da bet7k： The hire has divided opinion as the U.S. begin a second cycle under their returning head coach – one which will truly define his legacy

da 888： Gregg Berhalter is back with the U.S. men's national team. Well, not quite yet. There's still a Gold Cup to be played before Berhalter truly returns as head coach but, for all intents and purposes, he is once again the USMNT's manager.

It was a weird road back to this point, that's for sure, one loaded with blackmail, allegations, criticism and a six-month coaching search that brought this program right back to where it started. Because of that, this is a hire that has divided opinion, leading the USMNT fanbase quite split on how to react to it all as Berhalter approaches his second cycle in charge.

The fanbase won't be the only ones upset by it, of course, as there are several USMNT players that now face some very tough conversations in the weeks and months to come. Some are natural things a coach has to deal with heading into a second cycle, while a few are a bit more personal.

Those will all get sorted out in due time and, at some point, hopefully, the focus can turn back towards the on-field product. Berhalter was brought in to coach this team on the field, after all, even if it'll take some time before we actually see that happen.

With all of that in mind, GOAL has you covered with a breakdown of the winners and losers of Berhalter's USMNT return:

Getty ImagesWINNER: Gregg Berhalter

We'll start with the obvious one. Of course, Berhalter is a winner here. It seems he had other jobs on the table, with Club America and Sparta Rotterdam among the clubs linked, but there's no doubt that this was the preferred option. Who wouldn't want a chance to run it back after what we saw at the 2022 World Cup? Who wouldn't want another crack at a cycle with this young, talented, evolving player pool?

The truth is that, if not for everything that went down at the start of 2023, there's a pretty good chance Berhalter would have been in place long before this. It's clear that all involved wanted to make this partnership work given the lengths they went to to make sure that it did.

But that's the past. Going forward, Berhalter obviously has some work to do to repair relationships with some names on this list. He'll have to ensure that this team continues to take steps forward. And, most importantly, he'll have to get results at the 2024 Copa America and the 2026 World Cup, both on home soil.

Both Berhalter and U.S. Soccer did a lot of work to get back to this point. Now, they'll have to prove it was the right call, which Berhalter has the ability to do over the next three years.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Gio Reyna

Another obvious one, as this appointment means that Reyna must prepare for some awkward conversations. The issue could have been left in the past if any other coach had come in, but now Reyna and Berhalter will have to sit in a room and hash it out. Berhalter says he's ready to do just that, stressing that he sees Reyna as a game-changer. It'll take a lot of maturity and understanding from both if they are to navigate this mess, but doing so is key to the national team's future.

Make no mistake: Reyna is the national team's future. He's arguably the team's most talented player, one that can legitimately change a game at any time. Berhalter's first priority is getting Reyna back on board. He's just that important.

Reyna, though, will have been eager to move on, for sure. Now, this story will loom over him for some time. That first camp together will surely be awkward, and Reyna will certainly need to answer questions about all of this at some point.

Life would have been a bit easier for Reyna if anyone else had come in. Berhalter, though, isn't anyone else, which means Reyna will have a bit of extra work to do by having a very human conversation with his once and future coach.

Getty ImagesWINNER: Player culture

For all of the arguments over tactics, the national team coach's job, by and large, is to empower his players. The job, mainly, is to bring in the right individuals, keep them bought in and play them in a way that allows them to succeed. There isn't enough time together to have overly-complicated tactics most of the cycle, but there's always time to keep the players right, on and off the field.

Because of that, player opinion is important here. So, when several of the team's top stars come out and openly campaign for Berhalter's return, you have to take that into account.

Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah, notably, were among those to publicly throw their support behind Berhalter, citing his importance to the team's growth. Their praise centered around the culture that Berhalter built, one that the players feel remains vital to the national team's success.

And yes, Berhalter does deserve credit for building that culture. After the disaster that was the 2018 cycle, he's the one who made the national team environment fun again. He got players to buy in and then empowered them by establishing a leadership council that gave them a say on everything from practice times to disciplinary decisions.

That's all more important than the outside world may understand. While various social media users may be unhappy about this decision, several key players will be thrilled and, when it comes down to it, we'll trust the players' side.

Getty ImagesLOSER: Ricardo Pepi and the 2022 World Cup roster cuts

Reyna isn't the only USMNT star that Berhalter will need to work with to repair a relationship. Due to the nature of his job, several players were left heartbroken last fall, and now Berhalter will have to make sure that they're welcomed back into the fold for his second tenure.

Ricardo Pepi is one, for sure. He's detailed his frustration with missing out on the World Cup, even if, due to his age, it won't be his last chance. In the months since, he's been scoring goals for Groningen, which is key. His national team career is far from over.

The same can be said for Zack Steffen, a player who also shockingly missed out on the trip to Qatar. He spent the year playing at Middlesbrough and, while his club future is uncertain, he is still very much in the player pool.

Jordan Pefok will have a gripe, as will John Brooks, who, to be fair, may not play for the national team again. Matt Miazga will, though, having been named to the Gold Cup roster, and he has previously said that he felt "screwed" by the coaching staff last cycle.

It's one of the most difficult parts of a second cycle. At the end of the day, only so many players can go to a World Cup, and there will always be some left frustrated that they didn't get the chance. For the coach, the job quickly becomes to get those players onside again, as many could play a part further down the line.

What will that look like under Berhalter? We'll see, but the slate obviously won't be as clean as it could have been as he returns for round two.