DOHA, Qatar — After being paired collectively within the World Cup draw Friday, Gregg Berhalter has revealed he contacted Gareth Southgate following his appointment as U.S. men’s national team coach with the intention of emulating England‘s latest success.
Southgate initially took interim cost of England in September 2016 earlier than accepting the job on a everlasting foundation that November, instigating a dramatic change in fortunes.
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England have been knocked out of Euro 2016 by minnows Iceland, however beneath Southgate they reached the semifinals of the World Cup two years later — their finest efficiency in 28 years — earlier than dropping the Euro 2020 remaining on penalties.
Berhalter turned USMNT coach in December 2018, and after the U.S. were drawn in Group B alongside England at the World Cup in Qatar beginning in November, the 48-year-old mentioned: “I reached out when I took the job over. We’ve maintained a dialogue since then; we’re always bouncing ideas off each other and talking about international football and the job. It’s a strong relationship.
“[I did it] due to the similarities that I discussed. I knew I used to be taking on a younger participant pool. I noticed what they did. I additionally knew that he was taking on a group that did not all the time … there was all the time slightly little bit of a problem in taking part in for the nationwide group.
“They were at a difficult point and he changed the culture. So that was something I was interested in doing, because we came off qualifying in 2018 [when they missed out].”
The USMNT have been additionally paired with Iran, evoking recollections of their assembly in 1998, dubbed the “most politically charged game in World Cup history” due to tensions arising from America’s help for Iraq within the Iraq-Iran warfare and the earlier assault on an American embassy in Iran in 1979.
“For us, that happened in 1998 and our focus is just on how do you get out of the group,” Berhalter mentioned.
“We have a lot of respect for Iran; we think it is a good team. And now we are just trying to figure out how to beat them.
“We have each grown a lot since then. What I feel is, 24 years later, the world seems totally different and we’re not rivals with Iran. I feel we’re extra pals. There’s a ton of mutual respect.
“Football fortunately transcends a lot of the political stuff. We are able to remain friends on the pitch and we are looking forward to a good game.”
The ultimate group in Group B would be the winner of the remaining European playoff between Wales and both Scotland and Ukraine.
Off-field controversies proceed to overshadow the buildup to the World Cup in Qatar amid issues over the nation’s human rights report.
England captain Harry Kane has raised the potential of speaking to other national teams to coordinate a unified stance on the issue, one thing Berhalter insists the USMNT would take into account.
“It has to be in line with our values as a team and our players have to be into it, but I certainly wouldn’t rule something like that out,” he mentioned.
“For us, the beauty of having a World Cup here is to bring attention to the good things they are doing and perhaps some things they are not doing well. To shine the spotlight on this region, and Qatar in particular, and acknowledge some of the change that’s taken place and some things that still need to happen.
“We have been educating the group already for over a 12 months on this matter, and for us individually, gamers select how they’ll deal with it. However we expect the very best stance you may take is to take part within the World Cup to attract consideration to something that could possibly be happening right here.
“We’ve been educating the players in particular very seriously — human rights issues, gay rights issues are something that’s important to us. We represent a diverse group of players and it is something we hope the Qataris stand for as well.”
