Former United States men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter has found his next job: director of football and head coach of Major League Soccer mainstays Chicago Fire.
Berhalter, 51, goes back into club soccer for the first time since his 2013-18 tenure with the Columbus Crew. He led Swedish side Hammarby from 2011-13.
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Current Fire coach Frank Klopas will move into the role of vice president of football following Chicago’s final MLS game this weekend.
“I’m honored to be named Director of Football and Head Coach of the Chicago Fire, and I would like to thank Joe Mansueto for his trust,” said Berhalter. “Chicago is an incredible city, built on communities of hard-working and passionate people who truly love soccer. I look forward to working alongside our staff and players to transform the Fire into a world-class organization that all our fans and the city can be proud of and will support.”
Gregg Berhalter’s resume
Berhalter led the USMNT from 2018-2022, and then again from 2023-24. He won two CONCACAF Nations League titles as well as the 2021 Gold Cup, also leading the USMNT to 2022 World Cup qualification.
The USMNT lost in the Round of 16 to the Netherlands, and Berhalter was removed from his position after a messy controversy inciting by the family of Giovanni Reyna. He was rehired in early 2023 but fired after a miserable group stage led to a stunning ouster from Copa America on home soil.
Berhalter was the first American-born manager to lead a European club when he was hired by Hammarby. He led them from 11th to fourth place in the Swedish second division but was fired in his second season with the club sitting fifth.
He then took over Columbus, who had missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The Crew made the MLS Cup Playoffs in four of his five seasons in charge, losing the 2015 final to Portland Timbers.
Berhalter has big task in rejuvenating Chicago Fire
Berhalter takes over a terrible Chicago Fire which has not made the playoffs since 2017, finishing 20th or lower in total points in six of the last seven seasons. Chicago enters the final match of 2024 above only San Jose in the 29-team MLS Supporters’ Shield table.
It’s the perfect spot for him to burnish his reputation, not unlike Bruce Arena’s great early returns when he revamped New England into a Supporters’ Shield winner following the World Cup qualification failure in 2017. That ended controversially, but Arena’s Revs turnaround was impressive.
Chicago’s poor seasons came despite some big swings in the transfer market, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xherdan Shaqiri among them. The Fire boasted the third-highest team salary in MLS last season, trailing only Inter Miami and Toronto FC, and top-performers Hugo Cuypers and Gaston Gimenez are under contract next season. Ariel Lassiter and Fabian Herbers, however, are out of contract. With so many teams making the MLS Cup Playoffs each season, Berhalter could quickly work some magic.
Berhalter will be reunited with former USMNT midfielder Kellyn Acosta, twice-capped forward Chris Mueller, and one-time national team prospect Andrew Gutman. It will be interesting to see who from the USMNT pool could be drawn to play for their old boss.