What past USA soccer hires tell us about timetable for replacing fired USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter

After the decision was made by U.S. Soccer to fire men's coach Gregg Berhalter, the search is already underway for his replacement. With plenty of names to sort through for sporting director Matt Crocker, time isn't on his side with the 2026 World Cup looming on home soil. After it was decided that Berhalter wasn't the right choice to lead the USMNT, there won't be much time for a new coach to instill their style for the USMNT either. 

With the next official match being on Sept. 7 against Canada before facing New Zealand on the 10th, a new coach has to be brought in for these friendlies to give them the best chance to get to know the team ahead of the last comPetitive matches that the USMNT will play in Concacaf Nations League. 

Here are some important upcoming dates for the USMNT to keep in mind:

• Sept. 7, 2024: Friendly against Canada
• Sept. 10, 2024: Friendly against New Zealand
• Oct. 12, 2024: Friendly against Panama
• Nov. 11-19, 2024: Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals
• March 20, 2025: Concacaf Nations League semifinals
• March 23, 2025: Concacaf Nations League final
• June 11-July 19, 2026: World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico

Some may be bracing for a long search since it took 10 months to re-hire Berhalter after his contract expired following the 2022 World Cup but there are a few reasons for that. Due to U.S. Soccer's investigation into a domestic violence incident in Berhalter's past, he couldn't be formally fired. Following the World Cup, Earnie Stewart was still the sporting director of U.S. Soccer as they announced a review of the World Cup performance, which was always going to take time. 

In January of 2023, Brian McBride left the general manager position while Stewart also left the sporting director position. Due to those roles being critical to any coaching search, the search was essentially put on hold while U.S. Soccer found a new sporting director. Crocker wasn't hired until April of 2023 when it was announced that he would oversee the process of hiring a U.S. men's coach before joining fully following the end of his tenure overseeing Southampton in August of 2023. 

Following the conclusion of the investigation into Gregg Berhalter's domestic violence incident from years ago with then-girlfriend and now-wife Rosalind Berhalter, he was rehired in June of 2023 only two months after Crocker's announcement. Looking at the timeline of Vlatko Andonovski stepping down as coach of the United States women in August of 2023 to EMMA Hayes being hired in November, that took nearly three months to complete, but closer to two and a half. The search into the replacement for Berhalter has already begun but looking at these timelines, it's fair to think that Crocker could have a coach identified and in the door before facing Canada.

If it's a highly profiled name like Jurgen Klopp, things may take a bit longer due to needing to figure out how to pay him what would be such a demanding salary, but the vast majority of names that U.S. Soccer would talk to can be convinced of the project in the next few months. It's a small solace but when the new coach will have plenty to do, it's important to get them in the door as quickly as possible for cohesion's sake.