Gregg Berhalter

Gregg Matthew Berhalter (born August 1, 1973) is an American soccer coach and former player who was most recently the head coach of the United States men's national soccer team.[2] Berhalter previously coached Columbus Crew SC in Major League Soccer, Hammarby IF in Sweden, and served as an assistant coach for LA Galaxy.

Gregg Berhalter
Berhalter in 2017
Personal information
Full name Gregg Matthew Berhalter[1]
Date of birth (1973-08-01) August 1, 1973
Place of birth Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s) Defender
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1994 North Carolina Tar Heels
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993 Raleigh Flyers
1994–1996 Zwolle 37 (2)
1996–1998 Sparta Rotterdam 10 (0)
1998–2000 Cambuur Leeuwarden 56 (2)
2001–2002 Crystal Palace 19 (1)
2002–2006 Energie Cottbus 111 (9)
2006–2009 1860 Munich 73 (8)
2009–2011 LA Galaxy 52 (0)
Total 358 (22)
International career
1993 United States U20 4 (0)
1994–2006 United States 44 (0)
Managerial career
2011 LA Galaxy (assistant)
2011–2013 Hammarby IF
2013–2018 Columbus Crew SC
2018–2022 United States
Honours
Men's Soccer
Representing  United States (as player)
Runner-upCONCACAF Gold Cup1998
Third placeFIFA Confederations Cup1999
Representing  United States (as manager)
Runner-upCONCACAF Gold Cup2019
WinnerCONCACAF Nations League2021
WinnerCONCACAF Gold Cup2021
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Early life and education

Gregg Matthew Berhalter was born on August 1, 1973, in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey,[3] and was a high school teammate of Claudio Reyna at Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey.[4] He played college soccer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[4] In 1993, he spent the collegiate off season playing for the Raleigh Flyers of the USISL.[5] Berhalter is the godson of Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame baseball player Carl Yastrzemski.[6]

Professional
Berhalter in 2007

Berhalter left UNC after his junior year, signing with Dutch club Zwolle in 1994. He later played for Sparta Rotterdam and SC Cambuur Leeuwarden in the Netherlands (later they also had U.S.-born executive Alex Pama there), and with Crystal Palace in England (where he briefly played alongside Jovan Kirovski). During his time at Crystal Palace, he scored once against Bradford City.[7]

In 2002, Berhalter signed with Energie Cottbus of the German Bundesliga. He went on to make 111 league appearances with the team, captaining them to a promotion back to the Bundesliga. In 2006, Berhalter signed with TSV 1860 Munich of the 2. Bundesliga, and was named captain of the team. He stayed there for a further two and a half years, making 73 league appearances for Die Löwen.

After a 15-year career in Europe, Berhalter moved back to the United States in April 2009. He signed a contract with Major League Soccer, his first club contract in his home country. He was revealed as a Los Angeles Galaxy player on April 3, 2009.[8] In his first season with the Galaxy, their goals against were cut in half—from 61 to 30—with Berhalter being a leader in defense while mentoring Omar Gonzalez to Rookie of the Year honors.

On November 14, 2009, he scored in the 103rd minute of the scoreless Western Conference final, propelling the Galaxy to a 2–0 win over the Houston Dynamo and into the 2009 MLS Cup. It was his first goal in 28 appearances with the club.[9]

In his second season, the Galaxy won the MLS Supporters Shield and further reduced their goals against to 26 for the season, a Galaxy record.

On October 12, 2011, Berhalter announced his decision to retire at the end of the 2011 MLS season.[10]

International

Berhalter earned his first cap for the U.S. national team on October 15, 1994, against Saudi Arabia. Berhalter played a significant role for the U.S. at the 2002 World Cup, stepping in for the injured Jeff Agoos and starting the last two games, and in doing so became the first Crystal Palace player to play in a World Cup match.

On May 25, 2006, Berhalter was added to the U.S. national team's roster for the 2006 World Cup, replacing the injured Cory Gibbs. Berhalter expressed confidence in the ability of the team in the run up to the tournament,[11] but was an unused substitute in all three group games. The U.S. was eliminated after finishing at the bottom of Group E in the first round with one draw and two defeats.

Coaching career

Hammarby IF

Following a season as Los Angeles Galaxy's assistant coach, Berhalter was named head coach for Swedish club Hammarby IF on December 12, 2011.[12] At the time, the team was playing in Superettan, the second-tier. Although it is a common misconception, Berhalter was not the first American to ever manage a professional soccer team in Europe. The first American to ever manage a professional soccer team in Europe was Thomas Dooley, who managed 1. FC Saarbrücken during the 2002-2003 season.[13] Berhalter was fired on July 24, 2013, for a "lack of attacking play".[14] Hammarby were in eighth place at the time of the sacking.[15]

Columbus Crew SC

Berhalter became the sporting director and head coach of Columbus Crew on November 6, 2013.[16]

Under Berhalter, Columbus Crew SC qualified for the playoffs in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018. They reached the MLS Cup 2015 but lost at home 2–1 to the Portland Timbers.

