Background
Gregg Berhalter was born in Englewood in New Jersey in the United States on August 1, 1973. He grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey and enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for his college education in 1993.
Playing career
Playing actively for the University of North Carolina soccer team in his junior year in 1993, Gregg Berhalter spent the collegiate off season as a member of the Raleigh Flyers squad in the USL Championship (USLC) – formerly known as United Soccer League (USL) and USL Pro.
In 1994, he left school and began his professional career for Dutch club PEC Zwolle. He later played for both Sparta Rotterdam and SC Cambuur Leeuwarden before joining Crystal Palace in England.
Between 2002 and 2006, Gregg Berhalter played for German outfit Energie Cottbus where he racked up 111 appearances. During his spell at the club, he captained them to a successful promotion back to the Bundesliga.
He ended his career in Germany by making 73 appearances for TSV 1860 München of the Bundesliga 2. The former defender moved to the MLS in 2009 where he won the MLS Cup with LA Galaxy and retired in 2011.
On the international front, Gregg Berhalter earned his first call up for the USMNT on October 15, 1994 against Saudi Arabia. He was part of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup squads although he was an unused substitute in the latter.
The former defender made a total of 44 appearances for the Stars and Stripes before retiring in 2006.
Coaching career
Gregg Berhalter started off his coaching career as assistant manager of LA Galaxy in 2011. He was subsequently signed by Swedish outfit Hammarby IF in the same year where he became the first American to ever coach a professional soccer team in Europe.
Four months after being fired in July 2013 by Hammarby IF, Berhalter became the sporting director and head coach of Columbus Crew. His accomplishments include securing playoffs qualification for his side in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018. In 2015, he lost the MLS Cup final to Portland Timbers via a 2-1 scoreline.
What to expect from Gregg Berhalter as USMNT boss
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Gregg Berhalter will make his managerial bow for the USMNT on January 27 against Panama in Glendale, Arizona, USA. The 45-year-old, during his introduction at a press conference held in New York City on Tuesday, revealed how he intended to implement his plans for the national team.
"The idea is that we're an attacking-based team that wants to create goal-scoring opportunities by disorganizing the opponent. It will do that in a number of different ways.
"Ball circulation, breaking lines, goal-scoring opportunites. That should be the DNA of this team
"My job is to make it as simple as possible. Our game is based on very simple principles. They're not complicated principles. To execute it on a very high level does take some time, but it's based on simple principles."
