In a surprising turn of events, Gregg Berhalter will resume his job as the head coach of the United States men’s national team. The news was officially announced by U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) on Friday.

According to the announcement, Berhalter will lead the national team at least through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is set to take place in US, Canada, and Mexico.

Berhalter saw his contract expire after the end of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he led the USMNT to the Round of 16. The USSF decided not to give him a renewal at the time and instead conducted a widespread search that included looking into Jesse Marsch and Patrick Viera as candidates.

In the meantime, it looked like Berhalter was also ready to move on. He emerged as a candidate for the managerial job at Championship side Swansea City while also being courted by a number of other clubs like Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam.

However, the USSF and sporting director Matt Crocker apparently were not wowed by any outside candidates and decided to hand over the reins of the team back to Berhalter. The 49-year-old led the USMNT in 60 matches, recording 37 wins, 12 draws, and 11 losses.

“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to build on our achievements at the World Cup and to contribute to this exciting time for soccer in our country,” said Berhalter in a statement. “The entire group of players and staff have worked incredibly hard to establish our identity on and off the field. We look forward to continuing our journey together to make our fans and our nation proud.”

The post Gregg Berhalter Re-Hired as USMNT Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

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.

The post Gregg Berhalter Close to Being Named USMNT’s Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The fact that Julen Lopetegui was undefeated while coaching Spain men’s national soccer team or that he was at the helm of La Liga giants Real Madrid wasn’t enough to convince the US Soccer Federation to consider him to take the vacant manager’s role with USMNT.

Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl reported that Lopetegui expressed interest in coaching the United States men’s national soccer team, but his approach was rejected. According to sources close to the team, the US Soccer’s reason was that they were “too far along in the process.”

The USMNT is without a permanent head coach since October 2017, when Bruce Arena stepped down after failing to qualify for World Cup. Arena’s former assistant Dave Sarachan is currently USMNT’s interim head coach.

US Soccer’s decision not to give Julen Lopetegui an opportunity to interview for the job is really odd considering his previous success. He coached both Spain U19 and Spain U21 team to European Championship in consecutive years and had a solid run with one of the most successful clubs in Portugal, FC Porto. Lopetegui took a head coaching job with Spain’s senior team in 2016 and went on 20-games undefeated run during which he won 14 games and had six draws.

Lopetegui was then appointed as manager of Real Madrid in the summer of 2018, but he couldn’t continue his successful run there and was sacked after coaching the team for only 14 games.

Julen Lopetegui’s unfortunate stint with Real doesn’t change the fact that he is one of the top managers available on the market and even if he wasn’t good enough for USMNT, there is no doubt that he will soon land another high-profile job.
US Soccer, on the other hand, continues their long search for a managerial solution, and it seems like they won’t wrap it up anytime soon.

The post Julen Lopetegui Was Interested in Coaching USMNT but Got Turned Down appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Since Dave Sarachan took over the United States men’s national soccer team in October 2017, his focus was on the younger players. Since he took over, 18 new players have made their debuts for the senior team.

This meant that some of the USMNT veterans like Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore failed to receive call-ups for recent friendly games. However, Sarachan didn’t rule out calling them in the future and said that they still have a role in the team.

The 64-year-old coach told reporters on Wednesday that he recently spoke with Bradley, and explained to the player that there would be a time when the team will count on veteran players once again.

“We’re not discounting the value of veteran leadership, and Michael falls into that category,” – said Sarachan. “There will be a time, I’m sure when we’re going to count on those players like Michael to be a part of this. We had a good conversation, and I think he understands where we are.”

While U.S. Soccer Federation looks for a permanent solution for USMNT’s coaching position, Dave Sarachan will continue to fill the interim role at least until the end of the year. USMNT has five friendly matches to play until the end of the year, including home games against Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. According to Sarachan, the fans can expect to see a similar roster that played in the several recent friendlies.

“I would say that the roster, if you followed our team over the last six friendlies, will be composed pretty similarly to what we’ve done in the past,” – he said. “But I feel very confident that the group we’re going to bring will be very competitive.“

The post USMNT Veterans Will Still Have Role in Team According to Dave Sarachan appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The United States men’s national soccer team still doesn’t have a head coach on a permanent basis. Since Bruce Arena stepped down last year, the position has been held by Dave Sarachan on an interim basis with U.S. Soccer Federation failing to find a suitable candidate for the job just yet. On the other hand, former Portland Timbers’ coach Caleb Porter has a solution. Porter thinks Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes is a perfect choice and “deserves the shot” to lead the USMNT.

