IIRC he talked about how sometimes the field of play or the opponent and its tactics would necessitate him to change his plan of attack.
So many people seem to be extrapolating waaaay more from what Berhalter has actually said than he actually said. Dare I say that ALL of us are extremely frustrated or fed up or pissed off with USSF and this year-long nonsense, and a significant portion are not happy with the selection of Berhalter, but please, at least give the guy a couple of f*cking games before you feed him to the pigs.
Dude, the guy has been on the job only a few hours and he's already been way more specific than any other coach we have had. He can't get more specific than this simply because he needs some time with the players. But the idea is good. At the top they won't break lines so much with passing as with movement (aka dribbling)
Most coaches we've had have said similar vague statements about playing out of the back and attacking opponents. This was "the best guy" we could've gotten, and it's been over a year's worth of Sarachan platitudes. I'd like some answers or admissions that he doesn't know. He does neither. Won't talk about "the past", won't get specific about the future. You're welcome to think I'm asking for too much, but when I hear that people are "very excited" for him, I'm looking for reasons to be instead of boilerplate.
Cordeiro and Stewart doing a good job of keeping a unified front/staying on message. I get that... but still very little mention of how frustrating this has all been for supporters. Maybe be slightly conciliatory about the state of things? -T— Total Soccer Show (@TotalSoccerShow) December 4, 2018
Yeah, I miss the golden days of yore where flamboyant "Saviors" hit us with that sharp analysis and visionary detail as to those "Proactive Measures which will bring Progressive and Fundamental Transformation to the US game and elevate this backwards MLS ridden Soccerpool to a full Citizen of that Vibrant and Dynamic World that is our International Future". Gregg just doesn't have that kind of Capital idea, does he?......... It took about a year to get a real feel for what was the reality on the ground of a US team led by "Savior". Gregg may be a less exhalted gent but, nevertheless, I think I'll hold off through the Gold Cup before I decide to Damn him to the 8th Circle of Hell.
Ah yes, when you can't actually make a good argument, just keep going back to the previous coaches. And wanting answers that mean something = 8th circle of hell, good to know. Does that mean my expectation that we'll beat Panama /at least tie Costa Rica in the next camp is the 9th circle?
Anyone want to read too much into the fact that GB must have already had the USMNT job when he sold Steffan to Man. City? We know Steffan was home sick the last time he went overseas. A little insight into GB's thinking on these things as he could have easily told him to just stay in MLS. Probably overthinking it, but what else do we have to do?
I'm with you. But watching the way the media bashed Klinsman over and over and over with his opening press conference quote must give pause to Berhalter. To this day, they are hanging JK with that. It can be done. Our players are better than the players in Columbus. You just have to not worry about results in the next 5-6 friendlies. Not caring about friendly results is just not in the DNA of the fan base, press pool, or USSF board. With the ridiculous delay in hiring GB, there is little appetite to go out and give up cheap goals trying to play out of the back. Losing to Panama at home 2-1 on Jan. 27th is probably something no one in American soccer can deal with. But that is the price. JK was too results orientated from the beginning. Even if he was a good enough coach to teach the players, he never really tried as he felt beating Italy or whomever was the most important. But it didn't help that he got such bad press for his early results.
You must have been asleep. Bruce Arena was very clear on how we needed to play when he came back in Nov 2016. He specifically emphasized passing in the midfield and incisive passes into the final 3rd. Were you one of the posters who ate it up and were dancing up and down about how wonderful it was going to be now that we had real tactical direction? How did that turn out? Klinsmann was also very clear about "proactive" which he stressed started with a backline which could play the ball on the ground out the back increasing speed and tempo as we moved up the field with one touch passes. Klinsmann also spent a lot of time talking about his "tactical building blocks". Bradley was famously so detailed and structured in how he wanted to play that many players complained that he took all the "fun" out of playing for the NT. You may be giddy over the standard soccer 101 memes that Berhalter trotted out but don't accuse our former coaches of lacking in tactical plans. It is all just words until the other team shows up to play.
I think for ZS's case, during NT camp he's surrounded by players who are scattered all over Europe making it work, fighting homesickness etc. I really think to be considered in our nucleus, you have to be playing in Europe, striving for Champions League soccer or playing in a top 4 league. Have to be, players right now contracted at Dortmund, Schalke, RB Leipzig, Newcastle, Wolfsburg, PSG. There is simply no reason for him to stay another reason at the Crew when Horvath is making the CL TOTW and turning heads vs Italy. He's come a long way since UMD, but it was time to go. Challenge yourself Zack, good luck.
It doesn't sound vague to me. He's done tons of shows today. Answered all the questions directly. Hey, we can't say anything for certain until we see the guy coach a few months. But at this moment he seems easily the best communicator of all the previous coaches.
