Lake Placid Or Bust | Why The United States Men’s National Team Needs Critical Change Before 2026
The 2024 installment of Copa América has proven a relative success in cities and grounds across the United States in what has been viewed as a prelude to the 2026 World Cup in two summers’ time.
With a footballing fanbase that continues to grow year on year, a tournament that, in all likelihood, will easily eclipse that of the 1994 edition on American shores is the goal of the United States Soccer Federation and CONCACAF as they, along with rivals Mexico and Canada, saw their bid selected.
And what an opportunity it was for the US Mens National Team to put in a statement performance across this summer’s tournament as one of six nations from its region to join with CONMEBOL to put on an off-season show in places like Kansas City, Orlando, Charlotte, and East Rutherford.
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Unfortunately, however, nothing could have been further from the truth as Gregg Berhalter’s Stars and Stripes side crashed out of the group stage two nights ago after a 1-0 loss against South American powerhouse Uruguay and a 3-1 Panama win over Bolivia.
It was a group stage campaign that was nothing short of abysmal on all fronts. Despite an opening 2-0 win over La Verde, a 2-1 loss at the hands of Los Canaleros after going 1-0 up through AS Monaco frontman Folarin Balogun was damning to say the least. And while many supporters were quick to jump on Juventus forward Tim Weah for seeing red just minutes before Balogun’s opener, failure to hold out for a point against a side the US had more than enough talent on the pitch to manage a draw against would ultimately prove to be its death rattle.
Most rational supporters would have viewed the tournament as a fantastic chance to prove the program has progressed amid what most consider to be one of the best crops of talent the nation has ever assembled in one squad. While many would not have expected the host nation to outstrip the likes of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, or Uruguay on its way to a shock tournament win, better opposition in a tough tournament should have provided a proving ground with which to build on going into the World Cup cycle. Instead, it provided harsh lessons; which comes without guarantees of being heeded.
As an object of division long before the tournament began, calls for Berhalter to be removed from his perch with immediate effect rippled around social media at rapid pace. Certainly, few can think anything but the New Jersey native getting the sack as anything other than wholly justified.
For base value, a quick survey of Berhalter’s record against stiff(er) opposition speaks volumes when compared to his two most previous predecessors in Bob Bradley and Jurgen Klinsmann.
Berhalter’s record against top-30 (FIFA ranking) opposition at the time of each fixture sits at 22.2% per Stars and Stripes FC’s Justin Moran. This sits considerably lower than Bradley’s 31%, and Klinsmann’s 33.3%. In total, Berhalter’s record against top-30 outfits as of the loss to Uruguay sits at 6-8-10, with four of those six wins coming against a Mexico side in serious decline. The other two? Iran, and Ecuador.
Bradley faired better not just in win total, but in the quality of side he managed to find results against. With an overall record of 9-5-15, wins against Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Poland, and Sweden feature on his CV, while also boasting three wins over El Tri.
As for Klinsmann, a man who ironically divided opinion (but who many would take in a heartbeat a the time of writing), his record stood at 10-6-14, while also seeing off Germany twice, while also defeating the Netherlands and Italy. This does not include a wealth of credible performances even if a win was not the end result.
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The fact that Berhalter has managed just two wins outside of dominating Mexico, which yes, does matter, is certainly frustrating. But more importantly, in a showcase tournament whose competitive ceiling is far closer to that of the World Cup, the manner in which the US performed on home soil should only mean one thing, and unfortunately, the USSF is once against failing to show itself to be a federation strong enough for how ambitious it pretends to be.
At this stage in the program evolution, the sole mission of the USSF should be to hire the best possible manager it can find who is willing to legitimately lead the project forward. Given its track record in previous hiring periods, many are hardly optimistic.
Whether if it was failing to give the job to BJ Callahan after a brief stint that saw the national team perform rather well, overlooking now-Canada manager Jesse Marsch (who ironically progressed them out of a more difficult group this summer), or passing over the likes of Marcelo Bielsa and Tata Martino because of their inability (or refusal) to speak English and targeting “familiar” options, the USSF has proven itself to be a champion of nepotism that often remains beholden to the wishes of Major League Soccer.
