Gregg Berhalter nearing agreement to return as USMNT head coach

Doug McIntyre

football reporter

Gregg Berhalter will return as U.S. men’s national team coach, a source confirmed to Fox Sports on Thursday night. The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio was the first to report the news.

An announcement is expected on Friday. US Soccer did not respond to a request for comment.

Originally hired in December 2018, Berhalter qualified for the USMNT World Cup for the first time since 2014 last year. He led the US to an unbeaten start to Qatar 2022 before being knocked out by the Netherlands in the round of 16. He was in talks with then-USSF athletic director Ernie Stewart to extend his contract through the 2026 World Cup. – hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, but those discussions were put on hold after decades of domestic violence involving his now-wife.

The incident was reported to US Soccer by the parents of USMNT forward Gio Reyna, both former national team players. An independent inquiry determined the disclosure was revenge for Berhalter, who revealed he considered sending a young Reyna home from the World Cup after learning he would not start America’s group-stage opener against Wales because of his behaviour. Misconduct.

The investigation also found that Berhalter told the truth when he admitted he kicked his then-girlfriend during an argument outside a bar when the two were freshman athletes at UNC. Danielle Reyna, Rosalind’s roommate at UNC, did not witness the altercation but learned of it later.

U.S. Soccer insists Berhalter remains a candidate for rehire. But first, US Soccer needs to replace Stewart, who left the federation in February to take a similar role at Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. Matt Crocker was named as his successor in April. Fox Sports reported earlier this week that Crocker had interviewed more than 10 potential candidates for the USMNT coaching job. Since January, the team has been led by a pair of interim owners, first Anthony Hudson and then BJ Callahan, both former Berhalter assistants. Several players, including World Cup striker Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah, have recently spoken out about their desire for Berhalter to return.

Berhalter has been linked with vacant club positions at American clubs in Wales, the Netherlands and most recently Mexico. FOX Sports’ Rodolfo Landeros reported Thursday that Berhalter has withdrawn from the competition for the job, citing his desire to return to the U.S. national team.

He and many of his players ended up getting what they wanted.

Doug McIntyre is a football writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer for ESPN and Yahoo Sports and covered the US men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @Doug McIntyre.

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