USMNT
Gregg Berhalter, the Humanitarian
Gregg Berhalter, Coach of USMNT
“We put together these XIs in lineup builders and there is no humanity in them. There is always humanity in coaching.” –Will Parchman.
The internet is not the place for face-to-face or voice-to-voice conversations (for the most part). It is a place for arguing, overgeneralizing, hair-splitting, trolling, and boiling hot takes. I should know: I am just as guilty as anyone else when it comes to falling down that blackhole. But this isn’t about me. This is about the current coach of the US Men’s National Team, Gregg Berhalter.
When Gregg is asked about dual nationals and his process on recruiting, he always drops the sentence “We want to create an environment that players want to be in”. By all accounts, he is living by that. He got Sergino Dest over the line at a moment when his int’l future might’ve been up in the air and Yunus Musah went from “not interested” to starting two friendlies in a matter of months. Also, Christian Pulisic went to the most recent camp just to hang out and left the day before the Wales match when he could’ve just stayed in London.
But that’s only part of it. Another part of it is moving on from players from a previous era/regime. It doesn’t matter how long they’ve been there, either. A year, two years, or well over a decade, those are hard conversations to have. You can’t be warm and welcoming to the young players and cold as ice to the older players. A lot of these players have the same agents and it doesn’t work like that. A lot of people will read this and think/comment “That’s literally his job, he shouldn’t worry about that, his main focus is winning” etc. Of course, his main focus is winning. He’s a coach. But focusing on player management brings unity. When there’s a lack of unity, you get late 2016 and most of 2017 all over again. So, he is doing his job, but it seems like he’s not doing it the way *you* would do it.
High-level (re: professional) players want to go out on their own terms. No American wants their last game to be October 10th, 2017 v. T&T. No Englishman wants their last game to be November 21st, 2007 v. Croatia. No Italian wants their last game to be November 13th, 2017 v. Sweden. A lot of international players have it in their mind they’ll retire from competition after a major tournament (if they’re lucky). There are players who played their last USMNT match on 10/10/17: Dempsey, Howard, Besler, Villafana, and Feilhaber. Not the ending they expected and certainly not the ending a few deserved. Some players simply wake up and decide that day to walk away. Others wait for non-footy related factors to develop before they make that decision. Then there are the players who put it in the coach’s hands to not call them up. These players can’t walk away.
Gregg is going to be the coach to tell 33 yr old Michael Bradley, 151 caps, former captain, 2nd in all-time assists, that he’s no longer a part of something he’s been a part of since he was a teenager. While almost all agree this is the right call, this will still be a hard thing do to because having tough soccer conversations with someone with the last name Bradley is not easy at all. When that conversation is done, Michael will say the right things to the camera and seem like he’s moving into a different era in his life, but I guarantee you there will be a lot of human emotion behind closed doors. Age, injuries, and form all play a factor, but he can’t seem to bring himself to announce his int’l retirement. This is where Gregg will earn his man management stripes. He’s already done something similar with Omar Gonzalez.
Every USMNT fan remembers Couva. How could we forget? In Twellman’s amazing “What Are We Doing” rant, he mentioned these players are going to have nightmares about it for the rest of their lives. Which particular Couva moment was the worst of the worst? The own goal. Having watched it probably fifty times, Omar couldn’t do that again if he had another 100 tries (Howard probably moves his feet to bail him out if he had another chance, too). But it still happened and that’s his lasting USMNT moment to almost all fans. Berhalter, his former LAG travel roomie, brought him in for a friendly in early 2019 to give him one more match. Then Brooks had a twisted knee in spring/summer 2019, so he took Omar to the Gold Cup as a backup CB. Gregg Berhalter gave him two friendlies, the throwaway group game, and moved on. Yes, Brooks’ injury is the only reason this happened. Yes, the fact they were roomies helped Gregg feel more sympathy towards Omar’s Couva moment when compared to others. But a lot of people don’t remember Omar getting a game in the Berhalter era at this point. So, Gregg giving a player one more MNT experience so his last memory isn’t the lowest moment in this county’s history goes a long way and should be commended from a mental health standpoint. Players and the agents of players talk. They can all appreciate things like this, even when a player is clearly “past it”. Even knowing he was an injury replacement in 2019, Omar has now moved on with as much peace as he can possibly have.
