Gregg Berhalter is out.
The U.S. men's national team Wednesday announced it is parting ways with the manager following an early Copa America elimination.
Berhalter, 50, was controversially rehired by the national team in June 2023 after the U.S. was eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Berhalter's contract had expired on Dec. 31, 2022, after the end of the World Cup. But on Jan. 3, 2023, U.S. Soccer said it was conducting an investigation into a 1991 domestic violence incident that involved Berhalter and his wife, Rosalind.
An investigation by independent Atlanta-based law firm Alston & Bird later cleared Berhalter to be considered for the role again in mid-March. It said Berhalter “likely constituted the misdemeanor crime of assault on a female” but had not improperly withheld information and remains a candidate for the position.
After the rehire, little changed on the pitch for the U.S. Berhalter's tactics got the job done against smaller nations, but the team lacked conviction and consistent chance creation against tougher opponents not named Mexico.
Soccer
He coached 74 matches for the USMNT during his tenure, managing 44 wins, 17 losses and 13 draws.
The U.S. most recently got grouped in the 2024 Copa America on home soil. It beat Bolivia in the opener before losing to Panama with 10 men, despite having the lead early. A loss to Uruguay in the group-stage finale sealed its fate as Panama advanced in second place instead.
With the 2026 World Cup two years away and also on home soil, the next hire will be imperative for the program to get right.
Names like Jurgen Klopp, Sergio Conceicao, Wilfried Nancy and Steve Cherundolo are either free agents or potentially available to hire in MLS.
Popular USMNT assistant B.J. Callaghan, who served as an interim manager during Berhalter's period away after Qatar, recently got hired by Nashville SC as head coach.
