Berhalter Expresses Continued Confidence Despite U.S. Men's National Team Setback
Gregg Berhalter, the head coach of the U.S. men's national team, remains steadfast in his belief that he is the right person to lead the squad, even after a disappointing performance in the recent tournament. The U.S. team was eliminated after winning only one match, finishing third in Group C with a mere three points.
In contrast, Uruguay dominated the group with a flawless nine points, while Panama secured second place with six points. A crucial match saw Panama clinching a 2-1 victory over the U.S., a game that was further marred by Timothy Weah receiving a red card in the 18th minute.
Reflecting on the defeat against Panama, Berhalter acknowledged the significance of the loss. "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 remarked. He emphasized the need for tactical improvement, specifically mentioning, "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."
The U.S. Soccer Federation has announced a comprehensive review of the tournament to understand where the team fell short. “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," Berhalter explained.
Gregg Berhalter is currently in his fifth year as head coach, with the recent Copa America roster featuring a significant number of players who competed in the 2022 World Cup. Despite the current setbacks, Berhalter remains optimistic about the squad's potential. "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," he stated.
Berhalter highlighted the team's defensive prowess and overall performance metrics as positives. "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."
While acknowledging the need for continued improvement, Berhalter dismissed the notion that the program is in a dire state. "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."
As for his future with the team, Berhalter remains non-committal, leaving the decision to others. "That's not up to me," he said. However, his confidence in his ability to lead remains unwavering, succinctly replying "Yes," when asked if he believes he is still the right fit for the job.