United States

USMNT's latest Nations League triumph vindicates coach Gregg Berhalter — for now

Published Mar. 25, 2024 7:05 p.m. ET

ARLINGTON, Texas — It's no secret that, compared to the many countries around the world that eat, sleep and breathe soccer, the level of scrutiny on the U.S. men's national team at any given moment really doesn't come close.

But after three consecutive poor performances by the USMNT heading into Sunday's Concacaf Nations League final against Mexico, it felt like there was real pressure, relatively speaking, on the Americans and on head coach Gregg Berhalter in particular — pressure that the Americans ultimately used to create a diamond by dominating their chief nemesis with a convincing, emphatic "Dos a Cero" win.

Sunday's victory gave the U.S. its third straight Nations League title and extended its unbeaten record over El Tri to seven games, a new program record. The win was as needed as it was timely, what with the Copa América now less than three months away and the 2026 World Cup, which will also be played on home soil, approaching ever closer on the horizon. And that goes for Berhalter as much as the squad at large.

The coach had come under fire in the media during the week, most notably by former Premier League manager and onetime USMNT assistant Jesse Marsh — the man who Berhalter beat out for the current job less than a year ago. It didn't go unnoticed: After the Americans eked by Jamaica in last week's semifinal, Berhalter made a veiled reference to the criticism Marsch, who is now working as an analyst for CBS Sports, had lobbed his way. That only served to further up the temperature in the days leading up to the finale against El Tri.

Asked about the outside noise after Sunday's match, game-winning goalscorer Tyler Adams demurred. "I don't know about pressure," he said. "I don't have social media, so I don't really read into it too much."

But the U.S. veteran was also quick to back his team — and Berhalter. "Of course the coach is always the first one to get thrown under the bus," he said. Asked later by FOX Sports what he would say to those who doubt that Berhalter is the right man for the U.S. job, Adams — a Marsch disciple if ever there was one after stints with his Leeds United, RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls — didn't mince words.

"What are you really judging him off, you know what I mean?" Adams said. "We continue to win in certain situations. Our first World Cup experience was a positive in a lot of people's minds. He's developing us in the right way. He's having conversations with us off the pitch that are continually developing us and, most importantly, he's challenging us.

"He won't talk about that goal that I scored, ever, to me," he went on. "He'll talk about why didn't you hit this pass? Why didn't you do this? Why wasn't your body open to play forward in this situation? And as a player, you really, really embrace that.

"He's doing more for us as a country in developing us as young players than people see, obviously, on the field," he added. "This camp was a success, and I think we need to continue to have more moments like this."

It should surprise nobody that Adams, the Americans' 2022 World Cup captain, would publicly support his boss. But to come out swinging publicly in such a full-throated defense of Berhalter should serve as a counterweight to the negativity that had come to the fore on the heels of the Jamaica match, which followed a 2023-ending loss in Trinidad and Tobago and last year's penultimate match against the Soca Warriors in which the U.S. also didn't play well.

Look, criticism comes with the territory for any national team manager. As much credit as Berhalter deserves for rebuilding the USMNT's broken culture following the epic failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and making it to the knockout stage at Qatar 2022, he also deserved at least some of the flack he got following a multi-goal loss to the Netherlands in round of 16, and especially for the self-inflicted wound of allowing Gio Reyna's poor in-tournament attitude to become public knowledge.

Sunday's bounce back in the Americans' most important match since that World Cup also shows that his players remain bought-in.

"We support Gregg in everything," defender Chris Richards said. "I think our performance tonight showed that."

So did the result. It won't matter how much Berhalter's players enjoy playing for him if things go sideways at this summer's Copa América. While Sunday's win ought to temporarily placate a vocal segment of the fan base, a minefield awaits. The U.S. faces mighty Brazil in a pre-Copa tuneup in June; anything other than a respectable showing there and the knives will be back out before the matches that matter even begin.

And while it would probably take a humiliating first round exit for Berhalter for U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker to seriously consider making a coaching change, supporters are unlikely to be satisfied with anything other than a stylish run to the semifinals.

But that's the job Berhalter signed up for when he was rehired last June. The pressure here might not be as severe as it is elsewhere yet, but the scrutiny here at home is only going to increase exponentially in the months and years ahead.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports. He was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports before joining FOX Sports in 2021, and he has covered United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.