Gregg Berhalter: USMNT Is Capable of Reaching the World Cup Quarterfinals

Gregg Berhalter believes this US men's national team can reach the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, and he laid out exactly why on the Rich Eisen Show. Asked what would count as a successful tournament, the former USMNT head coach did not hedge. "The expectations are we should win knockout games, multiple knockout games. And I would think it'd be success if we got to the quarterfinals," he said.

His reasoning starts with the roster. Berhalter framed this World Cup as the end of an eight-year plan that began in 2018, and he pointed to a group that hits every developmental marker at once. "21 of the 26 players have come from MLS academies, developmental systems," he said. Thirteen of them played in the last World Cup, and in his view they are arriving at the ideal moment. "These guys, 13 of them have played in the last World Cup. They're at peak age, perfect age to perform now."

Talent backs up the experience. Berhalter named the core he trusts to beat anyone on a given day. "Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, Balogun, these are very good players. And when we put it all together, I don't see any reason why we can't win knockout games in the World Cup."

Rich pressed the point, noting that every metric Berhalter cited represents record numbers for American soccer but still falls short of the global powers. Berhalter agreed the gap exists, yet insisted the squad is good enough to knock off top sides. The harder part, he explained, is doing it repeatedly. "When you have to go round of 32, round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final, you always have to knock off a big team, that becomes challenging."

Berhalter also spoke to the pressure that comes with the job. He said coaching a national team is complicated because it is a part-time team rather than a full-time job, and the public demands only one outcome. When Rich said Americans simply want the team to win, Berhalter embraced it. "I'm for it also. Like, I'm not saying it's acceptable for us to be happy with finishing 24th in the world."

On the draw itself, Berhalter sees a wide-open group. "The biggest challenge of the group in my eyes is that it's very even. I think any team could beat any team, and that's going to be complicated because you can't predict the results."