Christian Pulisic hits out at ‘crazy’ criticism of USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter
- Berhalter reappointed as USMNT boss
- Pulisic backs head coach
- Hits out at critics
WHAT HAPPENED? Pulisic has come to Berhalter's defence amid some criticism of the USMNT returning to the well by reappointing the manager. He was the subject of an investigation from the United States Soccer Federation after he admitted to a domestic violence incident that occurred in 1991 with his now-wife Rosalind. The subsequent investigation cleared Berhalter to return to the role, however. Berhalter also clashed with Giovanni Reyna at the 2022 World Cup as he accidentally revealed publicly he had nearly been forced to send a player home; journalists subsequently identified Reyna as the player in question, and his family were found to have repeatedly meddled in USMNT affairs.
WHAT THEY SAID: Pulisic told ESPN: "I just have to give credit where credit's due and it does frustrate me a little bit, and just seeing just all the negative press towards him that people tell me about, and I can't fully understand it exactly. He's come in and won the Nations League, won the Gold Cup, we win the Nations League again. Had a solid World Cup. Are there things that you can criticize here and there? Sure. And I think he'd agree with that, but it just seems a bit crazy to me."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Berhalter will lead the squad into the 2026 World Cup on home soil, having guided the USMNT out of their group at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
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WHAT NEXT? The USMNT are next in action on Sunday when they kick off their Gold Cup campaign against Jamaica; they will also play Saint Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago in their group.