Hope hangs by a thread for Gregg Berhalter and the US Men

The US Men's National Team play Uruguay tonight at Arrowhead with everything on the line.

Hope hangs by a tenuous thread for the US Men’s National Team and Gregg Berhalter this evening. With one match left in the Copa América group stage, the opportunity to do something special remains possible before them. But they’d make history as the first Copa-host to bounce out in the current group stage format should they lose. 

With pressure mounting, fingers are pointing. Debates divide the fanbase over which culprit deserves most blame: Gregg Berhalter, or the team. The truth is fault resides with both of them. 

Regardless, the time of pointed fingers dissipates should they do something significant tonight. They might. And on the other side of a massive win, would be the chance to make an even bigger point in the knockouts.

Should they lose, of course, that face plant on home soil would be a massive failure— one that leaves a lasting, bitter taste in the public’s mouth. The Copa América is their only significant tournament test before their home World Cup. They’ll have few, if any, other chances to prove they can beat a big team before ‘26. 

Berhalter, on whether he feels added pressure tonight: 

“The pressure that you're referring to has always been there. There can't be more pressure on the outside than what we put on ourselves as a staff and as players, and how we want to perform and we want to do a great job. The external stuff is ... we can't control. All we can control, all I can control is how we prepare the team, to play confident and have a strong performance. And that's really my focus right now, honestly, I'm focused on: how do we prepare these boys, all 26 of them, or 25, Timmy's [Weah] gonna be out, 25, to have a great game against Uruguay.”

Christian Pulisic, whose been captaining the team this tournament, on whether he feels the need to deliver tonight, in part on behalf of the coach whose return he called for: 

“I would just say our focus as a collective is to go out and win the game, because that's our team goal. ...That's [Gregg’s status] not what we're thinking about. So for us, we're all here. We're all hungry. We want to win. We want to continue in this tournament, and that's what's motivating us to go tomorrow.”

Gregg, looking somewhat like a character in the “this is fine” meme

A critique of Berhalter’s run as manager (both his first run and now), is that the team can’t really lay claim to a “signature win”. There have been significant draws against big opponents, or high-pressure wins against respectable teams. But they haven’t stunned a bigger opponent, coming away with a clear victory, under pressure, against a massive team. The nation craves that. It’s felt that previous generations of US players have pulled it off before. 

For many observing, tonight would be that win. Others disagree.

In the immediate, emotional moments following Thursday’s ten-man collapse against Panama (hat tip to Tim Weah’s red card), Pulisic said they’d need to play the game of their lives to clinch it: 

“We have to go, and we have to represent our country with passion, pride. We have to go and play the best game of our lives. And that's it. We want to go, we want to win, we want to continue in this competition.”

But on Sunday in Kansas City, he walked that back: 

“To be honest? You know, thinking back. I don't think that's true. I don't think we have to play the best game of our lives. Maybe I was a bit emotional. I think we have to play a really strong game. I know we have a good enough team that if we do that and put on a really good performance, that's, you know, means coming out with intensity from the start, not letting emotions get the best of us, though, sticking to our game plan and trusting that we have a good enough team and that, you know, eventually, over the 90 minutes, we can, yeah, you know, grab a goal and go ahead and win the game. So I think we just need a really strong performance. The best game of our lives would be great, but that doesn't happen often.”

Opinions will differ regarding the talent disparity in these teams, and how they stack up. I suppose whether they need to ‘play the game of their lives’ to beat Uruguay would reflect the size of the gap. I wouldn’t call the space cavernous. Though there are myriad lethal threats across their lines, and Bielsa does have them humming like a formidable machine. 

Notably, he won’t be on the sideline. Berhalter says it won’t impact the game:

“I think it's a well drilled team. So I think regardless of who's on the sideline, it's going to be a very, very similar playing style, very similar patterns that they look to exploit. But for us, looking at Uruguay, they do a couple things, just really, really high level. The intensity that they play with, the speed of ...  how they maintain the intensity throughout the game, is different level. If you look at the physical data, it's above and beyond other teams in this tournament. And then the second thing is counter attacking, transitioning. They win the ball, and immediately they're getting behind the back line.”

I’ve been vocal with my assessment of Berhalter as manager. The longevity of his run could (though I won’t hold my breath) be on the line tonight. But that’s not what I’ll be looking for when I flick on the television roughly five hours from now. 

Instead, I’ll be looking for what we’ve been craving from this team: their full potential, big performances under pressure, and that interminable, undying spirit that once felt like the default mode of an aspirational team. If they do that, they could win tonight, then live to prove a bigger point Saturday night.