One thing Gregg Berhalter doesn’t do is drop players without explanation. From his first camp in January 2019 to his most recent camp, he is not shy in answering questions on why Player X wasn’t called up. You might not agree with it, but I might not agree with why you think Player Y should have been called up.
Kellyn Acosta was let go early from camp in Jan. ’19 but not before Gregg told him exactly what he had to do and improve upon to be called back into the fold. Aron Johannsson, despite having double-digit goals for the first time since 2014, was contacted by Gregg Berhalter and they had a talk as to why he wasn’t called in for November camp and what his plans are for Aron. Gregg could’ve ignored him but didn’t. He communicated his exact thought at that exact time. Russell Canouse’s quote of “I didn’t feel like I got a complete shot” in January ’19 camp is a fair critique coming from a player. Players want to play, and he didn’t get to play. I can relate. He probably should’ve gotten a game. But Gregg Berhalter chose to play Bradley then Trapp at the 6. But now? None of those players are in serious MNT contention. That’s a tough impression Canouse is left with, but that gets into the area of coach’s preferences and who is the closest to fitting whatever particular role.
Player selections are tough because every single one comes down to that person’s biases about the game and individual players. If you talk to a person long enough about enough players, you will eventually hear them contradict themselves in how they rate players. And that’s fine. Everyone does that. I do it. Anyone who has ever picked a team or roster knows the criticisms they open themselves up to. Gregg has known Wil Trapp for a while and knew he was the de facto captain under Dave Sarachan. But his minutes outside of the 2019 January camp under Berhalter don’t lead one to believe he is a Gregg favorite, despite the “he still called him in” argument. Tyler Adams, who played right back under Gregg only once, was injured for most of 2019. If you look at Trapp’s MNT minutes on Transfermarkt, you can see exactly where Gregg stopped with Trapp. I think Trapp gets shown the door a bit sooner if it weren’t for Tyler’s injury problems. Gregg, a coach, called in a player who was familiar with what he wanted, even though he didn’t see a second in the Nations League. Gregg brought him along in that last bit of 2019 but as the year wound down and Tyler got healthy, it was clear Trapp’s time, outside of a random January camp, was over.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Then, there’s Jozy Altidore. Third all-time leading scorer. All-time leader in Hex goals. Tied in overall WCQ goals (18; tied with Dempsey). The only attacker from the Lost Generation who came anywhere close to reaching their potential. The persistent health problems he’s endured since 2014 aren’t something I would wish on anyone. ANYONE!! Bob Bradley, Jurgen Klinsmann, and Bruce Arena 2.0 all knew how important he was to the USMNT attack. So much so that all three convinced him to play hurt at some point in their NT coaching tenure. 2013 Jozy was peak Jozy. His club manager and country manager greatly benefitted from it. I wouldn’t be shocked if Jozy has a final run of goals in him. But that’s only if he can stay healthy. If he can’t, Gregg will eventually have to pick up the phone and tell 31 or 32 yr old Jozy that he’s going with a 19 or 20 yr old instead. As previously discussed, that will be hard on a player.
Like Bradley, Altidore was starting for the national team as a teenager. Both have been a part of the highs like making it out of consecutive groups in the WC and beating Spain, and the lows of Couva. According to Herc Gomez’s interview with Aaron Long, after the USMNT beat Jamaica in the Gold Cup semifinal Long said both Jozy and Bradley were very excited about playing Mexico in the final. They were getting the rest of the locker room as pumped as they were about it. Being the coach that takes potential moments like that away is something Berhalter will have to confront soon if Jozy can’t stay healthy.
