Add The New York Post on Google IRVINE, Calif. — Last week in Chicago, the day before the U.S. men’s national team faced Germany, Gregg Berhalter held a news conference.
This, for five years, would have been entirely unremarkable. It was unusual here because the former coach of any team, formally answering questions about that team before it trains, is not something that tends to happen.
Berhalter took the USMNT to the World Cup in Qatar 3 ½ years ago, and until it flamed out in the group stage of Copa America two summers ago, he was on track to take it to the World Cup that begins this week. Now he is coaching the Chicago Fire in MLS — which put him in the position of being on hand for training at his team’s facility last Friday — and hosting a podcast, titled “Coaches’ Corner,” with fellow former national team coaches Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley. Yeah, it’s all slightly awkward.
“Of course,” Berhalter told The Post on Monday, a few hours before the USMNT opened its World Cup base camp in Irvine, Calif. “It’s human, right? It’s a human feeling. There’s some awkwardness to it.
Former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter during the press conference on June 5, 2026 in Chicago. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters “I try to say that when you’re part of U.S. Soccer, no matter what role you play — you get a cap, you coach a team, you play in World Cups, whatever it is — you’re part of U.S. Soccer for life. And your time isn’t ever guaranteed. Once you make one cap, it doesn’t mean you make your second cap, but you’re still part of the program. I’m in this journey as part of U.S. Soccer. It’s a great feeling. My role now is different, but I enjoy it the same.”
His connection to the group, obviously, runs deep. Thirteen players on this roster were part of the 2022 World Cup group under Berhalter. More than that were capped by him before or after the World Cup. One is his own son, Sebastian, who four years ago was in Qatar as a spectator and now looks ready to take on a key role within this team.
Getting to see Sebastian — who was uncapped when his dad was the coach, and who, given the inevitable charges of nepotism, may have found it tougher to break into the squad if Gregg were still the coach — put on the uniform at the World Cup adds yet another layer of emotion to the situation.
“For him, what I saw is a tremendous amount of focus and work to get to this point,” Berhalter said. “It’s easy to talk about him being at this point now, but the work he put in to get there is what’s difficult and that was the hard part. There’s days where it wasn’t easy for him. There’s days where it’s not going his way or he’s not playing in Vancouver. He just had to be mentally strong, keep going and have this unwavering belief in himself to get here.”
Sebastian Berhalter of the U.S. speaks with fans during training on June 8. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images As for the other 25 players in the squad, Berhalter’s pride in their growth is obvious.
“What strikes me most is how much they’ve grown,” Berhalter said. “And almost, I had the era where they were still finding themselves. Still very much young adults and their brains are still forming and they’re coming to terms with their profession and what it takes to be a pro. Now I see them, they’re hardened men. They understand.”
“Gregg was a big part of my national team journey,” Weston McKennie said. “… He’s the type of guy, I went to him with problems on and off the field. I’ve cried in front of him. We’ve had tough times and also amazing times together.”
In Qatar, Berhalter tried to repeatedly remind his team — the youngest, on average, at that World Cup — what it would be like to face the global spotlight of a World Cup. No one needs that reminder now, especially with the competition on home soil, where 5,500 people showed up in Irvine on Monday to watch a light training session.
“The team’s ready,” Berhalter said. “I’m not reading into the results too much against Germany or Senegal. I’m looking at the performance. And they’re ready. They’ve gotten confidence from both of those games. They’ll go into the Paraguay game prepared and they’re ready for this moment.”
