U.S. Men's National Team's Underwhelming Campaign Raises Questions About Leadership
U.S. men's national team head coach Gregg Berhalter remains resolute in his conviction that he is the right person to guide the squad despite a disappointing performance in their recent tournament. The team finished third in Group C with just three points, managing to secure only one victory. Uruguay dominated the group, collecting a perfect nine points, while Panama clinched second place with six points, including a crucial 2-1 win against the U.S.
The match against Panama was particularly disheartening for the U.S. team, with Timothy Weah receiving a red card in the 18th minute, significantly impacting their chances. Reflecting on the match, Berhalter said, "Obviously, the loss against Panama really hurt. I think when you talk about being, 80th minute, in a good position to get a draw and get something out of the game, we didn't get it."
He acknowledged specific issues during the match, particularly in their defensive strategy, noting, "When you look at that moment specifically, there's some issues there. I think in that game in particular, a low block defending, needed to improve in that moment."
Despite the setbacks, Berhalter remains optimistic about the team's potential and overall performance. He emphasized the effort put in by the players, saying, "When you see the effort tonight that we put in, it's incredible. The guys did a great job. They worked extremely hard, put in a great effort against a really good team but that needs to be the standard every time we step onto the field."
The U.S. Soccer Federation announced a comprehensive review of the tournament to evaluate where the team fell short. Berhalter highlighted the importance of such reviews, stating, "We're going to do a review of the whole tournament and see where we fell short. The margins are so small and there's very little separating any of these teams and you have to treat every game as the same."
Having been at the helm of the national team for five years, Berhalter remains focused on the defensive capabilities of his squad, which features a notable contingent from the 2022 World Cup roster. He believes that the team's defensive strength is a significant asset, saying, "Defensively, we're a very good team. Most games, we have higher expected goals than the opponent. We create chances, we move the ball well. To me, the whole thing is, you want to keep moving the team forward and I feel like we have."
He also pointed to the depth and youthful potential within the squad, while emphasizing the need for ongoing improvement. "You think about the depth of the squad, the number of players that have played in games, so there's certainly improvement and we need to keep going. In my opinion, it's not something you say, 'Okay, this program's doomed.' It's not the case at all. It was a poor performance, we didn't get the results we expected and we need to get better," Berhalter asserted.
Despite the frustration of the recent results, Berhalter's future with the team appears to hinge on the forthcoming review by the U.S. Soccer Federation. His stance on his position remains clear, as he succinctly put, "That's not up to me." The coming months will likely determine whether Berhalter continues to lead the U.S. men's national team or if fresh leadership will be sought to steer the squad towards future success.