GREGG BERHALTER TOLD HE'S ONE GAME FROM LOSING USMNT JOB AFTER COPA AMERICA DISASTER

United States men's national team head coach Gregg Berhalter will lose his job if the team doesn't make it out of the group stages at Copa America, according to former star Alexi Lalas.

After beating Bolivia 2-0 in the Group C opener, the USMNT just needed to beat Panama to progress to the knockout rounds. Uruguay, the last team in the group, also won its first game and was expected to qualify alongside the USMNT before the tournament started.

But in Atlanta, GA, the USMNT choked and suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Panama and is on the brink of elimination. Berhalter's team now has to beat Uruguay in the final group game on July 1, and hope that Bolivia can secure a result against Panama.

It's a crisis for the USMNT, who was hoping to use Copa America as practice for navigating the 2026 World Cup, with both tournaments being hosted in the United States. Berhalter was only re-hired by the USMNT in June 2023 and was tasked with leading the team through the 2026 World Cup, but Lalas doesn't expect U.S. Soccer to stand by its decision.

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"If [the USMNT] does not go through, Gregg Berhalter is going to lose his job, and rightfully and fairly so," Lalas, a former USMNT defender, said live on Fox Sports. "But this is a situation that this team, including Gregg Berhalter, have created for themselves."

On home turf, the USMNT was expected to beat Panama, but within 18 minutes Timothy Weah left them shorthanded after being sent off. The Juventus player lashed out at Panama defender Roderick Miller and following a VAR review, was told to exit the field which left the USMNT with 10 men for 72 minutes.

The team responded well as Folarin Balogun scored four minutes later to hand the USMNT the lead, giving them something to build off. But that lead also lasted just four minutes, as Cesar Blackman tied the game and silenced the U.S. fans inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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It was a tense atmosphere for the remainder of the game, but Jose Fajardo became the hero for Panama after coming off the bench to score with seven minutes remaining. Panama then turned nasty and began fouling the USMNT, breaking up the game and stopping the hosts from finding any rhythm.

Under Berhalter's leadership, the USMNT has only beaten two teams inside the top 20 of FIFA's official ranking - Iran and Mexico. The USMNT was hoping to test themselves against top opposition such as Brazil and Argentina and try to go as far as possible but face being eliminated before even getting a chance.

The USMNT has to prove themselves on July 1, when they face Uruguay who is ranked 11th in the world. Even if they do secure a huge victory, their fate will still depend on the result between Bolivia and Panama, which could signal the end of their tournament, and Berhalter's role.

2024-06-28T03:01:18Z dg43tfdfdgfd