“If you’re going American, Peter Vermes, for me, he is the guy that deserves the shot,” – said Porter. “I believe that. That guy deserves to carry the torch of our national team. Peter Vermes, in my opinion, based on what he’s done in our league, he’s proven it as an American coach.“

Caleb Porter also used the chance to put his own name into the mix.

“If you don’t go with Peter Vermes, I think, based on what I’ve proven, I’m in the mix with another two or three guys who deserve consideration, and I’d be open to talking.” – he said.

After a brief playing career, Porter turned to a coach and served as United States U23 coach between 2011 and 2012. He then took over the Timbers in 2013, spending five years with the team and winning MLS Cup.

Peter Vermes, on the other hand, had more illustrious playing career, playing in both Europe and MLS. He started his coaching career with Sporting Kansas City in 2009 and is currently the longest-tenured head coach in the MLS.

The post Peter Vermes “Deserves the Shot” to Coach USMNT Says Caleb Porter appeared first on SportzBonanza.

First time since 1986, the United States won’t participate in the World Cup. Although the USMNT needed just one point entering the last game of CONCACAF qualifiers versus already eliminated Trinidad and Tobago, they suffered a 2-1 defeat. According to former USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann failure, to qualify for World Cup has set back the soccer in the U.S. for “several years.”

“It’s been set back by several years,” – said Klinsmann to German’s Kicker. “That was a huge disappointment. The qualification really was never in doubt, but then the lads had a blackout versus Trinidad and Tobago. They only needed a point, were too sure of that and underestimated that final match.“

Still, Klinsmann said that soccer in the United States is still in good shape despite the need to “catch up on” lots of things.

“Sure, there are a lot of things to catch up on: in the youth academies, in the universities, in cross-linking the pieces,” – he said. “But MLS is stable after 20 years. It has role-model character. It has a backbone, mostly thanks to [league co-founder] Phil Anschutz. He kept things together when they could have fallen apart.By now, MLS has caught up in the infrastructure. What happened in U.S. soccer in the past 20 years, that is a bit like a fairy tale. It still needs patience, but the league’s getting stronger with every year.“

After stints with Germany and Bayern Munich, Jurgen Klinsmann was appointed USMNT’s head coach in 2011. He successfully led the team to 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they were eliminated in the round of 16 in a close match versus Belgium. Klinsmann was fired in 2016 after USMNT opened the final round of CONCACAF qualifiers for 2018 World Cup in Russia with two defeats. LA Galaxy’s Bruce Arena stepped in as his replacement.

The post World Cup Failure Has Set Back U.S. Soccer for “Several Years” According to Jurgen Klinsmann appeared first on SportzBonanza.

According to ESPN’s sources, U.S. national team will get interim coach sometime this weekend, after Bruce Arena decided he will not continue leading the USMNT. U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati spoke to the reporters last week and told them that the decision will be made in seven to 10 days, ahead of the friendly match USMNT will have against Portugal on Nov. 14. If we are to believe the sources, Gulati will stick to his word.

The clear favorite for the interim coach job is U.S. youth technical director and under-20 manager, Tab Ramos. However, it appears that Ramos isn’t so keen on the job. The Sports Illustrated reports that Ramos would take the job of coaching the USMNT but only on the full-time basis, rather than being the interim coach. Gulati, on the other hand, is insisting on the interim label, as the U.S. Soccer Federation looks to take its time in choosing the coach who will lead the campaign for the 2022 World Cup.

If Ramos ends up declining the job, Gulati will search for another candidate among the coaches who are already on the U.S. Soccer payroll. Some of the Bruce Arena’s staff could be in the mix including Dave Sarachan, Pat Noonan, Matt Reis and Kenny Arena. Dave Sarachan would be an obvious choice, since he is the only one with the high-level managerial experience, coaching the Chicago Fire in the past.

Another name that is being speculated as an option is U-17 manager John Hackworth, but the move is unlikely due to the fact that Hackworth is currently leading the U-17 team in the FIFA U-17 World Cup which takes place in India.

USMNT failed to qualify for the World Cup first time since 1986, having lost the key game against Trinidad and Tobago. Now, moving forward, U.S. Soccer Federation will have to be very careful about choosing their approach and get a coach that will make a real difference.

