It has been a long road for the United States men's national team to settle on a coach, so long that it took them six months to determine that Gregg Berhalter was still the right man for the job. While Berhalter's credentials aren't in question after winning the Gold Cup, Concacaf Nations League and leading the team to the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup -- which shouldn't be taken for granted after missing the 2018 World Cup in Russia -- it is quite odd that after going through a global search where sporting director Matt Crocker spoke with multiple candidates, that he still determined that Berhalter was the best choice to lead the team to the 2026 World Cup.
But this also isn't the first time that Berhalter was hired under dubious circumstances as his brother Jay Berhalter led the process to initially bring him into the USMNT job. That was a decision that did work out and while the team has been led by Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan during Berhalter's time away, they've still kept their winning ways going and even completed the recruitment of dual national striker Folarin Balogun to provide Berhalter with a stronger squad than the one that he already took to the knockout stages of the World Cup.
The Balogun-effect was felt as Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah both took advantage of the space provided by a positionally aware striker but the way that the team took advantage was drilled into them under Berhalter, which Pulisic noted.
"Today is a testament of the work that (Berhalter) put into this team," Pulisic said to the Athletic following the 3-0 victory over Mexico on Thursday. "If that's not enough evidence, then that's all right. People are gonna hate no matter what."
Crocker mentioned that the players did have a say, but asserted it was a thorough process that, as Berhalter noted, included an extensive interview that lasted longer than 10 hours. While Crocker didn't name specific candidates who went through the process, Patrick Vieira was reportedly one of the names to have been contacted about the job in the week leading up to Berhalter's hiring. While extensive, Crocker spoke about the process to hire the new coach being data driven and also including abstract tests to test a candidate's thought process.
"From day one, my job was to make sure I engaged with the players," Crocker said. "Kept them up to speed throughout the process. Tapped into their skills as well. Players were a part of the process all the way through."
Hearing that, it sure seems like the words coming out about Berhalter's influence over the past few weeks weren't by chance. though it also doesn't make his return even easier. Callaghan will continue to manage the USMNT through the Gold Cup, a period that Berhalter will work closely with Crocker to determine the future direction of the team but what is that direction?
How will Berhalter handle Gio Reyna
Of course, the main question surrounding Berhalter is how will he handle Gio Reyna. The state of his relationship with Reyna after an investigation into a domestic violence incident years ago between him and his now-wife which led to a feud between the Berhalters and Gio Reyna's family as well as blackmail allegations against the Reynas led to an investigation after the World Cup. Berhalter was deemed eligible to be a candidate to coach the team following the investigation and now that he's back he did acknowledge that obviously there's work to do. Right now though he maintained that Gio needs to focus on the Concacaf Nations League final against Canada and that working on the relationship is not a priority now with there being time to meet prior to the September international window.
After what has been a trying season for Reyna, he missed out on winning the title with Dortmund after losing on the final day of the season while facing injuries that kept him off the field for large stretches, he'll need to fight for a starting spot with his club. Berhalter's right that their relationship, while it needs to be addressed, shouldn't be at the forefront of the 20-year-old's mind right now as there's plenty of time. Gio's talent is obvious, and what happened in the past can be left there especially as the same teammates that have advocated for Berhalter have welcomed Reyna back onto the pitch. Moments like this are where Berhalter's man management shines, because while it's not perfect, he usually does know the right things to say in the public eye to protect his team. That's one of the reasons that he was hired back into his position but Reyna's performances will be chief in helping Berhalter stay in charge of the national team in the future.
A similar situation to Reyna's is that of Ricardo Pepi who stated that he hung up on Berhalter after being told that he wouldn't be a part of the World Cup roster. Finding his form at FC Groningen, it's understandable why Pepi would've expected to go to the World Cup, but sometimes managers have other plans.
What's important is how a player responds to those.
"I think it's great, to be honest. It's great for the squad," Pepi said joining in on players who are showing support for Berhalter's return. "Personally, I think that everything that happened between us stays behind us."
While this may be the politically correct thing for Pepi to say, it also opens the door for mending relationships giving Berhaler room to have an open conversation and determine the best way to involve Pepi moving forward. Berhalter has always stated that the door is never closed to a player in the pool so these conversations will be important moving forward. With Pepi, Zack Steffen, and Reyna there is plenty of time to get them involved.
Can Berhalter get the best out of Balogun
While the team needs to perform as well as possible in things like the Copa America, that goes hand in hand with having a striker that is actually scoring goals, or at least impacting the game. While Balogun didn't open his scoring account against Mexico, he came close and he was still able to impact the game with his hold up play and runs in behind. He's a different type of striker than someone like Josh Sargent who can be quite physical but that doesn't mean that defenses don't have to respect him as Mexico learned.
CHRISTIAN PULISIC MAKES IT DOS A CERO. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JBvmCz4wxn
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 16, 2023
Plenty of strikers have come into the team under Berhalter and failed to score but if Balogun can be even half of the striker that scored 21 goals in Ligue 1, the potential of this team will immediately rise. The future is bright and Balogun is one of the main reasons why.
Keep it simple
At times, Berhalter can get in his own way by overcomplicating things, but that's something that has been happening less as he grows as a manager. If he can let the team go out and play freely, Berhalter is already doing a lot right as he has created a culture where players can express themselves and perform to the best of their potential. That's not something that's easy to do, especially with key players like Sergino Dest and Christian Pulisic playing limited minutes for their clubs but it is something hat Berhalter has navigated well.
He has already displayed the credentials to lead this team through one World Cup cycle and barring a disaster, he'll make it to a second one as well. The difference the second time around is this youthful roster will be entering their prime and will also be battle tested which is why the future is bright despite what may feel like six months wasted. If anything, the performance of Berhalter's assistants while he was away from the post is another thing to show how impressive his attention to detail is from top to bottom in the role.
