Columnist: The U.S. “failure” at Copa América was “[Gregg] Berhalter’s failure"Hector Vivas/Getty Images
The USMNT’s elimination from Copa America has served as a “worst-case scenario” and Monday night’s loss to Uruguay “unloosed a level of disillusion in the American soccer scene not witnessed since the USMNT’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup,” according to Leander Schaerlaeckens of THE RINGER. There were “three ostensible objectives” for the U.S. to accomplish in this Copa América: to “get out of the group, to notch a signature win in an elimination game -- a necessity framed as the next step in this team’s evolution -- and to play stylishly, or at least cohesively, enough to demonstrate that there really is something special about this group, to justify all the chatter about how it finally possesses the talent to ascend to the global elite.” The Americans “failed to deliver on a single one of those objectives” and it
“brings the conversation back” to coach Gregg Berhalter. Schaerlaeckens wrote there are “valid questions to be posed about whether the Americans have stagnated” (
THE RINGER, 7/2).
RELATED: USSF to hold review of USMNT after Copa loss
CRASH: In Miami, Greg Cote noted the “timing was perfect for a big U.S. showing” in Copa America to “continue momentum” from the 2022 World Cup, when the USMNT reached the round of 16 in Qatar. Global attention to soccer in America was “elevated like never before last summer” when Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami. And the U.S. hosting the 2026 World Cup along with Canada and Mexico was “another reason to see Copa America as a springboard-opportunity for the America team to build momentum.” Cote wrote the “crash feels like an opportunity lost” (MIAMI HERALD, 7/2).
PINNING FAILURE: In D.C., Steven Goff wrote the U.S. “failure” at Copa America was “Berhalter’s failure.” He was tasked with “getting the most out of a roster gushing with youthful promise and primed to take the next step in the Americans’ drive to the 2026 World Cup.” Instead, they “fell on their faces.” Goff wrote it will “largely fall” on U.S. Soccer Federation Sporting Dir Matt Crocker to “determine whether Berhalter is the right man to lead that effort.” Sources said that the evaluation process “might be completed within a week.” It was Crocker who, 13 months ago and new to the job, “surprised almost everyone when he rehired Berhalter for a second term.” Berhalter’s contract runs through 2026. Should the USSF fire him, it “would be on the hook for a hefty settlement" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/2).
NOW OR NEVER: In Philadelphia, Jonathan Tannenwald wrote the loss was a “woefully blown opportunity in the team’s biggest games before the 2026 World Cup, not just against serious opponents, but on big-time stages on home soil.” Tannenwald: “So will Crocker pull the plug? If he’s going to, it has to be now.” There are two years until that World Cup, and they “will fly by.” Since national teams do not gather often, “waiting any longer will limit how much a new manager can work with the players.” A few days before the tournament started, Fox’s Stuart Holden “did not hesitate” when asked if he thought U.S. Soccer would back Crocker to make such a decision, “including with the big money commitments it would require.” He said, “I absolutely think that U.S. Soccer would pull the trigger if they thought that Gregg Berhalter was not the right guy to achieve the success that they deem acceptable come 2026.” Since that interview, “other well-connected sources” across the U.S. Soccer landscape have said the same thing: “Crocker would make the move if results warranted it” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 7/2).
A BOLD MOVE: In S.F., Ann Killion noted it would be a “really bad decision to stick with Berhalter ahead of the event that is so critical to the federation: the 2026 World Cup.” Copa America was “supposed to be a dress rehearsal for the World Cup” but the Americans “fell flat on their collective face.” The federation “already had a chance to improve the team more than a year ago” and instead “opted for the safe route by sticking with Berhalter.” Killion: “Now is the time for U.S. Soccer to swing for the fences … and something bold is needed” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/2).
BLAME AT THE TOP: SI’s Michael Rosenberg wrote it is “time for Berhalter to go.” Berhalter has held the job for five years through two stints. The USMNT is “underachieving in ways that reflect directly on leadership.” Rosenberg: “The World Cup is just two years away. It is time.” This is “not all Berhalter’s fault.” Perhaps another coach “would have had the same problems coaching this group of players from December 2018 until now,” but it “happened under Berhalter.” The question now is “not just whether the U.S. can find a better coach.” Rosenberg: “A new coach would come armed with credibility simply because he is a new coach. It is time” (SI, 7/2).
