Gregg Berhalter defends FC Dallas head coach Luchi Gonzalez

U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter defended his FC Dallas counterpart for the work he does with the Major League Soccer side despite recent results.

The MLS side sits in 10th place on the Western Conference table with 14 points in 15 matches. The team has only recorded three wins this season, adding pressure to third-year coach Luchi Gonzalez. 

Berhalter believes the blame is elsewhere.

“With Luchi, for me, I don't think it's talked about enough, him constantly, continually losing players or transferring players,” said Berhalter, who has called up several Dallas players in recent months.

“I think FC Dallas is doing a phenomenal job with youth development. As a result of that, they're losing some of their top talents and they're having to put their teams together sometimes on shorter notice than other teams. And then they have a very young group.”

Luchi Gonzalez took control of the Texas team in December 2018 after earning a promotion from his academy director role. He quickly adopted his own style of play, dubbed by FC Dallas fans as the ‘Luchi Ball’ centered around possession and counter-pressing. 

“So for Luchi, I have a ton of respect for what he's doing. I love what FC Dallas is doing in general, producing player after player, both for the national team and for MLS, and then to move on to Europe,” said Berhalter. 

“It's a great model for other teams to look at. But it's a difficult time for FCD’s first team and there's no question about it that you want to be getting results – results build confidence. And it's just about being patient, believing in your game model, believing in your process, and things will come.”

The MLS side recently signed young player Ricardo Pepi to an extension contract amid interest from European clubs. Gonzalez has spoken about the potential of Pepi as he believes the forward holds the key to the club’s offensive success.