If anyone is most familiar with representing the U.S. men’s national team at a World Cup, it’s Gregg Berhalter.
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Now with the Chicago Fire, Berhalter had managed the USMNT to the round of 16 in Qatar 2022, where the nation eventually fell short to the Netherlands.
The U.S. lacked the firepower in attack to take the game to one of Europe’s powerhouses, which is an area it has attempted to improve coming into 2026.
With the tournament officially getting underway in Mexico on Thursday, Berhalter explained what the World Cup fever feeling is like from a coach’s point of view.
“It’s interesting because as a coach and you’re preparing for the World Cup and you’re at that moment where you’re about to play, the focus just becomes so intense,” Berhalter told NBC Local. “And you know, everything else gets tuned out and you’re really hyper focused on the match and the players and everything. So it’s a great feeling.”
This year, it will be Argentine head coach Mauricio Pochettino leading the way as manager for the U.S. Pochettino has years of experience at the top level of club football, so managing a country that he isn’t from is a new task.
Still, Berhalter, a New Jersey native, explained what it could be like being in Pochettino’s shoes with the work he’s put in since joining the program in 2024, even if it’s not his home country.
“It’s an enormous privilege when you’re in a World Cup and the anthem is playing, you really feel connected, so connected to your country,” Berhalter said. “It’s an incredible feeling. And you know, you feel this honor, you feel this privilege, and you feel this responsibility to perform well, to make your country proud.
“We come from a great country and representing your country on the world stage is an amazing feeling. So I can imagine [Pochettino], he’s come into the job and he’s done a good job of preparing the players for this competition. But there’s gonna be, for him, a tremendous amount of pride that he’s leading the team into a home World Cup.”
It will be the most important World Cup to date for the U.S. Its best finish came as bronze winners in 1930. But that tournament featured just 13 teams. In the last World Cup on home soil in 1994, the team fell in the round of 16.
With this year’s tournament involving a record 48 teams, Berhalter analyzed what a successful U.S. run could look like in a Group D that includes Turkiye, Australia and Paraguay.
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“I think this team could make a deep run, I think we can win multiple knockout games,” Berhalter said. “Obviously the first game there’s always some jitters, so getting through the first game, three points, is important in that game. And then the way I see it is it’s a very evenly matched group. So it’s gonna be a difficult group and it will prepare us for the knockout phase because each and every game is gonna be a battle.”
Berhalter added there are some breakout players he is looking forward to watch. Each tournament usually has those players that stand out and earn bigger moves at club level, with Berhalter naming Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande and French forward Desire Doue as his two picks to watch.
While with the Fire, Berhalter also coached Mexican attacker Brian Gutierrez and currently has South African center-back Mbekezeli Mbokazi in a key role. Both are breakout candidates, too.
“The beauty of the World Cup is when these stars emerge,” Berhalter said. “The World Cup highlights everything. So when you perform well at a World Cup, it gets magnified.”
And while the U.S. and breakout players will grab headlines, the tournament is also an important moment for America’s biggest soccer league, Major League Soccer. Berhalter broke down what the World Cup will mean for the growth of the league in the country, which he’s seeing first-hand in the Windy City.
“The last World Cup that we hosted was in 1994, and at that time we made a promise to develop a professional league. And in 1996 we developed that league and look where we are now,” Berhalter said. “Think about the infrastructure that we have. Think about the stadiums, the training ground. We just broke ground on a $750 million privately funded stadium called McDonald’s Park in the heart of Chicago … we have a hundred million dollar training ground.
“So I think soccer has grown in leaps and bounds and it’s helping us develop players at a good rate. You know, from our academy in in Chicago we have top talents, but all across the United States and MLS clubs are developing players for that are playing in this World Cup.”
Then it comes down to the big moments. Which country will put it all together and bring home the illustrious title? Ecuador, Norway and Scotland are some of Berhalter’s dark horse nations to watch.
But who will win? Berhalter sees four likely nations: France, Argentina, Portugal and Spain.
“I’m excited because with the 48 teams, you get a lot of diversity in in the playing styles and the cultures that are interacting with each other on the field,” Berhalter said.
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