After a disastrous end to his tenure with the United States Men’s National team, Gregg Berhalter appears to have found a new project to lead.
According to various reports, Berhalter has been appointed as the manager of Chicago Fire FC in MLS. In addition to managing the club, Berhalter will also be positioned as the Director of Football for the franchise.
It’s somewhat of a cushy gig for Berhalter, and one that’s not too surprising. Berhalter had been living in Chicago near the former headquarters of the U.S. Soccer Federation. As the U.S. Soccer ecosystem usually works, those who have worked in some capacity with the national team after often ‘rewarded’ with a head coaching job in the domestic league.
Over the last few years, as an example, we’ve seen former national team players/managers/assistants/youth national team coaches end up with MLS coaching gigs. Chief among them include BJ Callaghan (Nashville SC), John Hackworth (St. Louis City SC), Mikey Varas (San Diego FC), Tab Ramos (Houston Dynamo FC), Steve Cherundolo (LAFC), Pat Noonan (FC Cincinnati), Chris Armas (Colorado Rapids), Ben Olsen (Houston Dynamo FC), Greg Vanney (LA Galaxy), Caleb Porter (New England Revolution), Pablo Mastroeni (Real Salt Lake), Peter Vermes (Sporting Kansas City), and now Berhalter.
Despite coaching what many believe is the most talented group of United States players ever, Berhalter struggled to get results. Sans a 1-0 win over Iran in the 2022 World Cup, the team underachieved greatly. His dismissal culminated in an embarrassing effort at this year’s Copa America where Berhalter failed to get the team out of the group stage despite hosting the prestigious tournament.
Coaching the Fire should be more ‘Berhalter’s speed’ — so to speak. He can meticulously build through analytics rather than aim to do that with an international job. With less pressure comparatively speaking, we can see Berhalter build a team to his liking and one that reflects the style of player he hopes to usher in.
