Berhalter defiant as U.S. Soccer to overview Copa América exit

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Gregg Berhalter stated he believed he was nonetheless the precise man to steer the US males’s nationwide soccer workforce, regardless of crashing out of the 2024 Copa América within the group stage on Monday with a 1-0 loss to Uruguay at Arrowhead Stadium.

The defeat, mixed with Panama’s 3-1 victory over Bolivia in a simultaneous match in Orlando, Florida, left the Individuals in third place within the group. Uruguay superior as Group C winners, and Panama, which defeated a 10-man USMNT on Thursday, moved onto the quarterfinals because the second qualifier out of the group.

U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Matt Crocker stated in an announcement after the sport {that a} overview can be carried out into the workforce’s exit.

Requested in his postgame information convention whether or not he was nonetheless the precise particular person to steer the U.S. workforce into the 2026 World Cup, Berhalter responded with a easy “sure.”

Nevertheless, he admitted that the performances had not been adequate.

“Simply to see the blokes’ faces within the locker room and to see the emotion of the workers and gamers, we’re bitterly disenchanted with the outcomes,” he stated. “We all know we’re able to extra, and on this match, we did not present it. It is actually so simple as that.

“You have a look at the stage that was set with the followers on this match, with the excessive stage of competitors on this match, and we should always have achieved higher. We’ll do a overview and determine what went flawed and why it went flawed, nevertheless it’s an empty feeling proper now, for certain.”

When requested if he ought to lead the overview of the match failure, Berhalter stated, “That is less than me.”

Crocker will lead the choice round whether or not to retain Berhalter.

“Our match efficiency fell in need of our expectations. We should do higher,” Crocker stated in an announcement following the loss. “We might be conducting a complete overview of our efficiency in Copa América and the way finest to enhance the workforce and outcomes as we glance in the direction of the 2026 World Cup.”

Uruguay scored the winner within the 66th minute on a controversial aim from Mathías Olivera. Ronald Araújo headed on a free kick that was saved by Matt Turner, who began towards Uruguay after leaving Thursday’s match with a leg damage.

Olivera was the primary participant to the rebound and gave the impression to be in an offside place on the time of Araújo’s header. However after an extended delay, referee Kevin Paolo Ortega pointed to the center of the sector to uphold the aim, a lot to the chagrin of the American gamers and a big portion of the gang.

Bolivia had equalized towards Panama moments prior, which briefly put the US again into second place within the group within the reside standings. Berhalter obtained phrase of the Bolivia equalizer on the bench moments earlier than Uruguay’s aim and tried to relay a message to gamers proper earlier than Uruguay’s free kick.

U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams stated, “We weren’t knocked out from this recreation right this moment,” referencing Thursday’s loss to Panama because the end result that derailed the Individuals’ match efforts.

“I do not wish to go right into a recreation nervous about different outcomes,” Adams stated. “The aim must be to win the sport. As quickly you begin taking part in for a tie and also you soak up strain, they usually begin to possess completely different phases of the sport, then you definately’re f—ed towards a workforce like that. You do not wish to go into video games with the concept it’s important to tie or get some extent.”

The USMNT had not beforehand been eradicated from the group stage of a World Cup, Copa América or Gold Cup that it hosted. The U.S. is now 2-4-3 towards Uruguay.

Berhalter was rehired in June 2023 and given a contract via the upcoming World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico. However regardless of a lineup that included Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Adams, the U.S. did not even match its final Copa América look, when it misplaced to Argentina within the 2016 semifinals.

Throughout the second half Monday evening, the house crowd started chanting, “Fireplace Gregg.”

Gamers largely supported Berhalter after the match.

“All of us have a comfortability with Gregg, and all of us perceive him; we have had him for a very long time,” McKennie stated. “He is progressed the workforce very removed from the place we began off 4 or 5 years in the past, and I feel the connection that we’ve with him is necessary, and having a coach — gamers that will run via a brick wall for him, hearken to him.

“No matter occurs, occurs, however I feel if he is the coach, we’re all pleased.”

Adams stated not every little thing that wants change is “simply from essentially above” and burdened the need for gamers to higher deal with moments of strain.

“I completely place confidence in him,” Adams stated of Berhalter. “I do not assume it is a coach’s job in a number of conditions. , we put a recreation plan in place; guys have to comply with the sport plan, in fact, however you are a footballer on the finish of the day. What number of occasions have you ever performed the sport?

“You want to have the ability to discover options on the sector, as properly. He is caught with us via a number of powerful moments; I feel we’ll keep on with him, as properly. I feel that is necessary.”

The U.S. will subsequent play September friendlies towards Canada and New Zealand.

Yunus Musah began rather than the suspended Timothy Weah for the U.S., which shifted Giovanni Reyna right into a winger position. Weah was despatched off early within the loss to Panama on Thursday for violent conduct off the ball, and he was suspended an extra recreation by CONMEBOL for his actions.

Monday’s recreation at Arrowhead Stadium acquired off to a chippy begin. A frenetic first half was interrupted by 14 whole fouls and two accidents that required substitutions.

Uruguay winger Maximiliano Araújo left the match on a stretcher within the twenty seventh minute after a heavy fall following a collision on Uruguay’s attacking nook kick. He was changed by Cristian Olivera.

Fourteen minutes later, U.S. ahead Folarin Balogun exited attributable to an damage after colliding with Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.

Berhalter introduced on attacking choices Josh Sargent and Malik Tillman late because the U.S. chased an equalizer, however the Individuals completed with solely three photographs on aim and weren’t fast sufficient to get the ball off their toes contained in the 18.

Berhalter referenced anticipated objectives on a number of events on Monday to help his declare that the USMNT did sufficient at Copa América to create possibilities. Per Opta, the Individuals created 0.58 anticipated objectives to Uruguay’s 1.4.

“I feel that, once more, once you’re in match soccer, there’s little or no that separates success from failure,” Berhalter stated. “And it is one motion. It is one choice from the referee and you might be in hassle.

“And for us, it is having that understanding. This understanding that each time we step on the sector, it has an influence. And I feel we’re getting there, however we’re not all the time there. And that is one thing that we will enhance.”

Info from The Related Press contributed to this report.