“What Kind of Message…”- US Soccer Federation Slammed For 3-Month-Old Gregg Berhalter Decision

Things haven’t worked out well for the USMNT in the ongoing Copa America 2024. Everyone expected the hosts to breeze through their group and secure a place in the knockouts. However, a loss to Panama has derailed the team’s run with Gregg Berhalter’s men now on the verge of walking out of the competition. Talk about a shock to the system!

Former USMNT star Herculez Gomez is fuming with the US Soccer Association’s decision to stick with Berhalter. While some might think fuming might be a harsh word, Gomez at the moment wants to do nothing with the current head coach, as he claimed the manager should have been sacked just after the final whistle against Jamaica.

Gomez, while talking on ESPN stated, “I asked for him to step down or the federation to let him go after they were 10 seconds away from getting bounced by Jamaica at home in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League. What kind of message are you sending? You, the federation to the fans with the World Cup looking and your golden generation and this is the standard.”

The former player isn’t the only one who hasn’t questioned the manager’s run with the team. With things on the final straw for Gregg Berhalter, it won’t be surprising if the association parts ways with the manager if he cannot get the team over the line against Uruguay this Monday.

No love lost for Gregg Berhalter

This has to be the question on the mind of every USA fan considering how the team has performed under their head coach. While there is no doubt, Berhalter has helped the team grow. Qualifying for the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup is proof of his achievements.

Things haven’t been the same since then. The result against Panama was a key example of the fact that Berhalter has been tactically outplayed on multiple occasions. Yeah, the red card was out of his hand, but it didn’t look like his team was ever in the game even before the incident.

USA’s midfield was hounded by Panama’s players who left to chance to capitalize on the extra man advantage. To add more to his woes, none of Berhalter’s substitutions worked out like he expected as the team lost all grip over the game. While there was some glimmer of hope in the dying minutes of the game with both teams down to 10 men, the USMNT just didn’t have enough gas to work with what they had!