Gregg Berhalter is embarking on his first World Cup journey as a head coach with the U.S. Men's National Team in Qatar.The 49-year-old was hired back in 2018 following the upheaval of the USMNT mi sing out on the 2018 World Cup. In the wake of that disaster, Berhalter was appointed to steady the ship, and he has ushered in an era of young talent.The U.S. Carlos Beltran Jersey head into the Qatar tournament with high hopes of building through the 2022 World Cup and into the next four-year cycle, culminating with joint hosting of the 2026 FIFA tournament, alongside Canada and Mexico.While Berhalter has provided a calming presence in the wake of the tumultuous Jurgen Klinsmann and Bruce Arena (Part 2) tenures, not all has been easy, and the U.S. head man has faced his fair share of criticism from demanding media and fans alike.MORE: Hailing from Englewood, New Jersey, Berhalter was hired on December 2, 2018 as the head coach of the U.S. national team. There was controversy around his appointment at the time given his brother, Jay Berhalter, was the chief commercial officer of U.S. Soccer, leading some to slam the move as nepotism.A 45-year-old Berhalter made his debut as USMNT head coach on January 28, 2019, beating fellow CONCACAF side Panama 3-0 via goals from Djordje Mihailovic, Walker Zimmerman, and Christian Ramirez. He went four matches unbeaten to start his tenure, before a pair of friendly defeats to Jamaica and Venezuela.Berhalter overall has performed well in competitive environments with the USMNT, taking the national team to the final of the 2019 Gold Cup his first competitive final before falling 1-0 to Mexico. He avenged that lo s two years later, steering a weakened USMNT squad to the 2021 Gold Cup title with a 1-0 victory over El Francisco Liriano Jersey Tri.He also guided the U.S. to victory in the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League, hoisting the trophy with a 3-2 extra-time victory again over Mexico in the 2021 final.His tenure has not been without controversy, though. Berhalter has been criticized by a faction of U.S. fans for a perceived favoritism of domestic-based players, with many believing his time as head coach of the Columbus Crew saw him develop a preference for MLS stars. However, that criticism is often unfounded, as players hailing from abroad are heavily featured in his squads and the strength of the domestic-based talent pool continues to increase.Berhalter has also received criticism for his struggles on the road, particularly against CONCACAF opposition. Through the most recent World Cup qualifying final stage, the U.S. emerged unbeaten at home, with six wins out of seven, but beat only last-placed Honduras away, drawing three and losing three.An area where Berhalter has succeeded is in player recruitment, a frequently overlooked trait of national team management especially in the United States, where players often have dual citizenship and can be lured by other federations. He has secured the commitments of several young dual internationals, including Sergino Dest (Netherlands), Yunus Musah (England/Ghana), Jesus Ferreira (Colombia), Gio Reyna (England), Ricardo Pepi (Mexico), and most recently, Gabriel Slonina (Poland). Conversely, under Berhalter, the U.S. has not lost a single high-profile young player to a commitment with another international federation.Berhalter has also ushered in an era of focusing on top, young talent. The midfield trio of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Musah has excelled under his charge, while exciting young wingers Reyna, Timothy Weah and Brenden Aaronson have played all or most of their international minutes under Berhalter.The introduction of that new Carlos Lee Jersey generation has given star Christian Pulisic the support he needs, and helped the national team make the transition to a new era after phasing out veterans like Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. Berhalter earned his coaching spurs in Sweden when, following a season as Los Angeles Galaxy's a sistant, he was named head coach of Hammarbyin 2011.It was there that he began to develop the style that has served him so well, first with Columbus Crew and now with USMNT, although that journey has not been without its challenges. He was ultimately fired from the Swedish outfit after two years, with the club's management citing a .Berhalter has brought a po se sion-based style of play to the USMNT, preferring a 4-3-3 formation, although he will occasionally slip into a three-CB system in matchup-based situations.He prefers an inverted triangle in midfield that features a No. 6 to shield the backline and serve as a deep-lying playmaker. He does not play with an outright No. 10, instead choosing to deploy two attacking wingers in support of a central striker.Berhalter likes to have his teams Alex Bregman Jersey pre s, but doesn't deploy a smothering, high-intensity style throughout the full 90 minutes. Instead, his teams pre s in specific moments, often using their attacking trio to venture high and push the opposition back into their defensive third.Recently, Berhalter has transitioned from a more patient build-up to a quicker, more direct, attacking style, based on winning the ball and creating turnovers high up the pitch and then thrusting forward vertically with pace.A common trait has been his use of friendlies and lower-standard competitions for tinkering and experimentation, often sacrificing long-term chemistry and consistency to instead rotate his squad and give minutes to fringe players, in order to see them in match play.While Berhalter has done well to usher in defensive unity and midfield cohesion, his inability to find answers at the central striker role continue to haunt his tenure. In 2018, , a relatively normal time-frame for national team coaching contracts. citing U.S. Soccer tax filings from 2021 suggest that Berhalter's annual salary was just under $1.3 million per year, making him the highest-paid U.S. Soccer employee at the time.Following the World Cup, U.S. Soccer will evaluate his performance and decide whether to re-sign him as head coach for another World Cup cycle, or go in another direction. The USMNT's performance in Qatar will, more than likely, play a decisive role in that call.The next steps for Berhalter will be fascinating to watch. In four years, the United States will co-host the 2026 World Cup, which is set to coincide with the prime of many of the current crop of young U.S. stars' careers. Prior to being hired with the U.S. National Team, Berhalter coached both domestically and abroad.His first coaching job was with the L.A. Galaxy, where he served for the 2011 season as an a sistant under former USMNT head man Bruce Arena.Following that spell where the Galaxy won a domestic double via the Supporters' Shield and the MLS Cup title Berhalter was lured abroad and unveiled as the head coach at Hammarby. With the appointment, he became the second American to serve as head coach of Jimmy Wynn Jersey a European club, following Thomas Dooley.Playing in the second tier at