US Soccer in turmoil with departures of Stewart, McBride

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

The USA men’s national team was one of a select group of teams that played in the World Cup in Qatar in November and December. Several weeks later, the team is in turmoil, as Sporting Director Earnie Stewart has departed his role.

Stewart is leaving Team USA to be involved in a role to be determined with Dutch team PSV Eindhoven. General Manager Brian McBride has also stepped down from his role, the team said.

Gregg Berhalter guided the team to the World Cup. However, according to the team, no longer has a contract with the club. At this time, his future is not clear.

Since the World Cup, news has come to light that Berhalter is being investigated by the team for a 1991 domestic violence incident that involved his now-wife. Berhalter also had an incident with Gio Reyna, who was nearly sent home from the World Cup.

This caused a divide between the Reyna family and Berhalter. Reyna’s mother reported the 1991 domestic violence incident to USA Soccer, as her friend is Berhalter’s wife.

“We’re not going to rush it,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said. “I know this moment feels a bit uncertain for you in the media, for our staff, for players. What it actually is a clean canvas.”

These are big decisions that have to be made. The coach who will be hired and those support staff members will also likely be in place as the 2026 World Cup looms in a few years.

What is different about the 2026 World Cup is that it will be in the United States. This will be a special World Cup, as it will be shared between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

“We did not plan it this way but we find ourselves in this position and we’re going to take the opportunity to really do a deep dive on our sporting side to make sure we’re as effective and as efficient as possible because we have (a) grand vision of where we want to go on the sporting side and we want to make sure we’re in the best position to accomplish those goals,” Cone said.

Stewart will be in the role until February 15th. Sportsology Group has been hired to help to find the next sporting director.

“When the opportunity arose to return to the Netherlands to pursue an exciting and challenging role that was near my family, I could not turn it down,” Stewart said. “I am extremely proud of what our sporting department has accomplished over the past four years. This is a pivotal time for the sport in the United States and I have full confidence in the leadership of U.S. Soccer heading into 2026 and beyond.”