United States

On December 2, 2018, Berhalter became the head coach of the United States national team.[17] He earned his first victory as coach in a friendly against Panama on January 27, 2019.[18] Berhalter coached the United States to a continental championship on August 1, 2021, at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. On November 12, 2021, Berhalter led the United States to a 2-0 victory over rival Mexico in World Cup Qualifying at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team subsequently qualified for and reached the round of 16 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

Berhalter lives in the Lake View neighborhood of Chicago with his wife Rosalind, with whom he has four children.[19][20] One of his sons, Sebastian, plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps.[21] His brother, Jay, served as the chief commercial officer of the United States Soccer Federation until his resignation in 2020.[22]

On January 3, 2023, Berhalter issued a statement saying that in 1991, he had kicked his future wife in the legs after an argument. The U.S. Soccer Federation said it was investigating what had happened.[23] It was later revealed that it was Danielle Reyna, mother of Giovanni Reyna, who contacted the U.S. Soccer Federation about the incident "because she was frustrated by comments made about her son after the team's elimination from the 2022 World Cup."[24] Berhalter publicly addressed issues regarding an anonymous player for a lack of commitment and poor attitude, and confirmed that the team had held a meeting to determine if that player were to remain with the team in Qatar for the remainder of the tournament.[25] On December 12, 2022, Reyna confirmed that he was the aforementioned player about whom Berhalter was speaking, and apologized for his behavior while criticizing the decision to publicize the information.[26]

On March 13, 2023, the U.S. Soccer Federation said a probe into the dispute with Berhalter's wife had concluded U.S. Soccer was not in the wrong for hiring him as the national team coach. The conclusions mean there is now no legal impediment to employing Berhalter, who remains a candidate for the coaching job.[27]

Coaching statistics
As of match played December 3, 2022[28]
Coaching record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Hammarby IF Sweden December 12, 2011 July 24, 2013 46 18 17 11 53 44 +9 039.13
Columbus Crew SC United States November 6, 2013 December 2, 2018 193 74 49 70 287 282 +5 038.34
United States United States December 2, 2018 December 31, 2022 60 37 12 11 117 40 +77 061.67
Total 299 129 78 92 457 366 +91 043.14

Honors

Player

Los Angeles Galaxy

Coach

United States

References
  1. "United States Soccer Federation". FIFA. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  2. Dilan Lopez, Jonathan (December 31, 2022). "Gregg Berhalter's contract with the US ends, fans ask for his departure". Diario AS. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  3. Bell, Jack (May 31, 2000). "SOCCER: NOTEBOOK; An American Defender Gets His Ticket Home". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
  4. "Gregg Berhalter". U.S. Soccer. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
  5. "Berhalter returns as Flyers face Eagles". The News & Observer. May 22, 1993.
  6. "GREGG BERHALTER – USMNT". US Soccer Players. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  7. "Bradford 1-2 C Palace". BBC. December 29, 2001. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  8. "Galaxy sign veteran defender Berhalter". LA Galaxy. April 3, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  9. "Galaxy 2, Houston 0 (ot) Overtime win puts Galaxy in MLS final". LA Times. November 14, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  10. "LA's Berhalter announces retirement after lengthy career". mlssoccer.com. October 12, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  11. "Czechs and balances: US foe able, aching". The Boston Globe. June 12, 2006. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  12. "Gregg Berhalter to coach in Sweden". ESPN. Associated Press. December 12, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  13. Shore, Phil (January 18, 2002). "Tom Dooley ist schon Trainer Nummer drei". m.faz.net. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  14. Seltzer, Greg (July 23, 2013). "American Exports: Hammarby fire Gregg Berhalter as manager, citing team's lack of attacking play". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  15. "Sweden » Superettan 2013 » 15. Round". World Football. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  16. "Former Galaxy player-coach Gregg Berhalter named Columbus manager". Los Angeles Times. November 6, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  17. "Gregg Berhalter Named Head Coach of U.S. Men's National Team".
  18. "U.S. beats Panama as Gregg Berhalter wins debut match as manager". ESPN. Reuters. January 27, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  19. Goldsborough, Bob (July 11, 2019). "U.S. men's soccer coach Gregg Berhalter buys contemporary mansion in Southport Corridor for $2.61 million". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  20. "An Exacting Man: Columbus Crew Coach Gregg Berhalter". Columbus Monthly. April 4, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  21. Baer, Benjamin (January 17, 2020). "Columbus Crew SC sign Sebastian Berhalter, Gregg's son, to Homegrown deal". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  22. Creditor, Avi (February 6, 2020). "Jay Berhalter is Leaving the U.S. Soccer Federation". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  23. Agencies (January 3, 2023). "USA coach Gregg Berhalter admits to kicking future wife in 1991 incident". the Guardian. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  24. "Gio Reyna's mother gave USSF Berhalter info". ESPN.com. January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  25. Kyle Fansler (December 12, 2022). "Gregg Berhalter airs dirty laundry on Gio Reyna". worldsoccertalk.com. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  26. Kyle Fansler (December 12, 2022). "Gio Reyna criticizes Gregg Berhalter in Instagram post". worldsoccertalk.com. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  27. Tenorio, Paul. "USSF's Gregg Berhalter investigation explained: Findings, Reynas' involvement, what's next". The Athletic. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  28. "Gregg Berhalter career sheet". footballdatabase. footballdatabase. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  29. "Christian Pulisic, Ethan Horvath lead U.S. over Mexico in Nations League final". ESPN. June 6, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  30. "United States beats Mexico in Gold Cup final on late Miles Robinson header". ESPN. August 1, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
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