All of this isn’t to say other national team coaches haven’t done something like this. Arena took Brian Ching to the 2006 World Cup because Landon’s depression was getting hard to control at the time and Ching was a very close friend of Landon’s. Everyone watching then knew Twellman should’ve been in Germany instead. Klinsmann dropped then-captain Carlos Bocanegra the day of the WCQ in Honduras. Flying him to Honduras and doing it the day of the match seems like weird timing, but at least Jurgen looked him in the eye and told him the deal, according to Bocanegra’s official Facebook post. Did Jurgen or Bruce ever do something like that again? Not as far as I know. But more autobiographies will be written, and we’ll find out one way or the other.
By no means am I saying Gregg Berhalter is a big pile of mush. He’s a competitor. He’s started a World Cup quarterfinal. Only eleven Americans can say that. As a manager, he has a player “doghouse”. Yes, there are players currently in said doghouse and there are those who were in it but have gotten out. This shows there absolutely are ways out and it’s by no means a permanent placement, unlike previous coaches. Seeing how he’s true to his player management word, these players currently frozen out could have a chance to thaw and be in the environment he’s created.
Dealing with personalities of players who have sacrificed a lot to get to where they are is hard. Everyone who’s coached a team, from the u14 rec level to the top 5 leagues, knows mistakes in player management are unavoidable. I guarantee more mistakes will be made from Gregg’s player management department. But if the biggest strike against Gregg Berhalter is Canouse being upset he didn’t dress for either game in January camp, that’s pretty good all things considered. Berhalter is practicing what he’s saying in that he’s bringing players in the door while making it harder for the older players to walk away. I fully support this because I personally felt like the togetherness and comradery the USMNT was known for slowly but surely eroded through the 2010s and Berhalter is trying to rebuild this cornerstone of the MNT while still dealing with the fallout of Couva and the Lost Generation. It’s a tall order along with everything else on his plate, but I think he should get tons of credit for the great job he’s done so far in building this aspect. No one is saying forgive all his mistakes, but also don’t berate him for not being undefeated.
USMNT
From Maradona to Messi
From Maradona to Messi: A Quick Look at World Cups 1986–2022
Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)
A quick look back at the last ten World Cups reveals how the world’s greatest sporting event has evolved and grown through the decades. With over 200 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, here’s a high-level recap of the tournaments that shaped its legacy, and a glimpse of what’s next.
1986 – Mexico
Diego Maradona delivered a World Cup for the ages, scoring both the “Goal of the Century” and the infamous “Hand of God” in the same match, then leading Argentina past West Germany to claim their second World Cup title.
1990 – Italy
The USA returned to the World Cup after a 50-year absence in what became the lowest-scoring tournament in history, as West Germany edged Argentina 1–0 on a late penalty. It marked West Germany’s final World Cup before reunification.
1994 – United States
The USA hosted its first-ever World Cup, setting all-time attendance records as Brazil defeated Italy in the tournament’s first final decided by a penalty shootout in front of the largest crowds in US since the 1984 Olympics.
1998 – France
FIFA’s first 32-team World Cup saw host nation France capture its first-ever title, becoming the seventh country to win the trophy. Led by Zinedine Zidane triumphed on home soil with a commanding victory over defending champions Brazil.
2002 – South Korea/Japan
The first World Cup with co-hosting nations saw South Korea stun many by reaching the semifinals, while Brazil claimed their fifth title, powered by Ronaldo’s two goals in the final against Germany.
2006 – Germany
Germany came up short on home soil, losing in extra time to eventual first-time finalist Italy in the semifinal. Italy went on to claim its fourth World Cup, edging France on penalties in a final forever marked by Zidane’s infamous headbutt in extra time.
