How Gregg Berhalter helps Chicago Fire's chance of landing Kevin De Bruyne

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·17 aprile 2025

How Gregg Berhalter helps Chicago Fire's chance of landing Kevin De Bruyne

With a report from Fabrizio Romano emerging Wednesday that the Chicago Fire have made a legitimate offer to sign Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer, it's worth noting the ace the Fire may have in their hand: The recruiting acumen of manager and director of football Gregg Berhalter.

While Berhalter has nothing like the cachet of De Bruyne's current boss -- Manchester City gaffer Pep Guardiola -- there is no denying the former USMNT manager's record of recruiting talent while he was managing the Yanks squad.

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Time and again from 2019 through 2024, reports would emerge of Berhalter identifying a talented player with dual eligibility. And more often than not, that player would eventually commit to the USMNT, sometimes even when they had a legitimate shot to play for more prestigious/established footballing nations.

Recruiting track record

Consider the dual-national recruits he recruited who are now focal points of the American squad:

Antonee Robinson, one of the best left-backs on the planet who is playing well enough for Fulham that he could be in his native England's XI if he wasn't already cap-tied to the USMNT
Ricardo Pepi, a striker who grew up in the border town of El Paso and faced enormous pressure as he chose between the U.S. and his native Mexico
Tim Weah, the son of legendary Liberian footballer George Weah who later went on to be president of the African nation
Folarin Balogun, an American-born, London-raised striker who could've also played for his parents' native Nigeria
Sergino Dest, a Dutch-born right back who came up through Ajax's storied youth system and has since played at FC Barcelona, AC Milan and PSV Eindhoven

The De Bruyne situation isn't quite identical. For starters, there's the very real factor of the size of the contract offered and no concern about international eligibility. Even so, at this stage in his career, after winning six Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League crown, De Bruyne could be more concerned about leaving a legacy in the final phase of his career rather than maximizing his earnings potential.

Berhalter may not have taken the USMNT as far as some believed he should've given the talent he recruited. But he was arguably the best talent recruiter in USMNT history, and in some ways suffered because of the expectations raised by his prowess in expanding the talent pool.