Pia talks finding the balance

I knew that eventually you'd post something that I could whole-heartedly agree with. It certainly seems like Jill Ellis is going to be the next WNT coach - not surprisingly I don't think that's going to be good for the program. (on the plus side, I suppose she'll be able to find a relative or two to help out on the cheap)

Please no Jill Ellis. Please.

She had all the talented players you would want and yet could never figure out how to beat Waldrum and Dorrance?

I'm sorry but she is NOT a winner in my opinion.

I am well aware of the track record messengers have. Please don't shoot.

I agree that Jill Ellis wouldn't be the best choice for head coach, but one positive could be that her former Bruin Tina DiMartino could finally get a real look. She's been one of the best midfielders in WPS (at least with Philly), and her reward has been a measly five caps, none since 2009.

I don't know . . . it was Ellis who left her on the bench during the decisive stretch of the College Cup semi-final loss to USC.

if jill gets the job, it might be a good thing. the team will be diverse. also, she'll take girls (henderson, press) who can play with their backs to the net vs a whole bunch of road-runners. it's definitely not a bad deal for sydney. like someone told me, if she had not sit on the bench with pia, sydney would still be riding it. how good would sydney be now if she had 20+ caps under her belt vs a couple the last 2 months or so. also, i'm guessing edwards, osborne, engen, dalmy (still can't figure out how she isn't on the team now, given she's an upgrade vs the other ones around rampone right now) and some others will get in the mix. i think jill might have a dynamic team than pia's "out muscle everyone" team.

No! Plain and simple, it needs to be a male. Between WPS and college, there are some very qualified coaches. I just wish we actually knew who the decision makers are on this next decision. Sunil? Jill? April? Imagine sitting in on that conversation.....hilarious.

Why does it need to be a male?

Because there is no qualified American female right now.

Amanda Cromwell. Janet Rayfield (I actually think her skills are a far better match for the nats job then for her current role at Illinois). Randy Waldrum To name a couple without really taking time to think about it.

Look, I don't think Jill Ellis would be a good national team coach (she's a mediocre field coach, and a VERY insecure leader who will act on instincts to her detriment - i.e. Ape the 2nd). But it's pretty silly to say the coach should be male (and equally silly to say the coach MUST be female). How about we get someone who can (continue) to lead the program forward.

I feel good saying that Ellis would be a disaster without advocating breaking the law and gender discriminating on the hire. Not that US Soccer cares about breaking EEOC laws . . .

Also, I will reiterate, you guys criticizing Pia are WAY over the top. She's lead a VERY difficult group of athletes through a very difficult time in American soccer, and before WPS crashed, burned, and most likely split the locker room, she had them playing as well as they have in a decade.

Morris20 is always up for a good "discussion."

Rayfield and Cromwell to coach the National Team? Come on, no way. But, it's nice you can name some female coaches.

Again, the reason I say male is, not because a female can't do it, but because there are none ready at the moment. How about men like Riley, Krikorian or even Montoya? All on a different level then your candidates and ones who should be considered.

As far as criticizing Pia, its deserved for primitive tactics/playing style, player selection and inability to expand an aged player pool. She talks a good game about "attractive, possession soccer" but doesn't coach it or pick players to do it.

And you're often willing to try to personalize things when your grasp of facts/situations fails. Although it's good to have the "club coach tournament bar view" actually written out so it can be assessed and found wanting.

First, are the three guys you named more qualified than Cromwell/Rayfield? I think Krikorian is the best of those and Cromwell has been as successful as Krikorian at the college level with about 1/50th of the resources (and her teams don't seem to lose big games by cricket scores). Rayfield has built a B1G championship program with a patient, long-term strategy and successful involvement in the nat program (Krik has tried to win by throwing the ACC under the bus, and failed). Montoya's a nice guy but he couldn't win WPS with Marta! Then he dumped some really good players for kids from his own club and tied the English non-juggernaut youth team in Spain? I like him, and think he can coach, but I don't see how he's an inarguable level above anybody. And shouldn't Riley have had to do something in WPS? He's a good coach, but other than publicly blaming Pia for A-Rod's poor form for Philly . . . I guess you put him in because compared to him Montoya would be a clear step above?

As for Pia, I think your assessment of her is impervious to the facts, so keep on truckin' with that.

fwiw, I can't believe I'm suggesting a promotion for Rayfield either . . . but she's grown and built a national level program from the ground up without being at a school that is going to attract U-XX nat players.

No clue what your first paragraph means.

How many of the coaches mentioned have you actually seen coach? If you don't say all of them, numerous times, then stop. And, if by some by some miracle you have, then your opinion would be much different. Take your facts and figures (whatever they are) and I'll take seeing them all coach and relate with players on a field. Not even close. Then again, if you're a fan(atic) and/or parent, then you won't know.

And don't dump on Montoya for dropping Boyles. The two MVLA players are better.

What Pia fact? The World Cup she won? Oops. Oh, and the same World Cup we had to have a play-in game for.....and coming from the CONCACAF region? Got it.

Actually, I have. And I actually respect all of them (I don't think you've named an idiot to your list). But I can only assume that YOU haven't seen Cromwell or Rayfield too many times.

