The whole Gregg Berhalter saga was not a good look for him, the Reyna’s and US soccer in general. There are also on the field issues that arguably make it a good idea to just either stick with Anthony Hudson or look elsewhere for the new head coach. We’ll get back to Hudson in a minute. First let’s explore why Berhalter just can’t come back.
The Public Was Not A Fan Of His Actions
You could make the argument that the way that the public found out about that incident between Berhalter and his wife was literal blackmail by the Reyna’s. At the same time, most reasonable people would agree that you shouldn’t lose your professional life over a drunk mistake that you made while in college decades ago. The problem is, people on social media are hardly ever reasonable.
It’s just hard to picture US soccer giving Berhalter his job back without a ton of backlash from the fans. Plus, the people who aren’t fans but love nothing more than to see a public persona be canceled. Really US soccer you want that hanging over your head after the years scrutiny over the equal pay issue for the Women’s team? That brings us to the next point, Berhalter is not good on the field or in the bench to be more accurate to justify the media circus around bringing him back.
Berhalter’s Other Sins Are Coming Back To Bite Him
If Berhalter had any chance of coming back to his former job those hopes probably disappeared when he watched Ricardo Pepi push the ball past El Salvador’s Mario Gonzalez to give the USMNT a spot in the Concacaf Nations League final 4. Pepi was one of the multiple Mexican-American players that were left off the squad for the World Cup. How would a reunion between Berhalter, Pepi, Zendejas, and of course Reyna even play out?
At this point it doesn’t make sense at all to bring back a coach that would seemingly be at odds with his own locker room. If he would once again decide to keep some of these players we previously mentioned off of a call-up list the tension would seemingly rise again. To Anthony Hudson’s credit he’s been a conciliatory figure as the interim head coach. He’s been able to lure in Zendejas, and he’s given Pepi the confidence to start for his squad. The Reyna situation with Hudson or anyone else at the helm would at least start out on better terms than trying to repair a family facture between the Reyna’s and the Berhalter’s.
Should Hudson Get A Chance To Stay On Board?
It’s a tough call at this point. While he certainly seems to have a better grip on the locker room it’s not like he’s proven to be a tactical genius at this point. The next two games against Mexico and a potential showdown with Canada can certainly help him make a stronger case to stay at the position. At this point then US soccer should be in no hurry to make any announcements. If they want to make an announcement the best thing that they can say is Berhalter is no longer in the running, and Hudson will remain the interim.
If you don’t remove Berhalter from the equation the whole situation is still going to loom over US soccer. At this point it may be best to just remove him as a talking point when people like us are discussing the USMNT. Yet, don’t fully commit to Hudson on a long term basis. If he proves that he can take over the role by all means make him the official head coach down the road. For Hudson it’s not a bad spot to be in. He should be in no hurry to demand that he be named the full time head coach. It would help though if US soccer removes Berhalter from the equation.
