USMNT: Gregg Berhalter offers wonderful, key quality

Gregg Berhalter is the new head coach of the USMNT. Some are not so enamoured with the appointment. But there is one wonderful, key quality that the former Columbus Crew coach offers: clarity.

It took the best part of a year. But, eventually, desperately, the USSF made their decision. Gregg Berhalter was to be the new head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team.

It is not necessarily the most popular of appointments. The ever-wise and never overly-abrasive Alexi Lalas has been highly critical of the decision, arguing that the delay in the hire would have been palatable had the right hire been made. But, in Lalas’ eyes, Berhalter was not the right hire.

Now, I do not know if Berhalter is or is not the right hire. Ultimately, only time will tell on that one. Anyone who does say that they know whether Berhalter is the right hire is rather ambitious and arrogant, I must say.

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But there is one thing that Berhalter does bring to the USMNT that is most excellent: clarity. Berhalter is a man with a plan, that much is certain. His Columbus Crew teams have been renowned for it. They may not have had the elite quality of some of the top-tier MLS teams, but they were well drilled, disciplined, and acutely aware of the instruction they were being given by Berhalter.

What is promising for the USMNT is that same instruction will now be handed to them. Now, it is a very different environment. There are some substantial nuances between club and international management that will test Berhalter and limit the detail that he can instill within his players. There are time restrictions that will force a change in how he manages his squad.

Nevertheless, it is clear that Berhalter has a style that he wants to play, and that he will stick to that style almost irrespective of the opponent. In this fascinating video on mlssoccer.com (you can also see it above), Berhalter speaks about the Crew’s tactical approach and how he may choose to replicate certain elements of their style with the national team.

Without commenting on the wisdom of Berhalter’s tactical tendencies, what is nice to see is that he is someone who has a clear and concise way of playing. He has a defined style. For an often confused U.S. team that tends to lurch between different philosophies without ever mastering any, that could be a critical advantage.

And Berhalter also said that he would not unwaveringly stick to his way of playing when it made little sense. If the opposition are overly dangerous, so much so that Berhalter believes they are more likely to hurt his team than the other way around, changes will be made to the approach accordingly.

Put simply, Berhalter comes across as an extremely aware, intelligent and progressive coach. He is, in a word, clear. It is a wonderful, key quality that the USMNT have rarely exhibited. And it is why Berhalter could well be the right hire after all.