Gregg Berhalter on Process and Results

Gregg Berhalter is the Head Coach for the United States Men’s National Soccer Team. Before that, Gregg was the Head Coach for the Columbus Crew in the MLS. He also worked in Europe, where he was the first American to be a Head Coach of a European soccer team. Gregg also played for the US National Team from 1994-2006, also playing with the under-20 National Team in 1993. He played professionally in the MLS and all over the world, spending a lot of his time overseas.

In this episode, we discuss why Gregg likes cooking (5:50), if he finds it to be an escape from constantly coaching (6:55), if his cooking style is analogous to his coaching style (8:28), what it was like to grow up with Carl Yastrzemski in the family (9:23), why he didn’t pursue baseball (10:11), if he thinks growing up around Yaz gave him an advantage over his peers in thinking about what’s possible (10:40), the values passed down to him through his family (11:21), how he would set his mind for gameday as a player (13:07), if he ever was an overthinker as a player (14:42), how he helps bring his players more clarity as a coach when they are stuck or cluttered (16:02), if there was a coach that really impacted him and influenced how he coaches and how he played (17:25), why he took notes as a player and how that has helped him as he’s progressed (18:46), what he loves most about soccer (19:41), how being a coach is different than being a player, as well as what it was like to have to “pause” during the pandemic (21:48), how he organizes what he wants to accomplish (23:49), how he develops people and makes sure they’re heading in the right direction without using “young” as a crutch or an excuse to not compete right now (25:47), what sort of environment and culture Gregg is creating (27:06), his scoring system in training and how he’s trying to create a competitive culture (28:43), how he stays process-oriented in a results-oriented business (32:04), going towards challenge and skepticism (34:02), what it was like to be the first American head coach in Europe (34:58), how he maintains relationships with players no longer on his team (37:08), what his offer to players to come play for the US is (38:17), some things he focuses on from a player development perspective (39:25), how club teams are developing their players (41:26), what’s changed in the develop of soccer players in the last 20 years that’s led to the birth of so much young talent on the US team (43:43), how he thinks about home-field advantage versus playing on the road in a hostile environment (46:30), how he addresses playing at home versus on the road with his players (48:31), how he balances the data and the measurement tools with his instincts and gut feelings (51:46), talent selection (53:55), clarity in goals (56:19), what he intentionally does to make sure he’s healthy and well in the midst of his stressful job (58:44), if there’s a book that’s changed how he sees the world (1:00:00), Ted Lasso (1:00:47), and leading with authenticity (1:02:24).

Thanks so much to Gregg for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

-Brian