Gregg Berhalter facing renewed pressure to keep his spot after USMNT’s dismal Copa showing

The U.S. men’s soccer team is fresh off a dismal performance in the Copa America. With a chance to play at least three home games against top-tier teams and a favorable group stage draw, this was the USMNT’s only major tune-up before hosting the 2026 World Cup along with Canada and Mexico and a chance to advance to the knockout rounds.

Things were worse than I had imagined.

The U.S. started their group stage campaign well with a 2-0 win over Bolivia and could have easily added another goal or two, but it all went from bad to worse in the 18th minute against Panama when Tim Weir punched an opponent, earning him a red card and an immediate shower.

The U.S. recovered to take a 1-0 lead, but Panama rallied back with two goals to hand the U.S. a brutal 2-1 defeat.

The Americans, who had a chance to advance after beating Uruguay, fought hard but fell short, 1-0. Sure, there were calls and out-of-court calls that went against them, but they had put themselves in a tough spot after their loss to Panama and so struggled from the start.

Now, the U.S. soccer community is wondering what happens next, and U.S. soccer’s largest support group, the American Outlaws, has voiced their feelings.

It’s time for Gregg Berhalter to go.

In a social media post to its more than 180,000 followers, the group called for the appointment of a new head coach ahead of the World Cup in 2026. “The U.S. Men’s National Team needs accountability and a plan moving forward. It is time for a change in the head coaching position,” the statement read.

The full statement can be found here:

of Outlaws aren’t the only ones seeking changeBut the truth is, maybe U.S. soccer doesn’t have a lot of great options right now. Berhalter’s return after the 2022 World Cup was somewhat surprising, not because of the team’s performance, but because of a combination of history and scandal. The U.S. men’s national team had a solid performance in Qatar, navigating Group B before losing to the Netherlands, but second attempts often don’t go so well for U.S. men’s national team managers after their first World Cup game.

For example, after a strong 2002 season in which Bruce Arena’s team reached the quarter-finals, his 2006 team was eliminated in the group stage with two losses and one draw. Neither Bob Bradley nor Jurgen Klinsmann were involved in the second championship run.

The Berhalter and Claudio Reyna scandal emerged after the World Cup, which began with questions about the way manager Gio Reyna was used, and there were legitimate questions at the time about whether Berhalter would be given another chance. As our friends Stars and Stripes FC I wrote at the time:

While Berhalter has had some success, the biggest wins the team can be proud of are wins over Mexico in the Gold Cup and Nations League, and draws against Mexico in the Azteca and England in the World Cup. This was far from Berhalter’s goal. “It will change the way the world sees American soccer.” Players might like him.But the team needs a manager who can reach higher.

The federation must not let this scandal go to waste by once again encouraging mediocrity and ignoring harmful behavior with decision-makers who act based on loyalty to their old networks of allies. Sadly, if history is any indication of the future, the choice to prioritize networks and mediocrity over merit is likely to continue to guide the U.S. Soccer Federation.

But the U.S. Soccer Federation went in a different direction, bringing Berhalter back for the season and passing on other candidates like Jesse Marsh, who was seen as the likely “natural” replacement, before taking over for Canada and promptly leading the team to the Copa finals.

It makes me wonder what will happen from here in American soccer.

At least one group of supporters — and an influential one at that — has made their feelings pretty clear.