USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter has Nations League and Copa America arising, however how far should he take them?

Aggressive matches are starting for the US males’s nationwide staff for the primary time in 2024 as on Thursday they’re going to face Jamaica within the Concacaf Nations League semifinals. With restricted aggressive matches attributable to robotically qualifying for the 2026 World Cup as hosts, the Nations League and Copa America will likely be crucial exams for Gregg Berhalter and the staff. 

Whereas Berhalter was in a position to lead the USMNT out of their group on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, falling by the hands of the Netherlands and a poor lead to a pleasant in opposition to Germany raised truthful questions on if Berhalter is the supervisor who can take the USMNT to the subsequent stage. He has accomplished an excellent job restoring excessive expectations to the facet after they missed qualification to the 2018 World Cup in Russia however when making the knockouts of each event is now the expectation, elevating that bar is now the subsequent step.

The best way to watch and odds

• Date: Thursday, March 21 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Location: AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas
• Reside stream: Paramount+
• Odds: United States +260; Draw +340; Jamaica +600

It is a lengthy highway to becoming a member of groups like Argentina, France, Spain, and Italy within the high 10 of the FIFA  world rankings, not to mention contending, however when the Copa America will see the USMNT face Uruguay and presumably Brazil or Colombia, Berhalter will be capable to take a look at his facet in opposition to a number of top-15 nations on this planet.  However what does success seem like for the USMNT throughout this cycle?

It is truthful to query the USMNT’s playstyle beneath Berhalter but when they’re in a position to get outcomes beneath him, they do not should be fairly. A popular coach, the vast majority of the staff appears to take pleasure in taking part in beneath him and whereas there’ll by no means be a 100% approval score, there additionally does not must be. Outcomes are king and that is why the USMNT should win the Nations League for the third consecutive version. 

If they do not, then all eyes are on Copa America. Profitable the Nations League and getting out of the group at Copa America whereas taking part in effectively within the knockout phases might be the naked minimal for this squad as they’re set for a crash course with Brazil or Colombia. Whereas the USMNT have improved since that 2018 World Cup failure to qualify, Brazil are among the many finest groups on this planet on their day whereas Colombia are formidable as effectively. Due to the character of the competitors, that is why it comes all the way down to how the video games are performed.

Hearken to the Name It What You Need podcast the place Jimmy Conrad, Jesse Marsch and Charlie Davies discuss all issues USMNT and the state of the attractive recreation in the US.

Shedding within the Nations League, the stakes turn out to be a lot larger as not solely would Berhalter must steer the USMNT out of the teams in Copa America however a knockout stage victory turns into crucial as effectively. With out that, it is when whispers for a brand new coach in 2026 would flip into roars. With the World Cup on United States soil, it might be truthful for them to maneuver on to a brand new coach.

Expectations could not be larger being a World Cup host and there are big-name free agent managers obtainable like Antonio Conte, Hansi Flick, Joachim Low and Jose Mourinho in the marketplace however there will likely be fairly just a few adjustments through the summer time. With Jurgen Klopp, Xavi Hernandez and Thomas Tuchel leaving their posts on the finish of the season, there will likely be shifts in roles all over the world but when the US do not discover themselves the place they wish to be, there will likely be some critical worldwide intrigue.

In an ideal world, that will not be wanted but it surely all begins with the Nations League. Berhalter has been good at assembly expectations to this point throughout his time in control of the USMNT, and doing that can hold him within the submit for at the least one other World Cup cycle.