The Gregg Berhalter era has been underway for some time now, but for USMNT fans tonight’s friendly against Panama is the first chance to see what the new United States head coach has in store. After a preposterously long hiring process, Berhalter has just finished up his first January camp, and a slew of MLS-based players will hope they did enough to stay in the new boss’s plans once FIFA windows allow him to call in the full compliment of American players.
There’s also the significant work of rebuilding excitement and confidence relating to the USMNT program, which has spent the last year or so at a low point unlike anything we’ve seen since the 1980s.