Gregg Berhalter, the coach of the US men's national soccer team, was fired

After a lackluster showing in the Copa America, Gregg Berhalter was fired as the U.S. men's national soccer team's coach.

Following the tournament's disappointing group stage departure on American soil, the U.S. Soccer Federation made the sacking public on Wednesday.

The news follows the team's underwhelming performance in the 2024 Copa América, where they lost to Uruguay and Panama and were unable to advance past the group round.

The United States Soccer Federation announced on Wednesday that Berhalter has "been relieved of his duties... effective immediately."

“I want to thank Gregg for his hard work and dedication to U.S. Soccer and our Men’s National Team,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “We are now focused on working with our Sporting Director Matt Crocker and leveraging his experience at the highest levels of the sport to ensure we find the right person to lead the USMNT into a new era of on-field success.”

"U.S. Soccer is committed to doing what is necessary to ensure our success on the pitch and we are dedicated to fostering a culture that leads to winning," Crocker said in a statement. "Our immediate focus is on finding a coach who can maximize our potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, and we have already begun our search process."

Given that they will be hosting the World Cup and will not have World Cup qualifying matches to aid in their preparation, the Americans' defeat at the Copa América took on even greater significance. The Copa was the last tournament where Americans could play teams from outside the Concacaf region in a competitive setting.

Between now and 2026, the national team's sole other competition will be the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The U.S. will play Canada and New Zealand in the upcoming September international window.

After representing the country in a World Cup, Berhalter, 50, became the first American to coach the national team. He has positions with Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew (2013–18) and Sweden's Hammarby (2011–13) before being appointed coach of the United States in December 2018.

He guided the United States to two CONCACAF Nations League championships and a 2021 Gold Cup.

After a six-month probe that was brought on by a falling out with the family of American player Giovanni Reyna, Berhalter was brought back as the team's coach in June 2023, with a contract that would last until the 2026 World Cup. But the Americans have had difficulty improving since then.

In March, they narrowly defeated Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals thanks to an own goal in stoppage time in the second half that allowed them to win in extra time. Although they advanced on the scoreboard, the Americans were defeated by Trinidad and Tobago in the second leg of that competition's quarterfinals.

When considered collectively, these outcomes raised calls for Berhalter's replacement. The night before the U.S. squad was eliminated, Crocker—who had declared that a review process would begin to assess Berhalter and the team's performance—did not attend the Uruguay game because of an unforeseen family obligation.

Crocker ultimately decided to relieve Berhalter.