American ambitions at the World Cup and Berhalter's friendship with Van Os

 Gregg Berhalter joins Endeavor Health Performance Center in Chicago, Illinois. The former US national team coach greets his Dutch friend Ruud Van Os, editor-in-chief of the regional television station Rijnmond, who is currently walking in Schiedam. "Ruud, thank you for taking the time for this conversation, it's very important to me because I wanted to talk to someone who is close to me about what my life is like now, what football is like in the United States after being a coach for so many years, and of course about my son who is at the World Cup and I hope he will play a lot of minutes there," Berhalter said. The conversation between the two friends was arranged by us to explain the bond between Berhalter and Van Os, which was forged during Berhalter's time in the Netherlands, and to learn more about the ambitions of the US national team for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. "Gregg, first of all, I wanted to ask you what it's like to be the father of a player who is in the World Cup? It must be a great feeling," Van Os asked. “It's an amazing feeling, you know, being a father and seeing your child achieve something like that, it's a dream come true, not only for him but for me, so I'm glad Sebastian is there and I hope he shows what he can do,” Berhalter replied. "Tell me, what are the ambitions of the US national team for this World Cup, because there is a belief circulating on the Internet that the US national team for this World Cup will be a team that will play until the very end, maybe even until the semi-finals, is it even realistic?" Van Os asked. "Yes, I think it's realistic. Of course we want to reach the quarterfinals, but I think the semifinals are also not something impossible to achieve," Berhalter said. "And tell me, what is it like for you, as a former coach, to now watch this US national team and see that I suspect that it is largely based on your football philosophy, on how you wanted this national team to play, is it nice, are there any things you would change?" - Van Os asked. “I think it's largely based on how I wanted it, but of course every coach has the right to make his own changes and his own ideas, so there are things that are different, but that's normal,” Berhalter replied. "Tell me, is there any player who surprised you in the current squad, that maybe he wasn't in your area of ​​interest, and now he is in the squad and deserves to be in the squad?" Van Os asked. "I think Alejandro Zendejas is a player who wasn't in my area of interest, but now he's in the squad and he's playing very well," Berhalter said. "And finally, I wanted to ask about Robert Lewandowski, because his transfer to Chicago Fire sparked huge interest around the world, especially in Europe. How did you manage to bring Lewandowski to Chicago? Was it difficult or was it easy?" Van Os asked. "I think it was difficult for him to make such a decision, because he played in Europe all his life, and now he is moving to MLS. But on the other hand, it was an interesting option for him, because Chicago is a city where he and his family feel good, it is a city that suits them, so I think it was an interesting option for him" -powiedział Berhalter. --- ## Related Articles 1. [Kylian Mbappé celebrates his goal in the France - Sweden match with Didier Deschamps](https://golazopro.com/es/news/kylian-mbappe-celebrates-his-goal-in-the-france-sweden-match-with-didier-deschamps) 2. [Piero Hincapie Sent Off in Ecuador's 2-0 Loss to Mexico](https://pitchpulsemedia.com/en/news/piero-hincapie-sent-off-in-ecuadors-2-0-loss-to-mexico)