2010 – South Africa
The first World Cup hosted by a CAF nation, South Africa, saw the host nation become the first ever to fail to advance past the group stage. Meanwhile, Spain captured their first World Cup, showcasing their tiki-taka mastery and defeating the Netherlands in extra-time with Andrés Iniesta’s decisive goal.
2014 – Brazil
Host nation Brazil reached the semifinals on home soil but suffered a shocking 7–1 defeat to Germany and then fell 3-0 to the Netherlands in the third-place match. Germany went on to defeat Argentina in extra time, with Mario Götze scoring the decisive goal, while Lionel Messi claimed the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
2018 – Russia
France’s golden generation, spearheaded by tournament Best Young Player Kylian Mbappé, captured their second World Cup title with a thrilling 4–2 victory over Croatia, led by Golden Ball winner Luka Modrić.
2022 – Qatar
The 2022 World Cup, overshadowed by controversies over migrant worker treatment and extreme heat, which pushed the tournament to November and December, ultimately delivered a historic finale. Lionel Messi achieved crowning glory as Argentina triumphed on penalties in a thrilling 3–3 final against France, highlighted by Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick.
2026 – United States/Mexico/Canada
The 2026 World Cup will feature a major expansion from 32 to 48 teams and, for the first time ever, be hosted by three nations. Mexico will make history as the first country to host matches in three different World Cups, while the United States becomes the sixth nation to host at least twice. What unforgettable moments will define this landmark tournament?
USMNT
One Home or Many? The Debate Over a Primary Venue for U.S. Soccer
Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)
The logics of the United States make it almost impossible for the USMNT or USWNT to have a primary venue to play all of their home matches but a trend of playing in a handful of stadiums has been developing over the last couple of cycles. US Soccer says there are specific factors behind where matches are played, some make sense, while others come across as lazy or lacking creativity.
If and when Major League Soccer aligns with the FIFA calendar and observes international breaks, more MLS stadiums could become available for matches. While not all MLS venues currently feature natural grass, US Soccer has indicated they would be willing to invest in installing grass, though at a cost of around $500K and with potential concerns about surface reliability.
Global Approach to Scheduling
Many of the top-tier international teams play their World Cup qualifiers and other critical matches in a primary venue or two. Here’s a sample of some of those countries and generally where they play based on my research.
Here are some of the more notable nations that play nearly all of their home matches at a single venue, a setup made practical by their smaller size and simpler logistics, which also makes it easier for fans.
Germany and Spain are known for rotating their non-critical home matches across multiple venues.
Argentina-Estadio Monumental (River Plate)
Belgium– King Baudouin Stadium (Brussels)
Colombia-Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez
England-Wembley Stadium
France– Stade de France (Saint-Denis, near Paris)
Italy-Stadio Olimpico
Northern Ireland-Windsor Park (Belfast)
Norway-Ullevaal Stadion (Oslo)
Portugal– Estádio da Luz (Lisbon)
Republic of Ireland-Aviva Stadium (Dublin)
Scotland-Hampden Park (Glasgow)
Uruguay-Estadio Centenario
Wales-Cardiff City Stadium
What’s in a location?
Here’s a look at the past few cycles, highlighting the USMNT’s home matches and the venues they’ve used. While US Soccer has clarified that they don’t control Gold Cup or Nations League venue selection, a point still under debate, they do manage the locations for Friendlies and World Cup qualifiers and continue to review and adjust those choices.
2026 Cycle (Matches Scheduled Through the end of 2025) – 46 Home Matches – 30 unique cities
So far, half of the USMNT’s home matches in the 2026 cycle have been held across eight venues. Only two more windows, March and May/June, remain for Friendlies before the 2026 World Cup.
