Former United States men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter has spoken publicly about losing the national team job for the first time since his firing on July 10. In an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, Berhalter said the disappointment hasn’t fully gone away.
“We didn't perform well in Copa América and when you don't perform well at a high level there's consequences, and I take full responsibility for that. But it still hurts," Berhalter said.
The USMNT’s failures this summer ultimately saw Berhalter lose his job after being rehired for the 2026 World Cup cycle last year. Despite having a favorable Copa América group, the USMNT failed to make the knockout stages of the competition they hosted with losses to Panama and Uruguay. Earlier in the summer his side suffered a staggering 5-1 defeat to Colombia.
Berhalter shared that he had a mourning period after he was informed of losing the USMNT job.
"It's a really difficult moment when you get fired as a coach, and I don't want to liken this to life and death at all because it's not. You're still alive, but it is like mourning a death," Berhalter said to ESPN. "And you wake up the next day and you feel really bad. Your confidence takes a hit and it's a really difficult moment.
"For me it was really about being with my family in those moments and giving myself the time and the freedom and the space to feel sad and feel bad.”
Two months after Berhalter’s firing U.S. Soccer announced the arrival of world-renowned head coach Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine boss managed his first two games with the USMNT this month, defeating Panama 2-0 but then losing to Mexico 2-0 in Guadalajara.
Berhalter said Pochettino is a good signing for the program.
"He's a great guy," Berhalter said. "I think he's a great hire for U.S. Soccer. (Pochettino is a) top coach, coach at the top level knows what pressure's like, knows how to perform in pressure situations,” Berhalter said.
"So, I think it's a really good hire and I can assure you that there will be a relationship and we will be able to count on each other, both us supplying him players and hopefully getting feedback from him also."
Berhalter’s next step in his career will be working to rebuild the Chicago Fire who have been poor in recent years. This season they head into the final day of the regular season with the second-worst record in MLS.
The last time Chicago qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs was 2017. Before that was 2012. The Fire lost in the first round of the playoffs both times.
Chicago’s last playoff victory was in 2009. If Berhalter can turn things around at the club it will be one of his greatest accomplishments as a manager.
