The Merits of Dunga Would like to get some opinion on the merits of Dunga as USMNT head coach. Resume: Captain of u20 World Cup Winning Team in 1983 Olympic Silver Medalist in 1984 Starter in World Cup 1990 Captain of World Cup Winning Team in 1994 Captain of World Cup Runners Up in 1998 Couple of "rough patches" in playing career where the team was criticized for staid, "un-Brazillian" play and had some locker room rancor in 1998. Manager of Confederations Cup Winners 2009 Manager of World Cup Favorites and Quarterfinalists 2010 (beaten by Felipe Melo) His managerial career with Brazil was marked by an emphasis on team over individual play - leaving luminaries like Ronaldinho off the squad. This is a trademark of the USA and the German squad everyone loves right now. I'd assume he's at least somewhat familiar with the US player and game in the US given his playing experience in WC94 and coaching against the US in ConfedCup09 - and I'd love to see what an outside perspective rooted in Joga Bonito could unearth and develop from the US player pool. I think he'd work well with players like Feilhaber (Brazillian) and could form a nice partnership with a Claudio Reyna (Argentinian/married to a Portugese) to speed up his understanding of the US system and player pool, and help mold it to a better place in the future. Don't know how available he might be, but I believe he'd be in the price range of US Soccer. I also think that, style of play-wise, he would be somewhat in the mold of a Bob Bradley (who's style I don't like), but tactically and player selection-wise, he'd be much different from Bob, more reliant on on-the-ball skills (which I'd love). With World Cup 2014 being in Brazil - it wouldn't hurt to have someone as familiar with the country as Dunga leading up the team as well. Maybe at least he could find us a defensive midfielder - like himself - that won't give the ball away to Ghana? That in and of itself is worth at least another round of advancement at WC2014.
Re: The Merits of Dunga One thing is for sure, Dunga has the PROFILE of what an American coach usually is. A serious hard working guy. Not sure he would want the job or the US would want him, but it would make an interesting combination. The US needs a little foreign touch in the coaching area. Its been over a decade of just US-College based coaching. Time for a change. Also I dont think bringing in some old school foreigner will do either. Dunga is still young and fresh at the job with lots of energy. Last thing the US needs is a CA Parreira type practically retired....or some flashy guy like Rudd G. to hang out at nightclubs with players. So all in all I think this was a clever suggestion. But Im sure all the Eurosnobs on BS will not like it as they would prefer someone that worked tha ManU or Milan or something like that. One other tidbit on Dungas resume that is little known....in 2000 when he retired at his club of origin Inter, he had a salary issue that had not been paid...about $300k....so in court he won the money and immediatley donated the whole thing to a Childs cancer hospital in Southern Brazil. He also has many other charitable projects in Brazil.
Re: The Merits of Dunga PS: One other thing in Dunga's resume. The last important thing he did on the field before retiring. It was 1999...a year after the 2nd place finish at the World Cup in which he was Capatain. He was back at Internacional which in 99 was doing bad and at risk of relegation for the first time ever. The game was Inter x Palmeiras at the Beira Rio....little time left on the clock and the score was 0 x 0. Inter was going to the second division....and then Dunga saves the year..the decade...the century....shorty after he retired. Thanks in part to this, Inter continues to be one of the few Brazilian Clubs to never be relegated. Note #3 on Inter's defense: Lucio PS: As a young kid in Brazil I was lucky enough to get to know Dunga briefly at a BBQ when he was still in the Under-20's of Inter. At the time many Under 20 Inter players would go to legendary youth coach Abilio dos Reis country house for Brazilian BBQs. One of those days my Dad got invited and I went along. I remember a bunch of Inter kids just hanging around bored to death on a lazy weekend BBQ day....Dunga was one of them. I was about 14 at the time. Dunga maybe 18... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClcpZBL9XN8"]YouTube- HAROLDO DE SOUZA - Dunga 1999[/ame]
Re: The Merits of Dunga Clever idea. Yes he is defense first coach but honestly that's what we need on the r16 and quarters of the future. But he would expect us to destroy everyone in concocaf except Mexico. Torres feilhaber and edu would blossom under him
Re: The Merits of Dunga I briefly thought about this after watching the Brazil-Holland game, and then dismissed it based on the fact that he hadn't even gotten Brazil to the semis. But after reading this thread, I like it.