- 4-AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- 4-Energizer Park, previously CityPark, St. Louis, Missouri
- 4-Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas
- 3-Inter&Co Stadium (previously Orlando City Stadium and Exploria Stadium, Orlando, Florida
- 2-Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
- 2-Geodis Park, Nashville, Tennessee
- 2-Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut
- 2-TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
2022 Cycle – 43 Home Matches – 24 unique cities
I can almost give US Soccer a pass on city and venue selection during the 2022 cycle, given the global circumstances at the time. That said, it’s interesting that they scheduled three consecutive home World Cup qualifiers in Ohio, with final round two matches in Columbus. Columbus has been a recurring choice, hosting multiple qualifiers in 2014, 2018, and 2022, handling one match each during both the semifinal and final rounds of qualifying in 2014 and 2018.
Lower.com, Columbus, Ohio
2018 Cycle – 47 Home Matches – 33 unique cities
During the 2018 cycle, the USMNT played in a wider variety of cities and venues. Aside from four matches in Carson, California for the January camp, they only repeated a location eleven times.
Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, CA
2014 Cycle – 43 Home Matches – 29 unique cities
During the 2014 cycle, the USMNT repeated cities twelve times, but only two cities hosted more than two matches: Carson, California, where two of three games were for Camp Cupcake, and Kansas City, Kansas, which hosted three matches.
Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas
2010 Cycle – 35 Home Matches – 18 unique cities
One of the leanest home schedules in recent cycles saw the USMNT play in just 18 different cities, with 11 of them hosting only a single match. Over half of their home games were concentrated in four cities: Carson, California (7 matches); Chicago, Illinois (5 matches); and Foxborough, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. (3 matches each).
Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
2006 Cycle – 44 Home Matches – 24 unique cities
The USMNT played eight matches in Foxborough, Massachusetts—double the number held in the next two cities, Columbus, Ohio, and Miami, Florida, which each hosted four matches. Notably, the team has excelled in Foxborough, losing only once in 22 games played there.
Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, MA
2002 Cycle – 38 Home Matches – 16 unique cities
During the 2002 cycle, California was clearly a preferred destination for the USMNT, hosting matches in five different cities across twelve games. Foxborough, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. each hosted five matches as well.
Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA
1998 Cycle– 40 Home Matches – 21 unique cities
Washington D.C. was the city of choice for the USMNT during the 1998 cycle playing six matches. The USMNT would also play more than two matches in Los Angeles, California (5 matches), Foxborough, Massachusetts (4 matches) and Pasadena, California (3 matches) while playing only one match in twelve other cities.
RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
Long Term Venue Strategy
While US Soccer may favor a single venue for most USMNT and USWNT matches, doing so would limit access for thousands of fans across the country. However, with the move to Georgia and the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center set to open in early 2026, ahead of the World Cup, it’s likely that future matches will focus on venues within three to four hours of Atlanta. We can expect the majority of games to continue taking place in roughly ten to twelve core cities.
Club News
The constructing of a World Cup roster
Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)
With the September FIFA window now in the rearview mirror, and only three more windows left before final rosters are set in late May or early June 2026, Mauricio Pochettino has drawn a clear line.
He’s stated that September’s camp was the “last camp to have the possibility for new faces.”
If we take him at his word, the nearly 70 players who’ve been called across six camps and the Gold Cup will form the pool from which he selects the 2026 World Cup squad.
Of the 60 players named to the 2025 Gold Cup provisional roster, only five, Maxi Dietz, Richie Ledezma, Tim Tillman, Caleb Wiley, and Griffin Yow, have yet to appear on a #USMNT roster under Pochettino.
Comparing the 2025 Nations League provisional roster to the Gold Cup list reveals over a dozen different players, raising the question: are these minor differences simply the edges of the player pool Pochettino intends to draw from?
Goalkeepers
Nine goalkeepers have been called into Pochettino’s camps, but it’s clear that Matt Freese is his first-choice right now, with Matt Turner likely the No. 2 as we sit just 10 months from the World Cup.
