US SOCCER SENDS OMINOUS MESSAGE TO GREGG BERHALTER AFTER USMNT’S COPA AMERICA DISASTER

With all eyes on Gregg Berhalter’s future as the USMNT coach following the team’s 2024 Copa America letdown, U.S. Soccer sent an ominous message that doesn’t seem to bode well for the 50-year-old.

After the USMNT’s 1-0 loss to Uruguay in Kansas City Monday night that, combined with Panama’s 3-1 win over Bolivia, eliminated the Americans from the tournament in the group stage, U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Matt Crocker issued a statement expressing dissatisfaction with the result.

“Our tournament performance fell short of our expectations. We must do better,” Crocker said in the statement. “We will be conducting a comprehensive review of our performance in Copa America and how best to improve the team and results as we look towards the 2026 World Cup.”

The U.S. is hosting the 2026 World Cup along with Canada and Mexico, but the question is whether Berhalter will still be the team’s coach by then.

The 16-team Copa America features four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals after a round robin.

The USMNT started with a 2-0 win over Bolivia, but they were stunned by Panama in a 2-1 loss in their second game after winger Tim Weah picked up a red card in the 18th minute and goalie Matt Turner being subbed off at halftime with an injury.

Uruguay clinched the group with its win over the USMNT and Panama finished second.

Berhalter said after the loss he is still the right person to lead the team into the 2026 World Cup.

It appeared Berhalter’s days were numbered after the USMNT’s Round of 16 exit against the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup after young star Gio Reyna received limited playing time.

After the tournament, during a leadership conference Berhalter believed was an off-the-record environment, the coach mentioned that a player had to be disciplined and nearly sent home from Qatar due to his behavior after learning he wouldn’t start the team’s opener vs. Wales.

He did not name who the player was, but the rumblings about Reyna had already percolated, and Reyna himself addressed the situation in an Instagram post in 2022, saying he hoped the ordeal would stay private.

Reyna did admit he let his emotions “get the best of” him and apologized, and he said he was told he was forgiven.

Reyna’s parents, former U.S. national team players Claudio and Danielle Reyna, were upset over the situation involving their son and Berhalter’s comments.

Danielle admitted to informing U.S. Soccer of an incident from 1991, in which Berhalter kicked his now-wife Rosalind in the legs during a heated argument outside a bar during college.

Berhalter, while admitting the incident was true, alleged the reporting of an incident was a blackmail attempt.

The couple reconciled seven months after the incident and have been married for 26 years.

Berhalter did not coach the team as U.S. Soccer investigated the 1991 incident but last summer was reinstated as the team’s coach.

Reyna started in all three of the USMNT’s Copa America matches.

2024-07-02T16:48:56Z dg43tfdfdgfd