and nine-time Copa America winners Brazil understandably installed at the top of the outright betting market. 

Although the Stars and Stripes were drawn alongside a rejuvenated Uruguay in Group C, they were still expected to qualify for the knock-out stages alongside Marcelo Bielsa’s men. Unfortunately, on this occasion – the betting market got it wrong. With two international soccer tournaments running concurrently this summer, there has been plenty of excitement amongst bettors, and with many additional sportsbook promotions having also been made available as a result, there would have been plenty of money placed on Berhalter’s men to make it through. Very few handicappers would have put money on Panama to finish ahead of USMNT and to progress at their expense. 

What Went Wrong? 

Let’s be honest, prior to the tournament, there had been a few warning signs that something isn’t quite right behind the scenes. Although Berhalter seemingly hasn’t completely lost the locker room, the players have struggled to carry out his orders and have failed to adapt to his style of play. A chaotic friendly defeat to Colombia was hardly the ideal preparation and last November’s embarrassing loss to Trinidad and Tobago should have raised a few alarm bells. 

The tournament started fairly well with a routine 2-0 victory over a Bolivia side who rarely win on their travels. Timothy Weah’s 18th minute dismissal created a huge uphill battle in their second Group C game and they were all set to take a point from the game until Jose Fajardo netted an 83rd winner for the unfancied Panamanians. 

It left the Stars and Stripes requiring a victory against the goal-happy group leaders and although the performance was probably good enough to take a point, Mathias Oliveira’s second half strike was an unwanted suckerpunch which completely took the wind out of their sails. 

There were echoes of the US’s failure under Jurgen Klinsmann, however, Berhalter’s critics have been quick to point out that this squad is far more gifted, and that negotiating its way through the group stage was the minimum requirement. The majority of the current roster play their domestic football in a top tier, with only second-half subs Josh Sargeant and Haji Wright proving to be the exceptions. This set of players has been dubbed ‘The Golden Generation’ and their chances of capitalizing on this fertile crop of talent appears to be passing them by. 

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how this talent squad failed to meet its most basic of objectives and although certain players will undoubtedly be accused of underperforming, the finger of blame will undoubtedly be pointed in the direction of the technical area. 

What Next for Berhalter? 

Naturally, there has been plenty of criticism directed towards the under-fire head coach. FOX Sports lead soccer analyst Alexi Lalas is amongst those who have called for Berhalter to be sacked. The former defender has suggested that the USMNT ‘cannot afford to be embarrassed’ and ‘cannot afford to arrive in the summer of ‘26 with a team that has not progressed…’. 

The outspoken Clint Dempsey has also suggested that if the current boss cannot cope with the expectations of the Copa America, he is unlikely to thrive on the pressure of a 32-team FIFA World Cup. 

There have also been suggestions that the players are too comfortable under his leadership and aren’t being pushed outside of their comfort zone.  

Berhalter’s contract leaves him in charge until 2028 and if the former Columbus Crew boss is dismissed, it doesn’t leave the decision-makers long to appoint his successor. 

There have been several high-profile names linked with the currently un-vacant post including Wilfried Nancy and Hugo Perez. David Wagner has also recently become available having been sacked by English Championship club Norwich City. Having played for the USMNT six times in the late-1990s and having also worked with striker Josh Sargeant, he is a potentially interesting candidate, should Berhalter pay the ultimate price for his side’s underwhelming displays this summer. 

There are some huge decisions to be made over the coming months and with the 2026 World Cup creeping ever closer, they cannot afford to make yet another bad decision. Whether Berhalter can survive the inevitable fallout remains to be seen.