Berhalter: USMNT sacking “like mourning a death”

Gregg Berhalter almost hit rock bottom when US Soccer fired him last summer. The coach’s second stint with the USMNT did not go as well as expected, especially considering the quality of his squad. Berhalter got off to a bad start in that second term, never really managed to build a relationship with the fans; after the Copa América failure, a final farewell materialised.

“It’s a really difficult moment when you get fired as a coach, and I don’t want to liken this to life and death at all because it’s not. You’re still alive, but it is like mourning a death,” Berhalter admitted during the press conference at his presentation with Chicago Fire, his latest role in the Game. “You wake up the next day and you feel really bad.”

‘I take full responsibility... but it still hurts”

“And you wake up the next day and you feel really bad. Your confidence takes a hit and it’s a really difficult moment. For me it was really about being with my family in those moments and giving myself the time and the freedom and the space to feel sad and feel bad.”

The former coach left through the back door after leaving a poor showing at last year’s Copa America. The U.S. first hurdle in a group that, at the very least, gave them a chance to finish second. Berhalter was direct and took the blame. “We didn’t perform well in Copa América and when you don’t perform well at a high level there’s consequences, and I take full responsibility for that. But it still hurts.”

The Pochettino era of the USMNT left everyone feeling like a new page has been turned. The ex-Premier League coach has been called upon to redirect a wounded side, but one with the potential to go further than they have shown at the international level. Berhalter showed deep respect for his colleague, admitting Pochettino’s hiring is indeed a top-quality decision by US Soccer.

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“He’s a great guy,” Berhalter said on his successor. “I think he’s a great hire for U.S. Soccer. [He’s a] top coach, coach at the top level knows what pressure’s like, knows how to perform in pressure situations.

“So I think it’s a really good hire and I can assure you that there will be a relationship and we will be able to count on each other, both us supplying him players and hopefully getting feedback from him also.”