In Defense of Gregg Berhalter's Stupid Presser
Why his lashing out at the media actually makes sense
Few things unite U.S. soccer fans like criticizing Gregg Berhalter. Whether it is the suspicious hiring process, uninspiring results, or questionable personnel decisions, the man is a magnet for controversy. The USMNT’s result against Jamaica just added another chapter in the book of gripes.
So I am going to do something different than seemingly everyone else on the internet. I am going to defend Berhalter for his decisions on Thursday. More specifically, one decision.
In the post-game conference, Berhalter decided to address a situation on the team. Gio Reyna made the roster despite his poor club form, and Haji Wright - who had played a key role in the match - almost did not. His response, and the response to his response, went viral.
https://twitter.com/CBSSportsGolazo/status/1771243067825160443
Why in the heck is Berhalter taking this moment to pick a fight with soccer media? I think there is an element of strategy to this situation that gives me a bit of respect for the manager.
Set yourself in the situation. The U.S. team absolutely escaped against a Jamaica side that some have described as a B-side. The roster has a core but still has a number of questions. One of the most productive players the past few years - Gio Reyna - is struggling for club after a high-profile move. The game seemed to encapsulate a lot of what was wrong about the team.
And Berhalter made it all about him.
He decided to take out some anger on the media, specifically the CBS analysts covering the match. Not by name but the implication was clear. Suddenly the conversation is not why the U.S. struggled to score or whether the substitutes performed at a high-enough level. Instead it was Berhalter having a go at the media and tweaking the post-game analysis to be about him.
We see this tactic all the time in politics, the “debate the moderator” to get attention tactic. In sports it serves two other purposes. First, it shows the manager stands up for his players. As everyone knows, the Reyna-Berhalter relationship is not great. Not great at all. His manager just stood up for him publicly and that has to help the relationship. It also fires up the players and creates a locker room mentality of us against the world. With a generally friendly media towards the players that is a hard thing to do. Berhalter is now creating a controversy that could help spur his players to playing better.
None of this is new - managers do this all the time. We do not see it often in the U.S. set-up which makes it a little jarring. It’s also very possible Berhalter snapped and decided to lash out at the media. I’m going to assume it’s strategic, and if that’s the case, then it is a good tactic to rally his team for the next game and beyond.