Callahan is now off to gainful employment with Nashville FC, while the track records of Bielsa and Martino speak for themselves. But in case you are wondering what managers can do on the international stage despite a language barrier, take a look at Euro 2024 and what Vincenzo Montella has instilled with Turkey, or Hervé Renard’s brilliant work with Saudi Arabia.
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Top nations the likes of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and England all prefer a manager that hails from its shores if not simply able to speak the language. However, that insistence has previously seen Germany struggle in the late period of Joachim Löw’s reign and under his successor in Hansi Flick, while we are currently witnessing England fall well short of the mark with one of the most talented groups of players anywhere in the world as the English FA persisted with Gareth Southgate.
Even though the US job is probably more attractive than people give it credit, finding a man to lead the program on the pitch in the right manner is paramount. Forming the national team camp into what is akin to a friends-only combine is certainly not the way to go. Respecting the manager is also key, and being able to function collectively is key to any on-pitch success, but so much of the way that US players continue to be unable to see past the rose-tinted Berhalter glasses is a real issue. This is highlighted in Matt Turner’s recent comments which saw him stubbornly go on record in keeping faith in Berhalter.
On the flip side, Germany head trainer Julian Nagelsmann’s choice words for what transpired before him is perhaps the same tonic the US camp needs to pass around in bulk and guzzle down in short order;
“People always want the team to be 11 friends, that’s nonsense in my opinion. A football team is like a school class: you have friends, you are neutral towards others, and then there are some with whom you don’t want to drink cocoa at break. We want to create an atmosphere not by doing team building or constantly talking, but through attractive football. The players will then say they’re excited to play here, and a good spirit develops on its own.”
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While this piece is beginning to sound like a Berhalter pile-on, the sitting manager is only a part of the problem. The players are certainly another ingredient in the recipe that has ultimately failed to help deliver Michelin star markings.
It is not every day, or ever, really, that I find myself in agreement with Fox Sports analyst and chief spouter of nonsense Alexi Lalas, but his calm (this was a shocker) yet very on-point rant about the state of affairs post-Uruguay was surprisingly on the money.
In a generation of players that have been given the keys to the city, and most of whom play at the highest levels in Europe at storied clubs the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, PSV Eindhoven, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Leeds United, the level of ego and entitlement that has infected the national team set up is clear for all to see.
Going back to Klinsmann, it was perhaps an interesting case study to witness when he opted against including Landon Donovan in his squad for the 2014 World Cup on the basis of form-trumping gravitas.
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So many of the US’ top players, despite being on the books at big clubs across the Atlantic, are hardly in a rich vein of form, but were still ultimately selected by Berhalter for reasons only he will perhaps be able to defend.
Once again, Julian Nagelsmann is a readily available example as to what going on form can do for a side when he decided to bypass the likes of Julian Brandt, Leon Goretzka, Niklas Süle, and Mats Hummels, and go with a cadre of VfB Stuttgart representatives who came in on the back of a brilliant 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign that saw them achieve Champions League football for the first time in fifteen seasons.
To play at your best at international tournaments almost always means you pick players who not just fit together on the puzzle board, but can call upon form that they can lean on when that extra bit of quality and confidence will see you over the line. Berhalter has long failed in that regard as a manager, but ultimately, it has been US players that have allowed that level of comfort to erode any notion that, at least in the sense of key players, that their jobs are safe come what may.
This played out on the pitch in recent weeks both during and in the run-up to Copa América through questionable outings by so many of the very same players that earned high marks in Qatar.
Part of the necessary shake-up of the national team program has to come by way of not just the right person being picked to lead it, but a manager who is entirely capable of surveying his options and picking the best team, which may not necessarily include all it’s best players from an individual perspective.
Maybe, just maybe, the late, great, Herb Brooks can serve as the shining example of how the United States Men’s National Team can begin to re-write the script before its too late. And if it can, their own Lake Placid may very well be just over the horizon.
By: Andrew Thompson / @GeecheeKid
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Icon Sportswire