Berhalter Defends Tenure Amid U.S. Men's National Team's Early Exit
Despite the U.S. men's national team's disappointing exit from their latest tournament, head coach Gregg Berhalter remains resolute in his belief that he is the correct choice to lead the squad moving forward. This comes after the team managed to secure only one win, leading to a third-place finish in Group C and their elimination from the competition.
The tournament saw Uruguay dominate Group C, securing a perfect nine points, while Panama followed with six points. Their crucial match against the U.S. ended in a tense 2-1 victory for Panama. The encounter was further marred for the U.S. team when Timothy Weah was shown a red card in the 18th minute, leaving the squad disadvantaged for much of the game.
Reflecting on their performance and particularly the loss to Panama, Berhalter conveyed the emotional impact the defeat had on the team. "Obviously, the loss against Panama really hurt. I think when you talk about being, 80th minute, in a good position to get a draw and get something out of the game, we didn't get it."
Berhalter addressed specific tactical deficiencies observed during the match. "When you look at that moment specifically, there's some issues there. I think in that game in particular, a low block defending, needed to improve in that moment," he noted.
In response to the early exit, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced that a comprehensive review of the team's performance would be conducted. Berhalter acknowledged the necessity of this review, emphasizing the small margins that often determine success or failure in international competitions. "We're going to do a review of the whole tournament and see where we fell short. The margins are so small and there's very little separating any of these teams and you have to treat every game as the same," he stated.
The head coach remains optimistic about the effort and potential of his current squad, which includes several players who competed in the 2022 World Cup and three players aged 30 and older. He lauded the team's determination during the intense match against Panama. "When you see the effort tonight that we put in, it's incredible. The guys did a great job. They worked extremely hard, put in a great effort against a really good team but that needs to be the standard every time we step onto the field."
Defensively, Berhalter remains confident in his team's capabilities. "Defensively, we're a very good team. Most games, we have higher expected goals than the opponent. We create chances, we move the ball well. To me, the whole thing is, you want to keep moving the team forward and I feel like we have."
However, Berhalter is also aware of the need for continual improvement. "You think about the depth of the squad, the number of players that have played in games, so there's certainly improvement and we need to keep going. In my opinion, it's not something you say, 'Okay, this program's doomed.' It's not the case at all. It was a poor performance, we didn't get the results we expected and we need to get better."
When questioned about his future with the team, Berhalter remained noncommittal. "That's not up to me," he said, recognizing that his tenure depends on the decisions of the U.S. Soccer Federation and the outcomes of their impending review.
As the U.S. team moves forward from this setback, the comprehensive review announced by the U.S. Soccer Federation will be pivotal in addressing the issues and identifying the path to future success. Berhalter's steadfast belief in his methods and the capabilities of his squad remains unwavering, symbolizing his commitment to steering the team towards improvement. For now, both the fate of the team and Berhalter's future hinge on the insights gathered from this reflective period.