Gregg Berhalter says self-confidence took a hit after the U.S. military was laid off

New Chicago Fire head coach and director of football Gregg Berhalter revealed he went through a “really difficult moment” after being fired as USMNT boss in July.

Berhalter was fired as USMNT head coach after the Stars and Stripes' poor performance in the 2024 Copa América tournament on home soil. The USMNT failed to advance past the group stage, where they faced Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia, as Berhalter was fired in his second stint as coach.

“It's a really difficult moment when you're fired as a coach and I don't want to compare it to life and death at all because that's not the case. “You’re still alive, but it’s like mourning a death,” Berhalter said in his opening press conference. “And you wake up the next day and feel really bad. Your confidence drops and it’s a really difficult moment.”

The former Columbus Crew head coach explained that after his dismissal, he was able to rely on his family to give him the confidence and opportunity to get back on his feet in the familiar surroundings of MLS.

“For me it was really about being with my family in those moments and giving myself the time, freedom and space to be sad and bad. We didn't perform well in the Copa América, and if you don't perform well in the Copa América.” “At a high level there are consequences and I take full responsibility for that. But it still hurts,” he said.

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The Fire are coming off a dismal 2024 MLS season that saw the team miss the postseason for the seventh straight season. However, the team has some solid players to build around in Hugo Cuypers, Brian Gutiérrez and Kellyn Acosta – who played under Berhalter primarily during his first stint with the USMNT.

“…And from there you get motivated, okay? Now I would like to take advantage of the next opportunity,” said Berhalter. “You get hungry again. And during that time, when I was getting hungry, there were a number of options that I looked at, and I kept coming back to Chicago and the potential and the direction.”

Given that MLS uses a salary cap system for its roster construction rules to promote parity across the league, don't be surprised if the Fire bounce back in 2025 and secure a Wild Card spot in Berhalter's first season as coach .