USMNT great Ramos urges U.S. Soccer to replace Berhalter with foreign coach

U.S. men’s national team legend Tab Ramos has urged U.S. Soccer to replace Gregg Berhalter with an international coach who’s “been there and done that.”

Berhalter is under major pressure after the USMNT crashed out of the Copa América at the group stage, with calls for his sacking coming from pundits, ex-players and fans alike.

The coach was only re-hired last summer after an extensive global search, returning to the team he had guided from 2018 through the 2022 World Cup.

Berhalter was brought back in part due to a positive showing in Qatar, where a young U.S. squad got through the group phase before bowing out in the last 16 against the Netherlands.

In an interview with Soccer America , Ramos admitted he was surprised to see U.S. Soccer run it back with Berhalter, stating his belief that the team’s World Cup that was nothing to write home about.

“Overall, the team performance [at the World Cup] left much to be desired. It would have been a perfect time to bring in a new coach, to bring in new ideas and push this team to be better. I was very surprised by the re-hire of Berhalter. I did not see how the team would improve, it was becoming a team with no big wins, and it was becoming stale,” Ramos said.

Ramos, who played at three World Cups for the USMNT before serving as U-20 national team head coach and a senior national team assistant, added that he thinks the federation is getting too caught up with overhauling the USMNT while losing sight of what matters most: winning games.

With a home World Cup in 2026 on the horizon, the 57-year-old said it’s time to get back to basics.

“I hope we go after an international coach,” Ramos added. “We just need somebody to come in for 18 months who knows the World Cup and can prepare this team the best he can to give this team the best shot at having a great World Cup. That’s it. No learning-on-the-job person. Someone who has been there and done that. Win as much as possible at the World Cup, and then we will see what happens.

“After the World Cup, if U.S. Soccer chooses, we can embark on another ‘project’ with analytics, presentations, and all of the new buzzwords that there will be in 2026 to show how we will develop into the future. But, right now, with a World Cup at home we need to win games .”

Related