Analysis

3 Winners, 3 Losers from Berhalter's Hiring

Alex Calabrese

09 Oct 2024 — 8 min read

Soccer: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022-Features

Yesterday, the Chicago Fire turned heads around Major League Soccer with the announcement that the club had named former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter as director of football and head coach. The news comes just days after the team’s elimination from playoff contention for the seventh successive season.

Before Berhalter takes to the sidelines at the outset of next season, however, a lot will change in Chicago. He will bring in his own people both on the training pitch and around the club, and it is expected to be a tremendously busy offseason on the transfer market, with several players set to leave the club in the coming months.

Though much is still up in the air concerning who will be on the roster in 2025, here are three potential winners – and losers – from Berhalter’s hiring.

Berhalter coached the USMNT to a 44-17-13 record. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

Winner: Kellyn Acosta

In terms of player personnel, the absolute biggest winner is Kellyn Acosta, who is the Fire player who spent the most time with Berhalter previously. The bulk of Acosta’s 58 U.S. caps came for Berhalter between 2020 and 2022, a period throughout which he was a key player and included a remarkable stretch of 28 appearances in 29 matches.

Most importantly, however, Acosta played the best soccer of his career under Berhalter. During the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, starting as the U.S. #6, he was arguably the player of the tournament, culminating a thrilling run with a flawless final performance against Mexico, where he provided the game-winning assist in overtime. The form continued into World Cup Qualifying, where he was a staple in the U.S. midfield, appearing in 13 of 14 matches with seven starts.

Acosta was at his best during that period as a ball-winning number six, though he also got minutes as a number eight when Tyler Adams was available. Notably, Acosta took over as the team's main disruptor whenever Adams wasn't on the field and typically provided the team with an edge in 50/50 battles. His set piece delivery was also an asset, and the U.S. hasn’t been able to replicate his production from such situations since he was phased out of the national team.

Finally, as a member of Berhalter’s leadership council throughout his tenure, Acosta, whose most recent USMNT involvement was as an alternate for the CONCACAF Nations League last March, will probably be the frontrunner to captain the Fire in 2025. His strong relationship with Berhalter will be key in the transition period, and Acosta is someone that the midfield will likely be built around.

Acosta was the Americans' best player at the 2021 Gold Cup. (Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)

Loser: Hugo Cuypers

It’s difficult to automatically assume that Hugo Cuypers – the Fire’s club-record signing – won’t be a success next season. He had a reasonable first year in MLS, scoring ten times, albeit with an underperforming surrounding cast. However, what’s difficult to ignore is that over the years, center forwards have tended to struggle under Berhalter, whose system demands a lot from his number nine in build-up play and movement.

For a large portion of Berhalter’s USMNT tenure, his go-to man up front was Jesús Ferreira, who is not a conventional center forward but rather a number ten or second striker. For all the goals he has scored in the Championship, Josh Sargent has also struggled to make an impact for the national team, with his last international goal coming against Cuba all the way back in 2019. Ricardo Pepi scored some crucial goals for Berhalter but also went missing in games where he was asked to be more involved in the buildup, a role that didn’t suit him – just 4 of 21 World Cup Qualifying goals came from strikers, while none of the three U.S. goals in Qatar came from the starting number nine.

Overall, Cuypers is a better finisher than the majority of the forwards who Berhalter called upon during his tenure. The Belgian certainly stands out when compared to the likes of Gyasi Zardes and Jozy Altidore, who, at times, were the U.S.’ top number nine. However, his success next season will, in large part, come down to whether or not he is provided with meaningful service, something that was lacking in 2024.

Cuypers was unable to find a rhythm for most of 2024. (Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports)

Winner: Brian Gutiérrez

Over the years, Berhalter has shown no hesitation in handing important roles to young players. 23-year-old Tyler Adams was the youngest captain at the World Cup, while 17-year-olds Gio Reyna and Yunus Musah were handed debuts and played nearly every available minute for the national team as teenagers.

Brian Gutiérrez’s playmaking quality – as well as his ability to thrive in transition and pounce on counterattacks – make him a good fit for the way Berhalter has tended to play over the last five years. There’s also no reason to believe that Berhalter wouldn’t be willing to depend heavily on the 21-year-old former U.S. youth international, even though outgoing boss Frank Klopas was hesitant to do so at times.

Under the new head coach, Guti’s role will likely be much more clearly defined, whether that be central as a number ten in a 4-2-3-1 or as an inverted left winger in a 4-3-3. For the second half of 2024, the homegrown star has looked lost in a vague role without a clear position in a hastily-organized 3-5-2 shape.