The more I think about it, Cromwell ought to be the inevitable candidate. She's been hugely successful as a college coach (and that she's done it at UCF is almost miraculous), and as a former WNT player, she'd have the background that US Soccer seems to look for within their own programs.

On the other hand, she's not a cynical careerist, so that's a negative from SocFed's perspective.

First you criticize Pia's "style of play" then when you get called on that, you support your critique of her style by VERY selectively mentioning her results (and not "style"). Pia's going to leave the WNT in infinitely better shape than she found it when she took over. That's, to me, the measure of a coach. Oly/WWC medals, etc. count too - but she's got that pretty well covered - we're all disappointed she didn't add the WWC Gold to the cabinet, but from 2007-2012, it's tough to argue her body of work isn't the best of anyone, really.

Yes, have seen both ladies coach. And, I'll 200% stay with my opinion.

No, I don't agree at all the WNT will be "infinitely better" then when she took over. All you have to do is look at the integration put forward by Klinsmann on the Men's side in such a short time. Pia has done nothing close to that, or even attempted, to tie in full NT with the youth age groups (playing style, tactics, formation, etc) let alone try new, young players.

I guess we just see things completely, opposite.

This why I think most of you guys are chauvinists (and I'm a guy). I've been in these discussions before. I don't blame anyone for not wanting Jillian Ellis to be the national team coach. There are reasonable objections -- but the determined effort to denigrate her and other female coaches always leads to some blatant signs of irrationality and bias.

Krikorian.What, in their college coaching careers, leads you to support the idea that Krikorian is miles ahead of what Jill Ellis accomplished at UCLA?

Let's hear the blah-blah-blah reasoning. (and just remember when their two teams met in a final four, UCLA whipped Florida St 4-0. It wasn't close)

Montoya - I don't what to say and netiher does anybody else. His team finished pathetically last in his first year with Gold Pride and then, with Marta and the rest of that stacked lineup won the championship the next year.

Riley? I'm on record as saying he should be considered for the national team coach. I think he's very good.

The jury is still very much out on Klinnsi. I don't see how you can use him as example of anything. Two very good results which didn't show radical changes in style after a series of faltering, lackluster ones -- it's way too soon to draw the kind of conclusions that you're trying to draw.

I'm sure we're all inspired by your completely fact free assessment of why all women coaches in America are unqualified (and of course your intimate, yet sadly unsubstantiated, knowledge of the two I pulled off the top of my head), but I'm particularly impressed by the wide-ranging and intelligent argument you make in defense of the, to be fair, decent male coaches you named.

Who could argue with such a clearly reasoned and informed argument like that?

I didn't mention one thing about Klinsmann's results. Not one thing. I said "all you have to do is look at the integration put forward by Klinsmann on the Men's side in such a short time." Again, I did not mention results.....read thoroughly, not into.

Besides changing and appointing YNT coaches quickly, Klinsmann has met with the coaches of, and attended the camps of, U14/15, U17, U20 and U23s while personally explaining his ideas on how the Men's side will play (formation, tactics, personnel/identity in each position, etc, etc). That is more in a few months then Pia's done her entire tenure.

Also, my basis on Krikorian doesn't have anything to do with Florida State or college soccer. First, watch him coach. Second, he has an abundance of international connections and experiences that are second to none. Third, he did coach professional (WUSA)......and who was his assistant? Fourth, he has US Soccer experience as lead scout for multiple National Teams at international events and has been a "guest" coach numerous times at various camps.

But, you want Illinois, Central Florida or God knows what else amateur experience for a National Team coach? Again, I did not a say woman can't coach the National Team. I just don't think there is one ready now for this next appointment. Again, read thoroughly, not into.

These are subjective arguments. Besides watching all these coaches coach and knowing their professional/international coaching experiences (which are somewhat important factors) what else do you want?

College wins, losses, records, titles, numbers, numbers, numbers mean nothing to me in terms of being a head coach of a National Team. If that's your basis, then isn't Erica Walsh better then both of them? She's won a lot of college things, right? And, she's been included in National Team setups. Shouldn't she be HC of the Full team ahead of them?

If it makes you happy, then list all the professional and international coaching experiences....I mean facts.....of all 5 candidates we've mentioned so I can learn. Please, teach and inform me of all the facts and figures.

I personally think that Pia has done a very good job. We came in 2nd in the WWC. We won the 2008 Olympics. There are things that she could do better. But I am very positive on her results. (I do think it is interesting when people say who cares about results now, we should be losing now but experimenting, so that we can win later. By that I don't mean experiment and possibly lose Algarve, people have argued that we should be experimenting in the Olympics).

I think those people want the U.S team to remain weak. They are not U.S fans.

If your criteria isn't winning then what are you complaining about Pia for? She has won alot, but surely she has brought back team chemistry. The players like playing for her, and each other.

Reading comprehension. I'd like to see test scores in that area for some posters. Is Pia one of the college coaches we were talking about as a candidate for the job next? NO!

And, if you read the posts again, (not sure it will help) then you'll see what my criticism of Pia was.

Or maybe you don't know how to get your point across, if you even have one. Just spewing a bunch of words with no substance. Why don't you go re-read your posts and see what a waste of time they are. And this is coming from troll jr.