That Gregg Berhalter would become the next coach of the national soccer team has been more a certainty than a secret for weeks. But it didn’t become official until Saturday evening, when U.S. Soccer’s board of directors voted unanimously to ratify his appointment.
Filling the position, which had been open since Bruce Arena stepped down in October 2017 following a failed World Cup qualifying campaign, was Earnie Stewart’s top priority when he took over as general manager of the national team in August. And though Stewart -- who was assisted by Nico Romeijn, U.S. Soccer’s chief sport development officer, and Ryan Mooney, the chief soccer officer – considered 33 candidates and talked to 11, the search started and ended with Berhalter, a former Galaxy player and assistant coach who has spent the last five seasons as the manager and sporting director of the Columbus Crew.