Gregg Berhalter

Gregg Matthew Berhalter (born August 1, 1973) is an American soccer coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the United States men's national soccer team. He is the first person in United States history to participate in the FIFA World Cup as both a player and head coach.  His tenure as coach has been noted for the recruitment of a younger player roster and development of a more positive team culture.

He originally served in the role from 2018 to 2022; following the expiration of his contract, U.S. Soccer employed interim head coaches before rehiring him to the post on June 16, 2023. Berhalter previously coached Columbus Crew SC in Major League Soccer, Hammarby IF in Sweden, and served as an assistant coach for LA Galaxy.

Playing career

Early life and education
Gregg Matthew Berhalter was born on August 1, 1973, in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, and was a high school teammate of Claudio Reyna at Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey. He played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2002, he was ranked as one of the top 50 players in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 1993, he spent the collegiate off season playing for the Raleigh Flyers of the USISL. Berhalter is the godson of Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame baseball player Carl Yastrzemski.

Professional

Berhalter left UNC after his junior year, signing with Dutch club Zwolle in 1994. He later played for Sparta Rotterdam and SC Cambuur Leeuwarden in the Netherlands (later they also had U.S.-born executive Alex Pama there), and with Crystal Palace in England (where he briefly played alongside Jovan Kirovski). During his time at Crystal Palace, he scored once against Bradford City.

In 2002, Berhalter signed with Energie Cottbus of the German Bundesliga. He went on to make 111 league appearances with the team, captaining them to a promotion back to the Bundesliga. In 2006, Berhalter signed with TSV 1860 Munich of the 2. Bundesliga, and was named captain of the team. He stayed there for a further two and a half years, making 73 league appearances for Die Löwen.

After a 15-year career in Europe, Berhalter moved back to the United States in April 2009. He signed a contract with Major League Soccer, his first club contract in his home country. He was revealed as a Los Angeles Galaxy player on April 3, 2009. In his first season with the Galaxy, their goals against were cut in half—from 61 to 30—with Berhalter being a leader in defense while mentoring Omar Gonzalez to Rookie of the Year honors.

On November 14, 2009, he scored in the 103rd minute of the scoreless Western Conference final, propelling the Galaxy to a 2–0 win over the Houston Dynamo and into the 2009 MLS Cup. It was his first goal in 28 appearances with the club.

In his second season, the Galaxy won the MLS Supporters Shield and further reduced their goals against to 26 for the season, a Galaxy record.

On October 12, 2011, Berhalter announced his decision to retire at the end of the 2011 MLS season. In 2011, LA Galaxy won both the supports shield and MLS Cup in Berhalter's final season.

International
Berhalter earned his first cap for the U.S. national team on October 15, 1994, against Saudi Arabia.  He went on to play at the 1995 Copa América and the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Berhalter played a significant role for the U.S. at the 2002 World Cup, stepping in for the injured Jeff Agoos and starting the last two games against Mexico and Germany, and in doing so became the first Crystal Palace player to play in a World Cup match.

On May 25, 2006, Berhalter was added to the U.S. national team's roster for the 2006 World Cup, replacing the injured Cory Gibbs. Berhalter expressed confidence in the ability of the team in the run up to the tournament, but was an unused substitute in all three group games. The U.S. was eliminated after finishing at the bottom of Group E in the first round with one draw and two defeats.

Coaching career

Hammarby IF
Following a season as Los Angeles Galaxy's assistant coach, Berhalter was named head coach for Swedish club Hammarby IF on December 12, 2011. Berhalter became the first American-born manager to manage a professional team in Europe. In his first year, Hammarby improved seven positions in the standing, narrowly missing out on promotion. Berhalter was fired on July 24, 2013, for a "lack of attacking play". Hammarby were in fifth place at the time of the sacking.

Columbus Crew SC
Berhalter became the sporting director and head coach of Columbus Crew on November 6, 2013.

Under Berhalter, Columbus Crew SC qualified for the playoffs four out of five years, in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018. They reached the MLS Cup 2015 but lost at home 2–1 to the Portland Timbers.

