Berhalter becomes the new coach of the Chicago Fire

Gregg Berhalter was active as a player in Germany for a long time.
IMAGO/Agencia MexSport

Gregg Berhalter is one of the few American soccer coaches who is also known to many German soccer fans. As a player, he was under contract in Germany for almost seven years between 2002 and 2009 – first with Energie Cottbus, then with 1860 Munich. As a coach, he was the last coach of the US national team, where he was on the sidelines a total of 72 times in two terms and was replaced by Mauricio Pochettino.

After leaving office in July, Berhalter was without a club. Now he has found a new club: As of October 20th, the 51-year-old will be the new coach and sporting director at Chicago Fire. He succeeded Frank Klopas, who looked after the team in the last game of the season against Nashville and then moved to the position of vice president.

Chicago currently last in the Eastern Conference

As athletic director, Berhalter is not only responsible for the Chicago Fire first team, but also for the secondary team and the youth academy.

“After a thorough and detailed search that included a number of exceptional candidates, it became clear that Gregg Berhalter is the right choice to lead our sporting activities,” said Joe Mansueto, club owner and chairman.

With the new signing, Chicago Fire, where Bastian Schweinsteiger was active between 2017 and 2020, responded to the miserable performance in the MLS. The team is last in the Eastern Conference with one game day before the end of the regular season.