But Crocker, a Welshman who comes to the USSF with extensive experience in English soccer, put the candidates through a battery of management, statistical and psychological tests before deciding no changes were needed.
Berhalter continued his regional success last year but struggled to take the U.S. team to the next level, as evidenced by a first-round exit from this summer's Copa America.
On Wednesday, during Berhalter's second dance, the music stopped as Crocker announced he was fired, even though he had two years left on his contract.
“It's been a difficult week,” Crocker told reporters in a video call. “I know for me personally it's been a difficult week for everybody associated with U.S. Soccer. It's a really difficult decision.”
But it's inevitable. Crocker had high hopes that the arrangement would work, but there's not much to gain from the team with Berhalter at the helm. The young U.S. team has made considerable progress in Berhalter's first term, bouncing back from a 2018 World Cup failure to reach the knockout stages of the 2022 tournament.
If we look at the Copa America as a measure of global progress, the US has made no progress.
Crocker now has the responsibility to find a suitable replacement. This time, there is no room for failure; there is too much at stake. The next World Cup will be held mostly in stadiums in the United States, but also at venues in Mexico and Canada, and there are less than two years until it takes place. That may seem like a long time, but with no tournament at anything approaching the Copa America level, the new coach will need to instill his belief and establish his tactics in regional tournaments and friendlies.
How is this search different from last year's?
“I've been with the program for 12 months now,” Crocker said, “and I've had a lot of experience in both the men's and women's environments, but that's mainly because there have been so many changes made to both programs in the last 12 months. I'm a lot clearer and a lot more confident about what I see, what I think is needed going forward.”
“I think we're in a better position now to do a more targeted search and be more aggressive and early on recruiting specific candidates that we think meet the criteria that we're looking for,” Crocker added.
Crocker appears to have made the right call when it comes to the women's team, with head coach Vlatko Andonovski stepping down following the team's fastest-ever elimination from the 2023 Australia-New Zealand World Cup.
Crocker then hired Emma Hayes, the highly decorated and internationally acclaimed Chelsea FC coach, whose appointment was seen by many as a major coup for the U.S. program, even if it meant a six-month wait before she took over as manager this summer after her tenure at Chelsea ended.
The U.S. women's team is heading into the Olympics with renewed energy and excitement, but expectations are tempering as the coach and new faces find their footing. Overall, Hayes' goal is the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
The USSF named Hayes the highest-paid women's coach in the world, putting her on equal financial footing with Berhalter. Will this commitment to equality limit what Crocker can offer the men's coach?
“My job is to get the best head coach possible to move this program forward,” he said. “I know it's a very competitive market salary-wise, and we need to be competitive to get a coach at the level that I believe can move the program forward. [the] “We need to continue to push for higher standards and equality, but I don't see that as an impediment to our investment.”
Crocker believes the men's soccer program would benefit from a fresh perspective: It's loaded with potential in the form of young players employed by European clubs competing in the top leagues, and the 2026 World Cup will come at a time when many of those players will be in the prime of their careers.
Crocker will need to hire someone who can improve on the tactics and personnel of a team that is attacking on paper but has allowed five goals in its past five games, and will need to overhaul the talent pool and look at players who have perhaps been overlooked.
So where does Crocker go? He had begun considering his options even before Berhalter's announcement, but no names were mentioned Wednesday. Fan rumors online about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp seem fanciful. MLS coaches are in the middle of their seasons. European club coaches are starting training camps. Some of the Euros and Copa America coaches may be looking for jobs.
While coaches heavily involved in club football are like chefs in a chaotic kitchen, preparing matches and registering players around the clock, the international game simmers slowly.
Crocker will need to find the right chef.
“I just want to get the best coach that can help the team win, and whether that coach is from the U.S. or another country, they need to fit the profile of a coach with back-to-back championships, someone who can continue to develop this group of potential players, someone who has a great interest and passion for player development,” Crocker said. “This group remains young, but at the same time, we're at a stage where we have a lot of the right experience that we should get out of the group, and that's my intention.”
