Gregg Berhalter Close to Being Named USMNT’s Head Coach

Gregg Berhalter. Photo by Michael Janosz/Isi/REX/Shutterstock

It looks like the U.S. Soccer Federation finally made up its mind and is ready to name a new head coach of United States men’s national team after a 13-months-long search. According to several media outlets, including Bleacher Report and Yahoo Sports, current Columbus Crew boss Gregg Berhalter is closing on a deal to take over as USMNT’s manager.

Doug McIntyre of Yahoo Sports reports that Berhalter’s appointment is just a formality and that the official announcement should be expected next week. The 45-year-old would be then formally introduced in early December at a press conference in New York City.

While it became clear in the past months that Gregg Berhalter will get serious consideration for the job, it remained unknown who are the other candidates that are in the run. McIntyre now reveals that former FC Dallas manager Oscar Pareja was the only other candidate besides Berhalter who had a formal interview.

Gregg Berhalter, who played 44 international games with USMNT as a pro, started his coaching career as Bruce Arena’s assistant at LA Galaxy. His first head coaching job came with Sweden’s Hammarby IF, where he spent two years before taking over Columbus Crew in 2013. Berhalter coached Columbus in 193 games and has a record of 74-69-50.

The reports that Berhalter is close to taking over USMNT comes just days after it was revealed that former Spain and Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui showed interest in coaching the team. U.S. Soccer, however, decided to dismiss Lopetegui without giving him a chance to interview for the job.

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