Gregg Berhalter out as USMNT head coach
FILE - Head coach Gregg Berhalter of the United States men's national team looks on before their international friendly match against Costa Rica at Avaya Stadium on Feb. 2, 2019 in San Jose, California. ( Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Gregg Berhalter will no longer be the head coach for the United States’ men’s national soccer team.
The news comes after the U.S. national team became the first Copa América host to be eliminated from the tournament.
"The Copa America result is extremely disappointing and I take full responsibility for our performance," Berhalter said in a statement. "Our approach and process was always focused on the 2026 World Cup and I remain confident that this group will be one of the great stories in 2026."
The U.S. opened with a 2-0 win to Bolivia, then lost 2-1 to Panama and 1-0 to Uruguay.
Sporting director Matt Crocker rehired Berhalter and also will make the recommendation on his replacement. The team next plays in September friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.
USSF spokesman Neil Buethe would not make Crocker available to answer questions from The Associated Press.
"Our immediate focus is on finding a coach who can maximize our potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, and we have already begun our search process," Crocker said in a statement.
Berhalter was originally hired in 2018, almost 14 months after the Americans failed to qualify for that year's World Cup.
He led the U.S. back to soccer's marquee competition and into the round of 16, and was rehired for the 2026 World Cup cycle last June by Matt Crocker, who had become the federation's sporting director two months earlier.
But despite winning a third successive Concacaf Nations League title in March by beating Mexico 2-0 in the final, the team struggled throughout Berhalter's second term.
He has a contract through the 2026 tournament, which will be cohosted by the U.S., but has lost the support of a significant portion of the fan base.
"I don’t think anybody would bat an eye. Most teams and federations, it would be a fait accompli," former U.S. defender Alexi Lalas, now Fox’s lead soccer analyst, said Tuesday. "At a time where we need to be energized and excited about the leadership going into the next two years, I think we find ourselves questioning and negative and cynical and divided, let’s be honest, relative to what can be in 2026."
The Associated Press and FOX Sports contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.