After sexy Juergen, I’m delighted with smart and solid Gregg. I think he’s the ideal guy for the job.
The tactics from Sarachan have been either non-existent or abysmal. Our players looked far worse - even with time & soace - with the National team than they did with their club sides. We almost never pressured the ball, and when we did win it, as you point out, we generally had no idea what to do with it - or more often than had a heavy touch and lost it
I think we never calmed down. I think that's because when we finally got the ball, there wasn't much direction, all the players wanted to do was get rid of it and either pass it back (which often ended with the ball back at the GK for a long-ball) or launch it forward. Very few sustained pieces of possession, despite not too much pressure by the other teams.
I encourage everyone to listen to Berhalter’s post press conference media tour stops. Extratime radio and Grant Wahl’s pod were really intriguing. Gregg is a great interview and can tell he really takes pride in himself, his teams and his country. He explicitly said that players need to earn call-ups by playing with their clubs, and that he failed in Sweeden and learned a lot in coaching and life since. After going to MLS Cup he’s heading to Europe to meet with players based abroad. The process sucked, and I’m still in disbelief that they weren’t sympathetic to the fans yesterday and even said that hiring a coach was done as fast as possible... insane. However, Gregg seems like a good hire and I expect him to win the Gold Cup, finish first in his WCQ group, win the hex, and advance us to the round of 8. Anytning less would be selling ourselves short.
Yeah, the process sucked. I called him as the front runner a long time ago. It was obvious that Cordeiro was handing this over to the "soccer people" which these days means the Dutch contingent and the exUSMNT members. It was obvious they were going to hire the guy with the most caps, who speaks Dutch and has a UEFA license. So why the wait? Well, shortcuts in the hiring process hurt us before. For better or worse, this is the new way.
Another good article. http://www.sportingnews.com/us/socc...not-his-trophy-case/73ff127y5ol412z3eny1uqcvd “Columbus spent a little more than $136,000 in payroll for every point it accumulated in the 2018 regular season. Toronto spent $726,000. [...]Over the past four years, Columbus has fielded three different primary strikers: Kei Kamara, Ola Kamara and Gyasi Zardes. Each finished a season among the league’s top-five goal scorers. Berhalter’s system has been able to generate high-quality scoring opportunities regardless of which player was tasked with finishing the job.”
This seems to be the company spin from USSF. But the Red Bulls probably were at $100,000 per point and Philly, RSL, and some others were in between most likely. USSF should just try to stop being so insecure and spinning everything. Just say they waited for the real reason (had to clear out Sunil and Flynn and his cronies, save money, didn't care, all the above) and stop with fluffing up Berhalter's doing more with less. Good coaches, especially international coaches, come from all kinds of places with all kinds of resumes. Greg will stand or not on his own going forward. But waiting 10 months to start the coaching search is just indefensible and they should just apologize and get on with things.
Here’s my quote. Please show me the part where I accused Bradley and Arena of not having tactical plans? I’m not going to rehash Klinsmann, but there is a long enough history of his own players complaining about his lack of tactical plans. I recall perhaps one press conference where he spoken tactically. Otherwise it was platitudes. If all you heard was Soccer 101, can’t help you. But as Berhalter said on MLS Radio podcast “it’s simple stuff”. It’s about clarity, communication and consistency. And that’s what he was in addressing the options regarding a 10. You heard the Charlie Brown teacher voice; I heard clarity and executable tactics. Back to Bradley and Arena. Bradley was better than he’s given credit for. It was simply that he had peak Donovan and Dempsey, it was how he used them, especially 2009-2010. The malinged, misunderstood “empty bucket” was an intelligent accommodation to our talent that depended on Dempsey and Donovan doing enormous two-way work. It failed finally because he never found the right deep mid partnership. (Rico Clarke anyone? If only Jones had healed in time.) Arena had probably one brilliant tactical momnet: against Mexico 2002. Otherwise his strength was man management. Oh, and those 2002 games were at 2 and 4 in the morning my time. I assume you i was not “asleep”
In two posts you hit on the central conundrum and why I think it is interesting Steffan is heading to unknown European playing time. If playing with your club is the most important thing, as you say he said, than why wouldn't Steffan stay in Columbus? Will GB really not call him in if he is the back up at ManCity? Is the back up at ManCity really not in our player pool? This is why all talk of, "players have to be playing with their clubs" is just a veiled way of saying that players should be in MLS where they will start with no competition. That players shouldn't push themselves because doing so could get you off the national team. That Tyler Adams and Zack Steffan will now not be worthy of a call over Dax McCarty and Luis Robles.