Is Gregg Berhalter Right Manager For U.S. Men’s Soccer Team?

Gregg Berhalter reportedly will return as head coach of the United States men’s soccer team.

The Athletic reported the move just as the U.S. was about to play its CONCACAF Nations League semifinal match against Mexico at Allegiant Stadium. The Associated Press added Friday that Berhalter will manage the team through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Berhalter is not expected to coach the team in the Nations League final against Canada on Sunday. It’s unknown if he will manage the team before the start of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on June 24.

The decision comes five months after his contract expired amid conflict with the Reyna family and an investigation of a three-decades-old domestic violence investigation.

Gio Reyna reportedly was nearly sent home due to his behavior after learning he would not be a starter at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. His performance in training created backlash within the squad, but Berhalter opted to keep the Borussia Dortmund forward with the team.

Berhalter referenced the situation at a leadership conference Q&A after the tournament, though the head coach thought the comments were off the record.

“After those stories, Reyna’s parents, former U.S. national players Claudio and Danielle Reyna, longtime friends of Berhalter and his wife, Rosalind Berhalter, reported to former U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart an incident from 30 years prior in which Berhalter kicked Rosalind during an argument when the two were freshmen at the University of North Carolina,” The Athletic said Thursday.

“That prompted a U.S. Soccer investigation. The independent investigation eventually found that Berhalter was cleared to be re-hired by U.S. Soccer.”

Multiple U.S. soccer players have supported Berhalter’s return to the team. There were multiple rumors of candidates, but it’s unknown who was a serious contender.

Berhalter has accomplished a lot during his tenure as U.S. manager, but his feud with the Reyna family and the team’s Round of 16 exit against the Netherlands sparked fans to want a change.

However, it seemed like fantasies to have top-class managers like Zinedine Zidane or Pep Guardiola leave club soccer for a national team gig. Jim Curtin and Jesse Marsch seemed like the most realistic candidates, but it’s unknown how much interest there was from all sides.

The U.S. beat Mexico 3-0 on Thursday, and the team still exhibits the tactics Berhalter instilled in the squad. It plays an aggressive, attacking style that is efficient in its movements and effective in its counter-pressing.

There certainly is a case of not wanting the same manager for two consecutive World Cup cycles, but it’s clear most of the team still respects Berhalter, and fans saw the U.S. in its purest form.

The question will be if Berhalter has learned from his tactical mistakes. He isn’t as quick to change his style on the fly and his substitutions have been suspect. But given the information available, there were not many better and more realistic options than Berhalter.

It’s probably not wise to keep your money floating around for more than a year, but the United States has 19-1 odds to win the 2026 World Cup at FanDuel and 30-1 odds at DraftKings. So, oddsmakers see the U.S. in the second tier of contenders, which, realistically, is correct.

Of course, the goal is to win the World Cup, but that plan must be done with what cards are on the table and not with fantasy scenarios that likely weren’t ever going to happen.

The United States is +110 favorites over Canada this Sunday at FanDuel and -300 favorites in its first Gold Cup match against Jamaica on June 24 at DraftKings.

The U.S. will not play World Cup qualifying games since it is one of the hosts, but it does have the Nations League and Gold Cup this year and the Copa America next year. Those will be key tournaments to prepare for the World Cup and big tests for Berhalter to prove he is the right man for the job.