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Gregg Berhalter, the newly minted director of football and head coach for the Fire, Major League Soccer’s (MLS) team in Chicago, joined HSL in December to talk about his days as a footballer and, nowadays, as a coach.

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The Fire named Berhalter as the new team leader in October 2024. Reporting directly to the team owner, Berhalter oversees all aspects of the Fire’s sporting operations. Although the Fire team has not reached postseason play since 2017, Berhalter is encouraged by the team and its desire to win.

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“If we are building a winning team and a winning culture, we can really get the city of Chicago behind us,” he said.

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Berhalter played for 15 years on several European football clubs, captaining two. He then returned to the U.S. and played three years in Major League Soccer. He also played for the U.S. men’s national soccer team in two World Cups.

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Upon coaching, Berhalter became the first American-born manager of a professional soccer team in Europe. Later, he returned to Ohio to become the sporting director and head coach of the MLS’s Columbus Crew. Under Berhalter, the team qualified for the playoffs four out of five years, reaching the MLS Cup Final in 2015.

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Berhalter became head coach of the U.S. men’s national team in 2018, and the 2022 team joined 15 others to reach the World Cup knockout round. Berhalter is the only American to participate in the FIFA World Cup as both a head coach and a player.

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Berhalter visited HSL to acknowledge the company’s sponsorship of the Chicago Fire. His motivational talk demonstrated a positive attitude that will serve his team well and is an inspiring example of leadership both on and off the pitch.

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