Firing USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter may be too little, too late

The U.S. Men's National Team needs a lot of change, and fast. But will firing coach Gregg Berhalter now be enough?

Crashing out of Copa America 2024 after losing 1-0 to Uruguay on Monday night may have left many American soccer fans feeling just as upset as when the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup after losing 2-1 to Trinidad and Tobago in October 2017.

That was a major crossroad and opportunity for reflection, not just for the team but for U.S. Soccer as an organization. This is another such moment.

Berhalter took the coaching reigns from a disgraced Bruce Arena in 2018 and, with a refreshed USMNT player pool led by a maturing Christian Pulisic and fresh faces Weston McKinnie and Tyler Adams, was supposed to take the world by storm and prove America can be a true soccer nation.

What America got was mediocrity and token trophies for six years.

Firing Berhalter now may be too little too late in the high-stakes effort to be seriously competitive at the 2026 World Cup on North American soil. Fox Sports analyst and former USMNT player Alexi Lalas said it best during post-game coverage Monday night, "We can't afford to be embarrassed."

Berhalter's subpar tactical teachings and lack of true creative thinking have clearly been absorbed by the players as the new so-called "golden" generation has been lackluster when it matters most.

Under his leadership, the USMNT has zero wins, five draws and five losses against top-15 teams other than Mexico, according to FIFA rankings .

And since his return to the team following a year-long removal , due to an embarrassing spat with forward Gio Reyna and his parents at the 2022 World Cup, Berhalter's team has a meager 7-1-6 record.

Winning a hat-trick of trivial CONCACAF Nations League trophies over a floundering Mexican federation is nothing to be particularly proud of. Reaching a World Cup quarterfinal for the first time since 2002 should've been achievable by now.

There is an understandable fear that no new coach will be able to do enough in just two years to turn this squad into a contender.

But nevertheless, Berhalter must go, whether he resigns or is fired. It is undeniable the USMNT will never be taken seriously, nor should it, on his watch.