The Columbus Crew have hired Gregg Berhalter as their new manager and sporting director. Berhalter replaces Brian Bliss, the club's former technical director who took over as head coach after Robert Warzycha in September.
Crew name Gregg Berhalter manager, sporting director
Gregg Berhalter becomes the seventh manager in Crew history.
Otto Greule Jr
Berhalter became the first American to manage a European club in 2011 when he was put in charge of Hammarby in the Swedish second division. The former United States defender led Hammarby to a fourth-place finish in his first season, but the team found itself nine points out of a promotion place earlier this season and the club fired him.
While Hammarby was Berhalter's first chance to manage a team, he did spend a year as a player-coach with the LA Galaxy in 2011, the last year of an 18-year career that saw him play for Sparta Rotterdam, Crystal Palace, Energie Cottbus and 1860 Munich, among others. He also made 44 appearances for the U.S., including being named to the 2002 and 2006 World Cup teams. Between his experience in LA and with the U.S., Berhalter has spent a lot of time with Bruce Arena and has repeatedly called the Galaxy manager the biggest influence on him as a manager.
Berhalter takes over a Crew team that came on late in the season under Bliss and has talent in Federico Higuain, Jairo Arrieta and Chad Marshall, as well as a strong academy that has produced five homegrown players. The problem facing Berhalter is that his best players are all around the age of 30 and the roster lacks depth. He has to figure out a way to reshape the roster with a younger core that can compliment the older star players, something that should be easier with new owner Anthony Precourt, who has hinted at giving the club more resources than was available under old ownership.
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