The post USMNT Will Get an Interim Coach This Weekend appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In a surprising turn of events, Gregg Berhalter will resume his job as the head coach of the United States men’s national team. The news was officially announced by U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) on Friday.

According to the announcement, Berhalter will lead the national team at least through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is set to take place in US, Canada, and Mexico.

Berhalter saw his contract expire after the end of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he led the USMNT to the Round of 16. The USSF decided not to give him a renewal at the time and instead conducted a widespread search that included looking into Jesse Marsch and Patrick Viera as candidates.

In the meantime, it looked like Berhalter was also ready to move on. He emerged as a candidate for the managerial job at Championship side Swansea City while also being courted by a number of other clubs like Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam.

However, the USSF and sporting director Matt Crocker apparently were not wowed by any outside candidates and decided to hand over the reins of the team back to Berhalter. The 49-year-old led the USMNT in 60 matches, recording 37 wins, 12 draws, and 11 losses.

“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to build on our achievements at the World Cup and to contribute to this exciting time for soccer in our country,” said Berhalter in a statement. “The entire group of players and staff have worked incredibly hard to establish our identity on and off the field. We look forward to continuing our journey together to make our fans and our nation proud.”

The post Gregg Berhalter Re-Hired as USMNT Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

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.

The post Gregg Berhalter Close to Being Named USMNT’s Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The fact that Julen Lopetegui was undefeated while coaching Spain men’s national soccer team or that he was at the helm of La Liga giants Real Madrid wasn’t enough to convince the US Soccer Federation to consider him to take the vacant manager’s role with USMNT.

Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl reported that Lopetegui expressed interest in coaching the United States men’s national soccer team, but his approach was rejected. According to sources close to the team, the US Soccer’s reason was that they were “too far along in the process.”

The USMNT is without a permanent head coach since October 2017, when Bruce Arena stepped down after failing to qualify for World Cup. Arena’s former assistant Dave Sarachan is currently USMNT’s interim head coach.

US Soccer’s decision not to give Julen Lopetegui an opportunity to interview for the job is really odd considering his previous success. He coached both Spain U19 and Spain U21 team to European Championship in consecutive years and had a solid run with one of the most successful clubs in Portugal, FC Porto. Lopetegui took a head coaching job with Spain’s senior team in 2016 and went on 20-games undefeated run during which he won 14 games and had six draws.

Lopetegui was then appointed as manager of Real Madrid in the summer of 2018, but he couldn’t continue his successful run there and was sacked after coaching the team for only 14 games.

Julen Lopetegui’s unfortunate stint with Real doesn’t change the fact that he is one of the top managers available on the market and even if he wasn’t good enough for USMNT, there is no doubt that he will soon land another high-profile job.
US Soccer, on the other hand, continues their long search for a managerial solution, and it seems like they won’t wrap it up anytime soon.

The post Julen Lopetegui Was Interested in Coaching USMNT but Got Turned Down appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Since Dave Sarachan took over the United States men’s national soccer team in October 2017, his focus was on the younger players. Since he took over, 18 new players have made their debuts for the senior team.

This meant that some of the USMNT veterans like Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore failed to receive call-ups for recent friendly games. However, Sarachan didn’t rule out calling them in the future and said that they still have a role in the team.

The 64-year-old coach told reporters on Wednesday that he recently spoke with Bradley, and explained to the player that there would be a time when the team will count on veteran players once again.

“We’re not discounting the value of veteran leadership, and Michael falls into that category,” – said Sarachan. “There will be a time, I’m sure when we’re going to count on those players like Michael to be a part of this. We had a good conversation, and I think he understands where we are.”

While U.S. Soccer Federation looks for a permanent solution for USMNT’s coaching position, Dave Sarachan will continue to fill the interim role at least until the end of the year. USMNT has five friendly matches to play until the end of the year, including home games against Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. According to Sarachan, the fans can expect to see a similar roster that played in the several recent friendlies.

“I would say that the roster, if you followed our team over the last six friendlies, will be composed pretty similarly to what we’ve done in the past,” – he said. “But I feel very confident that the group we’re going to bring will be very competitive.“

The post USMNT Veterans Will Still Have Role in Team According to Dave Sarachan appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The United States men’s national soccer team still doesn’t have a head coach on a permanent basis. Since Bruce Arena stepped down last year, the position has been held by Dave Sarachan on an interim basis with U.S. Soccer Federation failing to find a suitable candidate for the job just yet. On the other hand, former Portland Timbers’ coach Caleb Porter has a solution. Porter thinks Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes is a perfect choice and “deserves the shot” to lead the USMNT.

