Former U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter has been hired as director of football and head coach of the Chicago Fire, according to sources briefed on the decision.
The official announcement is expected on Tuesday.
Berhalter, 51, was fired as coach of the U.S. team after they failed to get out of the group stage at the Copa America this summer. Berhalter previously led the U.S. back to the World Cup in 2022, where the Americans advanced from the group stage before falling to the Netherlands in the Round of 16. Berhalter compiled a 44-17-13 record in 74 matches as USMNT head coach and 29-9-7 record in official competitions during his tenure, winning the 2021 Gold Cup and two CONCACAF Nations League titles.
Berhalter will oversee all aspects of the Fire’s sporting operations, including the first team, MLS Next Pro team Fire FC II and the academy. He is expected to begin in his dual role after the Fire complete the regular season on Oct. 19. Berhalter will report directly to owner Joe Mansueto.
Chicago Fire sporting director Georg Heitz announced in August he would be leaving the club to return to Europe at the end of the season. The Fire’s current coach, Frank Klopas, will step down at the end of the season and will transition to a new role within the club as vice president of football. A member of the Fire’s ring of honor, Klopas served as interim manager twice over the past four seasons before being named head coach going into 2024.
Berhalter, who has lived in Chicago for several years, will stay in the Windy City to try to turn around a Fire team that has been one of the worst in the league over the last 15 years.
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The Fire have made the playoffs just twice since 2010 and have ranked 20th or worse in the table in eight of the past 10 seasons. Despite being one of the higher-spending teams in MLS in the transfer market under Mansueto, who took full control of the team in 2019, the Fire missed on several big-money moves and failed to make the playoffs in each of the last five seasons. Chicago is in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 7-17-9 record with one match to go.
Berhalter previously served as sporting director and head coach of the Columbus Crew from 2013 to 2018. He led the Crew to a 67-58-45 regular-season record and made the playoffs in four out of five seasons, including a trip to MLS Cup in 2015 and a trip to the Eastern Conference final in 2017.
The Fire are primed for major changes under Berhalter. Chicago is expected to have two designated player spots open after the departure of Xherdan Shaqiri (and with Gastón Giménez able to be bought down), and have several other players coming out of the final year of their guaranteed contracts, including center backs Rafael Czichos and Wyatt Omsberg, midfielder Fabian Herbers, right back Allan Arigoni and multiple players on the supplemental roster. Other players are set to enter the final years of their deals in 2025, including forward Tom Barlow, Giménez, winger Chris Mueller, center back Tobias Salquist and defender Arnaud Souquet.
(Photo: Omar Vega / Getty Images)
