3 dream Gregg Berhalter replacements after Copa America flame out and 1 to avoid

Gregg Berhalter may not have been directly at fault for the USMNT flaming out of Copa America but he still should shoulder the blame for another massive failure for US Soccer.

A boneheaded red card against Panama and a toothless performance against Uruguay (and a very questionable goal ruling) saw the Americans flame out of the Copa on their home soil in the group stage. Berhalter couldn't put the ball in the back of the net himself but he certainly could have produced a style of play good enough to overcome a couple of turns of bad luck. In six years in charge, he's failed to do that.

If the US Soccer Federation makes the decision they should have made after the World Cup by parting ways with Berhalter, who could they pursue?

The biggest dream candidate is Jurgen Klopp, who just left Liverpool with the intention of taking an extended break from coaching. Realistically, there isn't enough money in the world to draw him out of that sabbatical to coach a bunch of Americans. There are other strong options though.

Convince Steve Cherundolo to save his nation

There's nothing US Soccer loves more than an American appointment. Instead of bringing in an MLS coach who had a 38 percent win rate like Berhalter, this time they could go for someone with an actual résumé like Steve Cherundolo.

Cherundolo amassed 87 caps for the US during his playing career, appearing in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. The right back spent 15 years with Hannover 96 in the German Bundesliga before retiring in 2014. He got his start in coaching with that same club, handling U15 and U17 teams before returning to the US to manage the Las Vegas Lights of the USL Championship.

The primary reason to pursue Cherundolo is his work with Los Angeles FC in MLS. He set a new record for most wins as a first-year head coach in 2022 by posting the best regular-season record in the league and then went on to win the MLS Cup. The following year LAFC were runners-up for the MLS Cup and CONCACAF Champions League.

The hard part would be convincing Cherundolo to leave his very successful post in Los Angeles to take over a USMNT with more pressure on it than any point in history.

Pick up Mauricio Pochettino

If US Soccer wants to tap a manager with European experience, Mauricio Pochettino is available. He parted ways with Chelsea this year despite producing a strong end of the season run for the Blues.

Once viewed as one of the top up-and-coming managers out there, Pochettino went from Espanyol to Southhampton to Tottenham to Paris Saint-Germain. He finished as high as second place with Spurs and took them to a Champions League Final appearance, losing to Liverpool. He also won Ligue 1 with PSG.

A tactiction at heart, Pochettino wasn't able to prove himself as an elite European manager but he has more than enough success to make him a home run option for USMNT. He could give the American set up a massive boost on the schematic side of things.

If he's interested in managing internationally (and to be fair, it's not clear he does) the US could give him his latest chance to climb that ladder.

Throw the world at Edin Terzic

They say it's best to strike while the iron is hot, which would certainly describe going after former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic.

This would be a unique situation since Terzic was in danger of being fired for a disappointing league campaign when he guided his team to the Champions League Final. It was an unlikely run but one that showed Terzic's ability to navigate tournament football. His DFB-Pokal victory in 2021 is further proof of that.

There are questions about his tactical ability but he inspires his players and gives his talent the freedom to maximize their abilities. He's not going to out-scheme anyone, but he could give the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and company the support they need to takeover games.

Pass on Massimiliano Allegri

On paper, Massimiliano Allegri would be an incredible hire for US Soccer. Even better, we know he's interested in coaching at the international level because he is rumored to be in the running for the Serbian national team.

A Serie A title winner and Champions League runner-up, the Italian has a long list of honors that would put every coach America has ever hired to shame. He's defensively strong and knows how to get players to buy into his approach.

The problem is the reason he's available. Juventus sacked their legendary manager because of his behavior after the 2024 Italian Cup Final, "which the club deemed incompatible with the values of Juventus and with the behavior that those who represent it must adopt."

Allegedly, Allegri was involved in confrontations with referees, journalists and even the club's sporting director after he was sent off in the final.

US Soccer is enough of a circus at times. It doesn't need to invite more of that with this hire.