“If you’re going American, Peter Vermes, for me, he is the guy that deserves the shot,” – said Porter. “I believe that. That guy deserves to carry the torch of our national team. Peter Vermes, in my opinion, based on what he’s done in our league, he’s proven it as an American coach.“

Caleb Porter also used the chance to put his own name into the mix.

“If you don’t go with Peter Vermes, I think, based on what I’ve proven, I’m in the mix with another two or three guys who deserve consideration, and I’d be open to talking.” – he said.

After a brief playing career, Porter turned to a coach and served as United States U23 coach between 2011 and 2012. He then took over the Timbers in 2013, spending five years with the team and winning MLS Cup.

Peter Vermes, on the other hand, had more illustrious playing career, playing in both Europe and MLS. He started his coaching career with Sporting Kansas City in 2009 and is currently the longest-tenured head coach in the MLS.

The post Peter Vermes “Deserves the Shot” to Coach USMNT Says Caleb Porter appeared first on SportzBonanza.

First time since 1986, the United States won’t participate in the World Cup. Although the USMNT needed just one point entering the last game of CONCACAF qualifiers versus already eliminated Trinidad and Tobago, they suffered a 2-1 defeat. According to former USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann failure, to qualify for World Cup has set back the soccer in the U.S. for “several years.”

“It’s been set back by several years,” – said Klinsmann to German’s Kicker. “That was a huge disappointment. The qualification really was never in doubt, but then the lads had a blackout versus Trinidad and Tobago. They only needed a point, were too sure of that and underestimated that final match.“

Still, Klinsmann said that soccer in the United States is still in good shape despite the need to “catch up on” lots of things.

“Sure, there are a lot of things to catch up on: in the youth academies, in the universities, in cross-linking the pieces,” – he said. “But MLS is stable after 20 years. It has role-model character. It has a backbone, mostly thanks to [league co-founder] Phil Anschutz. He kept things together when they could have fallen apart.By now, MLS has caught up in the infrastructure. What happened in U.S. soccer in the past 20 years, that is a bit like a fairy tale. It still needs patience, but the league’s getting stronger with every year.“

After stints with Germany and Bayern Munich, Jurgen Klinsmann was appointed USMNT’s head coach in 2011. He successfully led the team to 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they were eliminated in the round of 16 in a close match versus Belgium. Klinsmann was fired in 2016 after USMNT opened the final round of CONCACAF qualifiers for 2018 World Cup in Russia with two defeats. LA Galaxy’s Bruce Arena stepped in as his replacement.

The post World Cup Failure Has Set Back U.S. Soccer for “Several Years” According to Jurgen Klinsmann appeared first on SportzBonanza.

According to ESPN’s sources, U.S. national team will get interim coach sometime this weekend, after Bruce Arena decided he will not continue leading the USMNT. U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati spoke to the reporters last week and told them that the decision will be made in seven to 10 days, ahead of the friendly match USMNT will have against Portugal on Nov. 14. If we are to believe the sources, Gulati will stick to his word.

The clear favorite for the interim coach job is U.S. youth technical director and under-20 manager, Tab Ramos. However, it appears that Ramos isn’t so keen on the job. The Sports Illustrated reports that Ramos would take the job of coaching the USMNT but only on the full-time basis, rather than being the interim coach. Gulati, on the other hand, is insisting on the interim label, as the U.S. Soccer Federation looks to take its time in choosing the coach who will lead the campaign for the 2022 World Cup.

If Ramos ends up declining the job, Gulati will search for another candidate among the coaches who are already on the U.S. Soccer payroll. Some of the Bruce Arena’s staff could be in the mix including Dave Sarachan, Pat Noonan, Matt Reis and Kenny Arena. Dave Sarachan would be an obvious choice, since he is the only one with the high-level managerial experience, coaching the Chicago Fire in the past.

Another name that is being speculated as an option is U-17 manager John Hackworth, but the move is unlikely due to the fact that Hackworth is currently leading the U-17 team in the FIFA U-17 World Cup which takes place in India.

USMNT failed to qualify for the World Cup first time since 1986, having lost the key game against Trinidad and Tobago. Now, moving forward, U.S. Soccer Federation will have to be very careful about choosing their approach and get a coach that will make a real difference.

The post USMNT Will Get an Interim Coach This Weekend appeared first on SportzBonanza.