Re: The Merits of Dunga He could teach our center mids a thing or two about positional disciple and not lunging or overchasing. On the other hand, Mike Sorber was another center mid who played the position with sophistication and discipline (admitedly not at the level of Dunga) and he seems not to have been able to impart his wisdom upon the current crop--the exception being Edu who was already a cool customer to start with.
Re: The Merits of Dunga Are you kidding? Brazilian team got results because the quality of players. Dunga should represent the death of USMNT. He was a mediocre player and he is a mediocre coach. By his personality and patriotism he'd never coach anyone else national team. US needs someone who thinks different, someone like Bielsa, Pellegrini, Hiddink, etc.
Re: The Merits of Dunga Intriguing, well thought out idea (cost, Brazil 2014, so on). How's his English?
Re: The Merits of Dunga THIS!!!! God, I can't believe people are even thinking this way. Brazil has ten times the talent of the US. He stifled every ounce of creativity they have, made Brasil a pedestrian "efficient" team and got exactly one round farther in the tournament as Bob Bradley did with the US. Give me that line up and a decent assistant to run practice, and I could do the same. Someone wrote this in a Fire forum thread but it is oh so true. If Bob Bradely coached one year at Milan and had a sexy accent and did the exact same job, i.e. getting to the final of Confed Cup by beating Spain, finishing first in qualifying, winning our group at the WC and losing in the round of 16, people would be going insane over what a fantastic soccer mind the guy is. But he's from Jersey so a guy like Dunga MUST be better. No way. I will take a guy like Hiddink in a heartbeat, but don't give me a guy the equal or less of Bradley simply because he is "foreign."
Re: The Merits of Dunga So Dunga's coaching was responsible for Melo and Julio Ceasar misplaying a cross and Melo stomping on Robben? Brazil as a team lost its composure after conceding a goal, but I'm not sure what Dunga could do about one of his players going insane. Maybe a lack of strong mentality falls on him. More likely the players just did poorly. Brazil won the Copa America and Confederations Cup under Dunga. Sure thw WC matters more, but even for the most talented team winning 2 out of 3 is a good record. Even if Brazil is a 70% favorite against every team in the WC knock out stages, its odds of winning the WC are .7^4 = .24 or only 24%.
Re: The Merits of Dunga There is absolutely nothing in his coaching resume that would make it seem like a good idea. So, no, in other words. He wasn't a good coach for Brazil, and he wouldn't be for us. "Beaten by Melo" is ridiculous. Why was Melo on the field at all? Why was the squad selection so poor? Why did they not have a single person able to calm them down? Make no mistake, Melo might have been the one to blow his top, but if it wasn't him, it was going to be someone else. Bastos was begging for another yellow. Robinho almost attacked Robben. Brazil were a horribly coached team. Dunga sacrificed Brazil's style for results, and he couldn't even get that right.
Re: The Merits of Dunga This is true. I think Bradley laid an egg at the World cup, but a lot of people on BigSoccer would be drooling over him if he claimed to be Dutch and called himself Braadleij.
Re: The Merits of Dunga All of this hindsight and hypothetical nonsense. Stick to what actually happened. Was Julio Ceasar a poor choice? Who possibly could have predicted him missing a punch? I guess you can hop in your little time machine to warn Dunga in advance the top keeper in Serie A was going to mess up badly. Brazil was one of the most organized, disciplined teams in the tournament. That is not the result of bad coaching. Indeed it looks bad when a team loses composure, but who to blame is entirely speculation.
Re: The Merits of Dunga Or seriously people. Laid an egg??? The team met expectations by getting out of the group. Bradley made some good and some bad choices. I think most people's idea of success for a coach is making the 100% correct choice every time. Not realistic. I'm in no way saying Bradley is a great coach. But he is not terrible, either.
Re: The Merits of Dunga If a team can scored two against Spain when Spain was in a high, or scored two against Brazil in a FINAL, then that team is pretty good offensively. My problem with Bob, is WHY he NEVER resolved the issue about giving up soft goal early in the game? That was long existing problem before this World Cup, do you agree?
