Gregg Berhalter is bringing two key members of his Columbus Crew SC coaching staff with him to the US men's national team, according to a new report from Yahoo Sports.
Former USMNT star Josh Wolff will be Berhalter’s top assistant with the national team, journalist Doug McIntyre reported in a Friday post, citing multiple sources, and added that Nico Estevez will also follow the head coach from central Ohio to Chicago, where U.S. Soccer headquarters is located.
If true, it would mark the second and third members of Berhalter’s Crew SC staff to join him at Soccer House, with former Columbus director of soccer operations Asher Mendelsohn already having done so to become the federation’s chief soccer officer in December.
A standout striker for the US from 1999-2008, Wolff played on the 2002 and 2006 World Cup teams after making his name with the Chicago Fire and Kansas City Wizards. He finished his playing career with D.C. United in 2012 and worked on Ben Olsen’s staff in the capital city before moving west to join Crew SC ahead of the 2014 MLS season.
Seen as one of the league’s most promising young coaches, Wolff reportedly interviewed for the vacant head coaching jobs at Columbus and FC Dallas this winter but ultimately saw those jobs go to Caleb Porter and Luchi Gonzalez, respectively.
Estevez rose through the coaching ranks at La Liga powers CF Valencia in his hometown before joining the Crew academy staff in 2014; Berhalter promoted him to the first-team staff three years later. The 38-year-old Spaniard holds a UEFA Pro license, Europe’s top coaching certification.
