Gregg Berhalter: the new USA head coach who learned to lead in Germany
Gregg Berhalter has been named the new head coach of the USA national team, tasked with leading the likes of Borussia Dortmund's Christian Pulisic, Schalke's Weston McKennie and Werder Bremen's Josh Sargent into a golden new era for US Soccer.
Luckily, the 45-year-old learned more than a thing or two about man management during his seven-year stint as a player in Germany, during which he captained both Energie Cottbus and 1860 Munich. He also completed a coaching licence at the renowned Hennes-Weisweiler Academy in Cologne in early 2013.
bundesliga.com takes a closer look at the American who became something of a cult hero in Brandenburg and beyond…
Berhalter arrived in Germany in 2002, just before his 29th birthday, having spent almost a decade plying his trade for various clubs in the Netherlands and English outfit Crystal Palace. It was in Cottbus that the no-nonsense centre-back enjoyed the best moments of his playing career, as he captained Die Lausitzer back to the Bundesliga in a memorable 2005/06 campaign.
"The promotion was fantastic for the city, for me personally, for the team," Berhalter told the Lausitzer Rundschau in 2012. "It was the result of three years of hard work, and definitely the highlight of my time in Cottbus. I'll never forget it."
In his final Bundesliga 2 game for Cottbus, Berhalter scored a penalty in a 3-1 win over the team he would join later in the summer of 2006, 1860 Munich. Such was the American's natural authority that he was immediately chosen as club captain of Die Löwen by his new teammates, just ahead of the experienced Torben Hoffmann – who had already played 121 league games for the club at that point.
"Gregg and Torben emerged as captains over the course of pre-season," explained coach Walter Schachner. "They displayed exemplary behaviour on and off the pitch, passion, and leadership. I've never seen such a tight election in all my coaching career. It just goes to show the excellent reputation both players have within the team."
Want more Bundesliga Action?
"It's an honour for me to be captain at one of Germany's great traditional clubs," Berhalter himself enthused. However, against a backdrop of financial woes off the pitch, 1860 never seriously threatened to return to the Bundesliga over the following three seasons. Their captain ended up leaving in April 2009 – the club had to insist that it wasn't an April Fool's joke – returning to the United States and LA Galaxy after 15 years in Europe.
In total, Berhalter made 196 competitive appearances for Cottbus and 1860, scoring 17 goals. He also turned out 44 times for the USA, and was called up to the Stars and Stripes squad for the FIFA World Cup in 2002 – where they were knocked out by Germany in the quarter-finals – and 2006, where they exited at the group stage.
The New Jersey native began to demonstrate a flair for coaching in his final season as a player in Los Angeles, when he also acted as an assistant for boss Bruce Arena – the man he has officially replaced as USA head coach, following Dave Sarachan's interim spell. In 2011, he helped to guide a Galaxy team containing David Beckham and Robbie Keane to their fourth Supporters' Shield and third MLS Cup.
After kicking off his coaching career proper with a reasonably successful two-year stint in charge of Swedish side Hammarby, the former Bundesliga 2 stalwart was tempted back to Germany to take an intensive coaching course in Cologne.
"One day I would like to work as a coach in Germany," he mused at the time. "The Bundesliga is a fantastic league, and so is Bundesliga 2. And I feel very good here, in terms of the culture. That's why I would like to return to Germany. But I still have goals with Hammarby, and I won't leave until I have achieved them."
In the end, Berhalter returned to the MLS in 2013 to take charge of Columbus Crew, where he remained until US Soccer came calling in late 2018. But there is no doubt that the 45-year-old was heavily influenced by his time in Germany – which should come in handy when he calls on Bundesliga-based American stars like Pulisic, McKennie and Sargent.
"I am disciplined, but also relaxed," Berhalter said during his Hammarby days, when asked to describe his coaching style. "I communicate a lot with the players. I don't have many rules, but the rules I impose must be followed. Training is the most important time; I believe in preparation. I want discipline on the training ground and I want the players to fight hard. I feel like part of the new generation of coaches who talk a lot but still demand discipline."
Berhalter must now apply his German-flavoured knowledge and experience to the USA national team, who are still coming to terms with their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Can he be the man to finish what Bundesliga legend Jürgen Klinsmann started when he was in charge of the Stars and Stripes between 2011 and 2016?
"I just want to see a guy with a plan," Pulisic told ESPN. "A guy with a great plan moving forward, and having a real style. Someone thinking about how we're going to go about these games and how we're going to go about qualifying, and just have a real identity as a team."
According to veteran goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who has just won his 60th cap for the USA, the former Cottbus and 1860 captain fits the bill perfectly.
"Gregg is a manager that has a plan, that has ideas about how he wants his team to play," the 34-year-old told Sports Illustrated. "And he's able to get the best out of them, which is going to be huge, especially with the group of players that we have in the national team. So to have someone like him in terms of his philosophy, his ideas, it's going to be important."
Never fear, Christian: it looks like you're in safe hands.
Andy Smith