Re: The Merits of Dunga I do agree. My post was not necessarily in support of Bob to stay on as much as it was to strongly disagree with Dunga for the US.
Re: The Merits of Dunga It's not about a misplayed cross. He took a wildly talented, creative and entertaining team and made them rather ordinary under the battle cry "results matter." Well they do but not by sacrificing your team's long established identity to do it . . . . and then you don't get the result.
Re: The Merits of Dunga This is just not taking responsibility. It is fair enough to criticize Bradley or anyone else for their shortcomings, but to say the manager has no part in his team losing it's composure the first time that it is put under real pressure of elimination by a formidable side in the tournament is ridiculious at best. I see no need to bash a guy like Dunga, but if you are going to suggest him as a possible US Manager, people are going to look at the performances of his team just like they look at the performance of the team under Bradley. That is how it works.
Re: The Merits of Dunga One of the few things that Dunga literally could control once the ball was kicked was the composure of his players, and in this he failed spectacularly. Not to take anything away from the Netherlands, but they were bossed by Brazil in that first half, and there is no reason why it shouldn't have been the same in the second. But it all went to hell for Brazil when they lost their collective minds and began bitching, complaining, and crying about every little thing. That is clearly on the coach, for a better one would have been able to get them to re-focus on the task at hand. Remember, this wasn't Argentina down 3 goals to Germany and just looking to blow off some steam in an obviously futile situation. Brazil was tied with the Netherlands with everything still to play for. Horrible leadership by Dunga, and leadership we don't need in our next manager.
Re: The Merits of Dunga I think Dunga would love the hard working nature of the US player and I think the US player would really respect the resume of Dunga. He would attempt to make sure that our team is well organized in defense and would encourage our 4 attack-minded players to do what they do best. He would also be able to offer an interesting perspective on the host country. What kind of crap would he get from the Brazlians for coaching the US? Does he understand the US state of mind as far as soccer goes and would he be able to handle it? Depending on the answer to the two questions, it wouldn't be a bad choice, in my opinion. How's his English? To be clear, I'm NOT saying Dunga > Bradley.
Re: The Merits of Dunga Dunga a mediocre player? Hahahah could only come from a San Pablo fan in which your biggest legend is a goalkeeper!
Re: The Merits of Dunga You need to understand where Brazilian Soccer is-was to understand why Dunga selected the players he did. The media wanted the usual Party animals on the team plus the flavors of the week...that was done in 06 and Brazil was a DISGRACE with Fatnaldo and Ronaldinho "wheres my Beatches" Gaucho on the field. Dunga built a united team with players that were will to work hard ...the final result of the WC was not a consequence of Dungas bad coaching. Shit just happens. If a Bob Bradley can coach a team...or a Bruce Arena...you better believe a Dunga can.
Re: The Merits of Dunga I dont think he would get any crap...Brazilian coaches coaches all kinds of country withou much comment from the media...why would they care if Dunga coached the US? Dunga's personality and profile say to me that he would "GET" the US player and team and style of work. Dunga is a hard worker....like the US team.... Klinsmann had an even smaller Coaching resume and people are still begging for him. Klinsmann didnt even win the WC with germany IN germany! He didnt even get to the final!
Re: The Merits of Dunga Perhaps if we need someone to say "vai tomar no cu" to the reporters, we can hire Dunga. Lixo.
Re: The Merits of Dunga Bob Bradley or Bruce Arena couldn't begin to coach Brazil, but they weren't being asked to coach Brazil - they were asked to coach the US and that is a job in which they have expertise and motivation that Dunga does not. Dunga does not understand all of the shortcomings and disfunctions of American soccer like Arena or Bradley. Also, if Arena or Bradley fail, they fail for the country that they must live and work in. The US World Cup job is the cummulation of a career for Bradley and Arena. If Dunga fails while coaching the US, it is just a bump on the roadway. I have no problem looking at foreign managers, but there is an assumption amongst some that any big name foreign manager is automatically better for the US than any american manager. I have watched plenty of big name foreign managers fail in MLS, including Pareira and Queiroz. Just because we aren't as good, doesn't mean that the job is easier. If you don't understand that, it is easy to make poor judgements.