Early exit for the USA

Super-GAU at Copa: now the team boss must tremble

Gregg Berhalter must be worried about his job as team boss.(Bild: Getty Images/Michael Reaves)

Gregg Berhalter's tenure as coach of the USA could be in jeopardy two years before the World Cup on home soil. On Monday, the USA were eliminated from the group stage of the Copa America after losing 1-0 to Uruguay in Kansas City. 

The USA finished third in Group C after two defeats in three games. Uruguay won all three group games, while Panama finished second and advanced to the quarter-finals after beating Bolivia 3-1.

"That's not good enough from Berhalter"
"We are bitterly disappointed with the result," said Berhalter at a press conference. "We know we're capable of more and we didn't show that at this tournament." Experts such as Berhalter's former national team teammate Alexi Lalas believe the coach is at least partly to blame. "That's not good enough from Gregg Berhalter," said Lalas, who now analyzes for the TV channel Fox Sports. Another former US player, Clint Dempsey, said that they were "not on the right track".

When asked whether he thought he was the right person to lead the team to the 2026 World Cup, which the USA will host with Canada and Mexico, Berhalter left no doubt. "Yes," he said. The mistakes will be analyzed, but he still has confidence in the team, whose core will probably not change significantly between now and the World Cup. "We have to keep looking forward," said Berhalter.