USMNT 'prepared to invest' in 'serial winning coach,' targeting hire by September

U.S. Soccer fired men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter on Wednesday after the squad failed to advance past the group stage of Copa América, and the process to find the next manager who will lead the group to the 2026 World Cup on home soil is underway.

Speaking with a small group of reporters late Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker said that, after conducting a review of the program, he spoke with Berhalter, his technical staff, the heads of different departments and the player leadership group to inform them of his decision.

"Winning is the yardstick, and we didn't do that," Crocker said. "We are looking for a serial winning coach and a coach that can also build on the work that has already been put in place. Clearly, there's still a lot of potential in the group and we have to turn out the performance and results, so that's what I'll be looking for and that'll be my absolute No. 1 priority. 

"All my energies and efforts will be going into that straight away."

In an ideal world, Crocker said he would love to have a full-time replacement by the September international window. The USMNT plays Canada — the Copa América semifinalists coached by American Jesse Marsch — on Sept. 7. But he understands, as was the case in hiring USWNT coach Emma Hayes last fall, that the right person for the job might not be available for various reasons at that time.

Crocker said he has "a really robust contingency plan if we needed to operate that," though he did not share what that would entail. He did not want to name a potential interim head coach, because Plan A is to have the next boss hired by then.

"I want to make sure that I can work and do what I can to try and get that head coach in ASAP," Crocker