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via Imago

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USMNT is again down in the dumps as their Copa America 2024 journey officially concludes. The host nation endured a premature exit from the tournament as a narrow loss against Uruguay saw them slip down the Group C table. As the latest disappointment drags the team into the negative limelight, USWNT icon Carli Lloyd has questioned the men’s team whether they are even ‘comfortable‘ with Gregg Berhalter as their coach.

The 2x FIFA World Champion is perplexed as to why the team is still supportive of Berhalter to retain his place as a Star and Stripes boss. Instead, Lloyd made her own revelation, how her national team camp was opposed to their bosses and still managed to win silverware. Speaking to Fox Sports, she said, “We [The USWNT] won the Championships and we hated our coach. I question if [the USMNT players] are too comfortable in that locker room.”

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Of course, Lloyd has enjoyed a rather stellar career on the international front. However, the same isn’t the case for the men’s team, who are yet to make their impact in crucial tournaments like the World Cup or Copa America. And today was yet another shambolic day in the history of the MNT who failed to curtain the CONMEBOL-based tournament on a high note, that too as hosts.

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If Panama had lost their match against Bolivia, then Gregg Berhalter would have definitely progressed through the knockout stages. However, they won 1-3 instead, to make it to the quarter-finals along with Uruguay, while USMNT and Bolivia packed their bags. Either way, the latest disappointment again drags Berhalter into hot waters. However, even after a load of criticism, the 50-year-old got unexpected backing!

Despite Carli Lloyd questioning the USMNT coach, Matt Turner backs Gregg Berhalter

Matt Turner evaluated the team’s overall performance in the tournament in the post-match interview. Interestingly, when questioned about the quality of Gregg Berhalter, he replied, “I see no issue with the direction we’re heading.” Expressing his support for Berhalter, Turner added, “When you have a fight like that on the pitch in every single game we’re in this tournament, it speaks volumes to how the manager prepare us.”

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Instead, Turner bore responsibility, blaming himself and his teammates for not securing the win, even though they had the opportunity in today’s game and the previous one against Panama. While Turner is optimistic about Berhalter, fans and pundits may not share his confidence. Certainly, it remains uncertain how this result will impact Berhalter’s future tenure. For now, the blame game is far from over.