United States
On December 2, 2018, Berhalter became the head coach of the United States national team (USMNT). He earned his first victory as coach in a friendly against Panama on January 27, 2019. Berhalter won the first four consecutive games of his coaching career. He coached the United States to two continental championships by winning the inaugural Nations League title against Mexico in June of 2021, and then defeating Mexico again 1-0 on August 1, 2021 at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. On November 12, 2021, Berhalter led the United States to a 2-0 victory over rival Mexico in World Cup Qualifying at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team subsequently qualified for and reached the round of 16 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This made Berhalter the first American in history to participate in the FIFA World Cup as both a head coach and a player.

As coach of the USMNT, Berhalter has been known for building a roster of young players including Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson and Weston McKennie. Sportswriters such as Sports Illustrated's Brian Straus, The Guardian's Nancy Armour and The Athletic's Paul Tenorio have described this as part of an overarching strategy to develop a pool of young soccer talent in the United States in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Berhalter is also known for developing a stronger team culture in the USMNT. He prefers to use a possession-based play style with a 4-3-3 formation, which has gradually adapted into a more aggressive, forward-moving style of play over the course of his tenure.

Berhalter's contract expired on December 31, 2022, with assistant Anthony Hudson named interim head coach while a search for a permanent replacement commenced. Hudson remained in charge through May 2023 before departing to become the head coach of Al-Markhiya SC in Qatar; he was replaced by fellow assistant B.J. Callaghan. 

On June 16, 2023, U.S. Soccer announced that Berhalter would return as the head coach of the United States through the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Sporting director Matt Crocker cited Berhalter's "vision, as well as the experience and growth mindset on and off the field to move [the] team forward" as the U.S. prepares to host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.

Personal life
Berhalter lives in the Lake View neighborhood of Chicago with his wife Rosalind, with whom he has four children. One of his sons, Sebastian, plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps. 

In March 2023, an investigation by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) found that Claudio Reyna and his wife Danielle had attempted to retaliate against Berhalter because their son Giovanni was receiving limited playing time at the 2022 World Cup. The Reynas were also frustrated by comments made after the Cup about the poor behavior of an anonymous player, who was later revealed to be Giovanni. Danielle Reyna attempted to damage Berhalter’s career by contacting USSF sporting director Earnie Stewart and USMNT general manager Brian McBride about an alleged fight between Berhalter and his future wife in 1992. A USSF probe into the claim found that it was an isolated incident that did not result in any injuries, and found no reason not to employ Berhalter as coach.

Coaching statistics

Honors

Player
Los Angeles Galaxy
MLS Cup: 2011
Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield: 2010, 2011
Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship: 2009, 2011

Coach
United States
CONCACAF Nations League: 2019–20
CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2021

References

External links

 
 

1973 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Englewood, New Jersey
Soccer players from Bergen County, New Jersey
People from Tenafly, New Jersey
American men's soccer players
Men's association football defenders
St. Benedict's Preparatory School alumni
North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players
Raleigh Express players
PEC Zwolle players
Sparta Rotterdam players
SC Cambuur players
Crystal Palace F.C. players
FC Energie Cottbus players
TSV 1860 Munich players
LA Galaxy players
Eerste Divisie players
Eredivisie players
English Football League players
2. Bundesliga players
Bundesliga players
Major League Soccer players
United States men's under-20 international soccer players
United States men's international soccer players
American soccer coaches
LA Galaxy non-playing staff
Hammarby Fotboll managers
Columbus Crew coaches
United States men's national soccer team managers
Major League Soccer coaches
1995 Copa América players
1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
1999 FIFA Confederations Cup players
2002 FIFA World Cup players
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players
2006 FIFA World Cup players
2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup managers
2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup managers
American expatriate men's soccer players
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
Expatriate football managers in Sweden
American expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
American expatriate sportspeople in England
American expatriate soccer players in Germany
American expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
American expatriate soccer coaches
2022 FIFA World Cup managers