The U.S. Soccer Federation are set to begin talks with USMNT Gregg Berhalter regarding a new deal, although it's not yet clear whether he's interested in staying on.
It was a relatively successful World Cup for the USMNT, as they made it out of the group stages before falling at the first knockout hurdle to a talented Netherlands side. They may not have made it as far as they'd hoped, but after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup under their old manager, overall it's been a successful appointment.
Berhalter's current contract expires at the end of the year, and the USSF will want to retain his services at least for the time being. The head coach said he needed to "decompress" after their World Cup exit, meaning his commitment is not confirmed just yet.
The head coach was appointed in December 2018, and has since won the CONCACAF Nations League and the Gold Cup with the USMNT. His main task was to get the United States back into the World Cup, and he did so, just.
The USMNT scraped qualifying behind Mexico and Canada, although ironically out of the three sides is was the US that made it the furthest in Qatar. The USMNT is filled with exciting talent, and they fielded the youngest starting XI in the tournament.
International friendlies are scheduled for the USMNT in January, with games against Serbia and Colombia lined up. The USSF will be hoping that they can strike a deal with Berhalter so he is in charge for those fixtures, and potentially look to the next World Cup too.
But according to ESPN, talks are still in the formative stages, and there's even belief that Berhalter could be holding out for a job in European club football. Berhalter has managed in Europe before, as he took charge of Swedish side Hammarby from 2011 to 2013.
Then, he moved back to the United States and took charge of Columbus Crew between 2014 and 2018 before being offered the USMNT role. Berhalter delivered on his initial task with the USMNT, but the USSF have lofty ambitions for 2026.
The United States are hosting the next World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, and due to that there will be no concerns about qualifying as they'll automatically make the group stages. But with so much preparation going into this tournament and US soccer as a whole, they have to get it right.
The USMNT are extremely young, and even proved in Qatar that they're not quite there yet. But in 2026 their current generation will be in their prime, and the USSF will have expectations of surpassing their efforts in 2022.
Whoever is in the hot seat will be under immense pressure, and although it's almost four years away, that has to come into consideration soon. They'll need to make sure Berhalter is committed to the long-term plan if they are to re-sign him or it's back to square one.