- Chris Brady
- Drake Callender
- Roman Celentano
- Matt Freese
- Ethan Horvath
- Jonathan Klinsmann
- Diego Kochen
- Patrick Schulte
- Zack Steffen
- Matt Turner
Fullbacks
Outside of Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson, the USMNT’s fullback depth remains a concern. Pochettino appears high on MLS defenders Alex Freeman and Max Arfsten, while Caleb Wiley, though yet to feature in a USMNT camp but named to recent provisional rosters, could still be on his depth chart.
- Max Arfsten
- Sergino Dest
- Alex Freeman
- Marlon Fossey
- DeJuan Jones
- Kristoffer Lund
- Shaquell Moore
- Antonee Robinson
- Joe Scally
- John Tolkin
Centerbacks
Center back remains another position with uncertain depth. Chris Richards and the veteran Tim Ream look like locks for now, leaving three spots up for grabs. If Pochettino opts for a back three, that tactical shift could influence which players ultimately make the cut. Notably, Jackson Ragen and Maxi Dietz are the only center backs from the recent provisional rosters who haven’t been called into a USMNT camp.
- Noahkai Banks
- Tristan Blackmon
- George Campbell
- Cameron Carter-Vickers
- Mark McKenzie
- Tim Ream
- Chris Richards
- Miles Robinson
- Auston Trusty
- Walker Zimmerman
Central Midfielders
The central midfield position is the deepest for the #USMNT, with many players in the pool capable of also playing fullback, center back, or winger. Although Richie Ledezma has primarily played as a right back and right wing-back for his current club and for PSV last season, USMNT coaches view him primarily as a midfielder. This likely explains why he hasn’t yet been called into a USMNT camp.
- Tyler Adams
- Sebastian Berhalter
- Gianluca Busio
- Johnny Cardoso
- Ben Cremaschi
- Luca de la Torre
- Emeka Eneli
- Jack McGlynn
- Weston McKennie
- Aidan Morris
- Yunus Musah
- Tanner Tessmann
- Sean Zawadzki
Attacking Midfielders
There are several players at this position who could add real quality and play pivotal roles for the #USMNT at next summer’s World Cup. Gio Reyna remains a major question mark, but his talent is undeniable. With his recent club change, there’s hope he can return to the high level of form we’ve seen from him in the past.
- Brenden Aaronson
- Paxten Aaronson
- Brian Gutiérrez
- Djordje Mihailovic
- Matko Miljevic
- Gio Reyna
- Malik Tillman
Wingers
The winger position remains thin for the #USMNT, though several players there can also slot in as attacking midfielders, strikers, or even fullback. Notably, two young wingers, Cole Campbell and Griffin Yow, appeared on provisional rosters but have yet to be called into any Pochettino camp.
- Cade Cowell
- Diego Luna
- Christian Pulisic
- Quinn Sullivan
- Indiana Vassilev
- Tim Weah
- Haji Wright
- Alejandro Zendejas
Strikers
Another area of concern for the USMNT is striker depth. While the top options have all produced well for their clubs when healthy, injuries have kept the pool thin. If everyone is fit, the primary competition for the starting role likely comes down to three players: Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Josh Sargent. Haji Wright and Tim Weah can also step in as center-forward options if needed.
- Patrick Agyemang
- Folarin Balogun
- Damion Downs
- Jesus Ferreira
- Ricardo Pepi
- Josh Sargent
- Brandon Vazquez
- Brian White
Conclusion
It’s tough to read Pochettino’s mindset right now. Many expect fewer MLS players to be called for the October window, partly because the league continues through FIFA dates and the regular season ends mid-October.
Most World Cup rosters largely select themselves, with only a few surprising omissions, think of the 1994 squad, which left out several players many felt deserved a spot.
But with Pochettino still showing a shaky grasp of the USMNT player pool, this cycle could produce more notable snubs than ever, though there’s still time for him to get it right.
From Maradona to Messi
One Home or Many? The Debate Over a Primary Venue for U.S. Soccer
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