Lalas: If USMNT doesn’t advance, Berhalter will be fired — and rightfully so

Alexi Lalas believes that Gregg Berhalter will be coaching for his job on Monday night.

The U.S. men’s national team fell to a shock 2-1 defeat against Panama on Thursday night, leaving the team on the brink of an unthinkable group-stage exit at the Copa América.

Berhalter’s side will enter Monday’s Group C finale against Uruguay likely needing to win to reach the quarterfinal. That won’t be easy: La Celeste is ranked fifth in the world per the Elo Ratings and has won its past three games by a combined score of 12-1.

Though it’s only been a year since he was re-hired by U.S. Soccer, Berhalter is under intense pressure after some subpar displays by his side in 2023 and 2024.

For ex-USMNT defender Lalas, Monday’s game in Kansas City is now make-or-break for the embattled boss. But he didn’t necessarily view that as a negative, given the match also provides the coach with an opportunity to achieve a long-awaited signature win .

“I mean, this one hurts, obviously” Lalas said on FOX following Thursday night’s defeat.

“But there’s a strange part of me that said, ‘You know what? All chips in, all right?’ We talked so much about this tournament being an assessment of this team, an assessment of head coach Gregg Berhalter relative to getting out of the group and playing against the likes of Colombia and Brazil. But you know what? That challenge and that assessment — that ultimate assessment — is now going to happen in the third game against Uruguay.

“They better be up for it. Because if they do not go through, Gregg Berhalter is going to lose his job, and rightfully and fairly so. But this is a situation that this team, including Gregg Berhalter, have created for themselves. Now, find a way to get out of it.”

Should the USMNT beat Uruguay, it would be Berhalter’s first win against a top-25 team in the Elo Rankings outside of Concacaf.

Watch Lalas’ take on Berhalter

Related