Getting the most out of Gutiérrez will also be a key for Berhalter – Ezra Hendrickson failed to do so in 2023, and Frank Klopas failed to do so in 2024, and for both head coaches, this was a major disappointment. With four years still left on a big-money U-22 Initiative contract, the Fire’s higher-ups will be hoping that Guti can reach his potential and become a gamechanger in MLS, and Berhalter will know just how good he can be when he’s motivated and has the right system around him.

Gutiérrez was in camp with Berhalter once – the pre-World Cup combined USMNT/U-20 camp in December 2022. (via U.S. Soccer)

Loser: Gastón Giménez

Gastòn Giménez had a quietly good season in 2024, and amidst constant rumors of a move back to Argentina, he nailed down a starting job in the Fire’s midfield all year. However, he is not the profile of a midfielder who will thrive under Berhalter, so it is difficult to imagine he will be heavily relied upon even if he stays with the club through the upcoming final year of his contract.

In some ways, Giménez has demonstrated that he is something of a luxury player in midfield. He has not as done well when tasked with being the primary ball progressor in the middle, nor when asked to do more defensive dirty work; instead, he is trapped somewhere in the middle as a connector, and for Berhalter, who prefers that his players have clearly defined roles, Gastón isn’t the best fit.

In addition, since 2020, Berhalter has opted almost exclusively for midfielders with a high work rate and who cover ground quickly. That’s why his preferred trio for nearly every minute of meaningful play was one of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Yunus Musah, all high-energy players whose roles were clearly defined from camp to camp, and why Brenden Aaronson became their next man up at the World Cup in 2022. The likes of Gianluca Busio and Johnny Cardoso looked off the pace in their appearances despite strong club performances, and Berhalter was hesitant to play Gio Reyna through the middle because of his lower work rate.

33-year-old Giménez simply doesn’t match that profile – his current deal runs through the end of next season, and with his biggest advocate, Georg Heitz, no longer making the sporting decisions in Chicago, it's possible he’s someone that the Fire try to shop.

Giménez has captained the Fire for the second half of this season. (Talia Sprague-USA TODAY Sports)

Winner: Maren Haile-Selassie

The most surprising success story of the Fire’s last two seasons has arguably been that of Maren Haile-Selassie, who has established himself as a solid MLS-level winger since his move from FC Lugano. While Klopas has used him all over the field – as a winger, a wingback, a number ten, and a second striker – the former Swiss youth international suits the mold of a winger in Berhalter’s preferred system, and should be a winner of the hiring.

During his time with the national team, Berhalter often preached the need for “verticality” in the attack. In terms of wingers, this was best embodied by the likes of Tim Weah and Brenden Aaronson, whose directness provided a boost in World Cup Qualifying; both dutifully filled their role when Christian Pulisic took the freer position on the left, and both have some similar traits to Haile-Selassie. Like his USMNT equivalents, Haile-Selassie thrives in transition and knows when to pop up inside the penalty box to pounce and score.

A criticism of Berhalter during his time with the national team was his complicated system and player roles; while being one of the Fire’s most direct players, Haile-Selassie is also one of the smartest and has shown a willingness to accept feedback during his time in Chicago. Despite being asked to play in a variety of positions across the field, Haile-Selassie has adapted his game well to all of them and will be a well-suited Swiss Army knife for Berhalter’s system.

Haile-Selassie emerged as a starter in 2024. (Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Loser: Arnaud Souquet

Despite being actively shopped for the first few months of 2024, Arnaud Souquet found a second life under Klopas, who had previously buried him behind Jonathan Dean and then Allan Arigoni on the right back depth chart. Despite an extra year on his deal through 2025, it’s hard to imagine that renaissance will continue under Berhalter.

In line with his principle of verticality, Berhalter typically prefers attack-minded fullbacks. Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson were the obvious examples with the USMNT, but backups Shaq Moore, Reggie Cannon, and DeAndre Yedlin also tended to be quick, forward-looking options. Souquet does not fit that profile at all, and with his encouraging spring performances quickly regressing back to the mean, he’ll likely be in the shop window again this offseason.

On the opposite side, Andrew Gutman seems like a good fit for the adventurous Jedi Robinson role on the left. He is a wingback-type player who can be direct in the attack and has a quick recovery time. His frequent injuries will leave a question mark, but if healthy, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be replaced. On the right, Berhalter could opt to bring back Arigoni on a permanent deal following his loan from Lugano, but if not, he’ll probably be on the hunt for a more dynamic and exciting right back profile this offseason.