Northern Ireland v USA

Words Liam Blackburn

USA THE COACH Gregg Berhalter was the choice of the United States Soccer Federation back in December 2018 after a 14-month search for a new coach.

under Berhalter, he was sacked midway through his second season. He was hired by MLS side Columbus Crew in November 2013 and, despite their small budget, Berhalter led the team to four top-five finishes in five years and the MLS Cup final in 2015, when they were beaten by Portland Timbers. USA won their first three matches under Berhalter but were beaten in the 2019 Gold Cup final by Mexico. They came into this international break on the back of a seven-match unbeaten streak – their best run under the current boss. » Berhalter holds an Irish passport and he is the godson of Hall of Fame baseball player Carl Yastrzemski. » He won the first of 44 USA caps in 1994 and was a key part of the team which reached the 2002 World Cup quarter- finals. He was the first Crystal Palace player to feature at a World Cup. » When he took charge of Hammarby, Berhalter became the first American- born ex national team player to coach a professional team in Europe. » During his final season with LA Galaxy, Berhalter was both a player and an assistant. The coach at the time was Bruce Arena, who has had two spells in charge of USA.

He beat 32 other candidates to the position and became the first USA coach to have previously played for the country at a World Cup. “He is a coach that is learning at all times,” US Soccer Federation Sporting Director Earnie Stewart said when announcing Berhalter’s hiring. “Every single day he tries to develop himself so he can be a better leader for the team that he has. That is something that really stood out with Gregg and went a long way in the decision to offer him the job.” Berhalter went to high school with USA legend Claudio Reyna – who later served as best man at his wedding – and attended the University of North Carolina before beginning his professional playing career in the Netherlands, first with Zwolle and then Sparta Rotterdam and Cambuur Leeuwarden. The defender had a short spell in England with Crystal Palace before moving to Germany, where he captained both Energie Cottbus and 1860 Munich. Berhalter, who was part of his country’s squads at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, was a team-mate of David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane at Los Angeles Galaxy and was part of the team that won the 2011 MLS Cup before retiring. After beginning his coaching career as an assistant with the Galaxy, he took charge of Swedish club Hammarby and they finished fourth in his debut campaign. Though the club’s defence improved

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