Is Gregg Berhalter the right man to lead the USMNT moving forward and into the 2026 World Cup?
He believes so, giving himself a not-so-ringing endorsement, merely offering a “yes” in response after his squad was eliminated in the group stage of the Copa America tournament on Monday. But one of the greatest players to ever represent the U.S., Clint Dempsey, doesn’t seem to think so. Now an analyst for Fox Soccer, Dempsey offered a bleak assessment of the state of his country’s national team.
“I’m at a loss for words. It’s so frustrating to see,” Dempsey said, mirroring the feeling of USMNT fans across the country. “You have a team that you’re rooting on and want to do well, but at the same time, where have we come since 2022? You get out of the group. Where have we progressed? We haven’t, to Alexi’s point, and that’s the most frustrating point. This is our Golden Generation, and it looks like we’re wasting it.
“Where have we come since 2022? You qualify for the World Cup, get out of the group. Where have we progressed? We haven’t, to Alexi’s point…This is our Golden Generation and it looks like we’re wasting it.”
– Clint Dempsey. pic.twitter.com/J40yTvbcpj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 2, 2024
And Berhalter hasn’t been able to get much out of the golden generation, as the results haven’t been there for what’s supposed to be the most talented men’s national team ever. Jürgen Klinsmann got U.S. Soccer past the group stage and did so with five MLS players in his starting XI. Every player who saw the pitch in Monday’s 1-0 loss to Uruguay plays abroad in one of the top European leagues. To have that kind of caliber and quality and squander chances over and over, the players have to be held accountable, but the onus falls on someone.
And to Dempsey and most USMNT fans that someone is Berhalter.
“I mean, I don’t think so,” Dempsey said when asked if Berhalter’s still the right voice. “I don’t think we’ve progressed enough since the last World Cup. We’re not on the right track. It took too long to even do the search to bring him back. And now, how long is it gonna take? Like, they were saying in the postgame (interview), how long is that process going to take if you do get another guy to come in? Because you see how long it took last time. We don’t have time.
“And who is someone that’s good enough that can take us forward that’s out there waiting in the wings? Those are questions that the Federation needs to figure out. But for me, it hasn’t been good enough.”
“I just think right now, in this particular moment, you need to shake everything up,” added Carli Lloyd. “Shake everything up, get players on their toes again, held accountable. (They need) a new, fresh face to come in and ignite this team again. And maybe these players, maybe we’re giving them too much credit. I don’t know. Maybe they’re not the best golden generation of players, but maybe there’s someone else that can bring out the best in them.”
“The summer of ’26 is an opportunity. It’s an opportunity, not just for American soccer, but for the country to come together,” says Alexi Lalas. “And you need somebody that’s going to pull people together. And right now — I think Gregg Berhalter, because of the fact that he has failed to a certain extent, has not given people hope that it’s headed in the right direction. And so, he has become incredibly polarizing. That’s just because of the results that have happened.
“If [the United States Soccer Federation] believes he’s the right person to take them to 2026, that is not going to change. There will be continued polarization. And I want somebody in there that’s going to bring everybody together. We all have different opinions…but whatever progress has to be made by somebody that’s gonna bring everybody together, because when that whistle blows in the summer of 2026, I want everybody in America — whether they love soccer or not — to say, ‘You know what, I am on board with this.’
“And you need a leader in that position that’s gonna get the best out of the players, and they’re going to bring everybody together — not divide you.”
“I want somebody in there that is going to bring everybody together.” @AlexiLalas speaks on the type of leader he wants the USMNT to have ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/akBD5yxdgU
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024
The 2026 World Cup presents a golden opportunity for American soccer. With Berhalter’s future uncertain, the USMNT must decide if he’s the right leader to navigate the challenges and seize the moment. And up to this point, he’s done just about none of that.