The Decision Has Been Made. Now The Pressure Is On
Picked by Chosen by U.S. Men’s National Team General Manager Earnie Stewart with the support of U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro and CEO/Secretary General Dan Flynn, Gregg Berhalter becomes the new head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Berhalter’s colleagues all speak highly of him and most notably New England Revolution coach Brad Friedel is a big fan.
On December 2, 2018, the U.S. Soccer Federation appointed two-time FIFA World Cup veteran Gregg Berhalter as the new head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team. The Columbus Crew SC Head Coach brings a wealth of diverse experience.
Berhalter, with 25 years of experience as a player and head coach for clubs in England, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States, becomes the first U.S. World Cup veteran to take the reins of the U.S. Men’s National Team.
One special distinction: Berhalter is the first U.S. Men’s National Team head coach with experience as a player and a coach both domestically and internationally. He is one of the few Americans to serve as captain of two European clubs.
U.S. Men’s National Team General Manager Earnie Stewart selected Berhalter after a lengthy process of evaluation and the appointment was officially ratified by the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors on Dec. 1 by a unanimous vote.
Berhalter was chosen as MNT head coach after an extensive selection process led by Stewart, who worked alongside U.S. Soccer’s Chief Sport Development Officer Nico Romeijn and Chief Soccer Officer Ryan Mooney in developing the profile for the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Only 45-year-old and with just eight years of coaching experience, Berhalter was part of the inaugural class to earn U.S. Soccer’s “PRO” Coaching License in 2016 and also holds a UEFA “A” License.
As Head Coach and Sporting Director with Columbus Crew SC, Berhalter lead his team to the MLS Cup Playoffs four times, as well as the 2015 MLS Cup Final and 2017 Eastern Conference Final.
Berhalter worked to scout opponents while with German club 1860 Munich from 2007-09 and his first official technical role came was when he served as an assistant coach during the final season of his playing career with the LA Galaxy in 2011 where he mentored then younger players Omar Gonzalez, AJ DeLaGarza and Sean Franklin.
As a player, Berhalter played in two World Cups as well as two FIFA Confederations Cups (1999, 2003), the CONCACAF Gold Cup (1998) and Copa America (1995).
Read: U.S. Soccer’s FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT U.S. MNT HEAD COACH GREGG BERHALTER
A native of Englewood, N.J., Berhalter spent a majority of his 18-year professional career abroad, playing as a defender for clubs in the Netherlands, England and Germany.
The center back began his career in the Netherlands, playing two seasons each with PEC Zwolle, Sparta Rotterdam and SC Cambuur, before a year with English Championship side Crystal Palace.
