When Gregg Berhalter was unveiled as the U.S. Men’s National Team head coach last January, there was a degree of disappointment among the fanbase. He is not the most inspiring of names. His Columbus Crew team were capable but not utterly superior and he had no prior experience in Europe or at the international level.
There was also the suggestion that the only reason he got the job was that his brother, Jay, was in management at the U.S. Soccer Federation. They are unfounded claims, of course, but their existence speaks to the overall doubt that many had in Berhalter’s coaching qualities.