What Now for the US Men’s Soccer Team?

It is common after the end of a major tournament for there to be something of a post-mortem of the events. This is particularly true when the team in question exits the competition earlier than most people had predicted. So, it is not surprising that there is a major debate about the future of the US men’s soccer team right now.

If you need reminding, the USMNT crashed out of the Copa América – a tournament hosted by the US – in the group stage. Thousands of American fans were looking forward to seeing how their team would get on against the might of the best South American nations. Sportsbooks like BetOnline had the US as one of the favorites. But the players limped out of the competition after winning just one of its three initial phase games.

Apart from the embarrassment of departing at the very first stage on home soil, the performance of the USMNT does not bode well for the 2026 World Cup. There is just two years to go until the US co-hosts the biggest international soccer tournament in the world and a repeat of what happened at the Copa América will not be acceptable. So, what now for the USMNT

Copa América Debacle

The US never used to even play in the Copa América, it being a tournament for South American nations. But this was the second time that the US had hosted the event, showing the increased collaboration between CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. But after three games, the hosts were out in an embarrassing fashion.

In what looked like a relatively straightforward group, the US beat Bolivia in its opening game. The 2-0 scoreline was a little worrying, considering the opponent is the worst team in South America, but three points won was a good start. But then came the loss to Panama and the red card for Timothy Weah.

A 1-0 loss to Uruguay, who later knocked out Brazil, is nothing to be ashamed of but the damage had already been done. Weak performances and a lack of a creative spark meant that the US would be exiting a showcase tournament it was hoping to use as inspiration for the World Cup in two years’ time.

Warning Signs

The disappointment of the 2024 Copa América has not come from nowhere, however. As poor as the US was in the tournament, there have been a series of bad results and performances over the last few years that can now be seen as foretelling the group stage exit.

There was the loss to Panama in the 2023 Gold Cup semifinal, a late goal against Jamaica being the only reason that the US even went on to play Mexico in the Nations League final in March – and then that humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of Colombia in a friendly just before the Copa América began.

Another Review

The kneejerk reaction to the USMNT performance would be to immediately fire the head coach, Gregg Berhalter. But that is not how the USSF, soccer’s governing body, works. Instead, it was announced that a thorough review of what had gone wrong would be carried out.

American soccer fans will need no reminding that this was exactly what happened after the women’s team were surprisingly knocked out of the World Cup last year. Sporting director Matt Crocker was in charge of that review too – and it didn’t end too well for the head coach in charge at the time.

New Coach

So, maybe a new head coach is the answer? Gregg Berhalter’s contract was left to expire in 2022 after the World Cup. There were a lot of off-field controversies at that point but the USSF eventually saw fit to re-hire Berhalter with a plan for the young team to develop further ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Now Berhalter’s position looks increasingly precarious. There doesn’t seem to have been any progression in the last two years and a change might be the best thing to kick start that process. There are some high-profile names being mentioned for what is now an attractive role – even for coaches more established in the European leagues.

Good Squad

Whether Gregg Berhalter remains in charge or the USSF appoints a new person to take over the reins, the squad of players looks relatively impressive. When much the same collection of players made it to the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup, there was some excitement about how the roster of young talent would get better in the years to come.

That “exciting new players” tag cannot be applied now. But there are some very good players currently representing the US and any new coach would probably not change the personnel around too much. What is needed is a goal-scoring attacker though – and that will be a tough task.

How the World Views American Soccer

Many of those in the highest-paid jobs in US soccer have long been vocal about improving “the way that the world views American soccer”. It is still a phrase that is trotted out now, almost 30 years since the launch of Major League Soccer and with American players performing for some of the biggest clubs across Europe.

It could be argued that the world already views US soccer in a generally favorable manner. The success of individual players is probably the reason for that though – and the coach of the USMNT needs to concentrate more on getting the best of the players at his disposal.

The performances at the 2024 Copa América were well below what should be expected of the US and a lot of work needs to be done on the training pitches over the next two years. The 2026 World Cup is a perfect opportunity for the USMNT to prove itself on the global stage and inspire even more young players for the future. Whether Gregg Berhalter will be in charge or not is really more of a moot point.