I'd say not really, but then again the Gold Cup final was his only real opportunity for one thus far. Friendly win last night would've been nice and even heartening, but at the same I wouldn't be championing that result as a definitively great moment for Berhalter and the U.S. had it happened.
midtable coaching tactics. he subbed the precise same 3 guys in -- including roldan and lovitz -- in the semis and final of GC. i say midtable because a winning team usually gets that different games cannot possibly call for one size fits all subbing and tactics. it basically shows you are pushing buttons in a sequence and a prepared timing rather than adjusting to the field play.
I'm only half joking in that right now, I'd prefer Julie Ertz as the CDM/#6 over Trapp or Bradley. At least Ertz has that destroyer mentality and understands what that position should do. If this match doesn't show Berhalter that Tyler Adams MUST be this team's #6, I don't know what will ever convince him while the USMNT senior team continues to circle down the toilet.
The most disappointing player was Morris. He earned the pk and he should have taken it. This is not a video game, you don't get XP for scoring a national team goal.
Today I had time to regurgitate my thoughts from last night's game. It is clear to me that GB is not getting the job done. I think we had the players to make it more respectable of a game. We had a hard time making 1-touch passes in all areas of the field. If you want to break a Mexican press you have to able to complete your 1-touch game. We couldn't and continuously gave the ball away. That is why McKennie and Morales looked disorganized. CG had the wrong players on the field. He should have had Sargent as a forward that can help hold on to the ball and is more dynamic in offense than Zardes. He should have started Paxton to partner up with McKennie and moved Morales to the 6 That would have given him more possession on the ball. Trapp was just too slow at reacting and his passing under duress was not good. I would have started Dest at his customary RB position where he is more comfortable, after all, it was his first game with us. Long and Zimerman are not good at passing from the back. If I was the coach and I realized we couldn't hold on to the ball and each time we end up giving it to Mexico because they were perfectly placed to intercept the ball, I would have instructed my players to start to play man-to-man even when we have the ball. That would have made any pass a 50-50 situation, thus, breaking everyone's rhythm and Mexico would no longer have a clear advantage.
i feel like im missing out on having a strong take on the pk. that was like 27th on the list of things just making me miserable and i can only spend so much time picking each individual one apart. big picture though our set pieces in general are pretty dire, i know that. i have no clue who this team can bury a penalty. no clue who can put a "shooting" fk on frame. i know weve got miazga, brooks, long and zimmerman and cant find them in the box roughly 96.3% of the time, which is freaking ridiculous in concacaf. so you guys figure out the pk thing and let me know. im focusing on other things.
I got a headache from all the mentions of the "Gold Cup". As for the usmnt, they are irrelevant until they straighten out this mess. Fortunately there was a decent tennis match I could switch back and forth to.
I'm skipping next game. I have missed one game (1-1 tie against Honduras in 2014 Friendly, I had a class) in the last 9 years since WC2010. ******** Gregg, and ******** the USSF.
I can't believe I'm writing this, but I don't think Sunil Gulati would have tolerated a year-long interim situation just to hire an incompetent boob to further light the ashes of the program on fire. For all his faults, Sunil understood that having a team that could actually get results in big games was important for the long-term trajectory of the program. If Sunil were in charge, he'd probably be seeking alternatives to Berhalter today.
I just suffered through the first half again. Will need to take a break before watching the second. I am going to only focus on the goal for now. I know some will focus on Dest getting beat, which of course he did, but just about everyone of the 8 guys back could have done better. The whole sequence was quite disturbing and a potential sign this group will leak goals against decent competition. Going from left to right.. 1. Dest doesnt get his legs closed quick enough 2. Pulisic is passively providing support, had he been more "engaged" he probably could have picked Tecatito up. 3. Long doesnt pressure the ball, but just drops into the path of the ball. He is actually a few yards more central when the cross is hit. It doesnt appear these center back are aware that pressuring the ball is the first concept in defending. 4. Morales drops in toward goal. Yay, he does what a 10 yo is taught to do. 5. Zimmerman is guarding space wide of the near post when the cross his hit. 6. Trapp watches Chicharito run right be him centrally without any communication to teammates and drops into the middle and marks space. 7. Cannon is marking his man on the far post, but let's him get a step on him as he makes a run near post. 8. Boyd watches Chicharito run centrally and wide attacker from higher up the pitch and starts to try to get to Chicharito way too late. That is just aweful team defending. The best of that play was a central midfielder dropping into the box when a cross is coming in and a right back almost marking his man.
id absolutely take jozy on direct fks and pks- couldnt love him more- but i also think we need to move on from him asap. pomykal is someone i should have mentioned, he took most set pieces with the u20s and didnt miss horrifically with every single one so theres that. gotta get a starting spot first, though...
i agree with your first point, but think the conclusion to your second would be "...and the list would begin and end with bringing klinsmann back"
One thing I didn't mention in my first post is that the guys we did have do not appear to be overachieving as much is the guys we had previously. Instead of getting angry and fighting, these guys get angry and whine at the referee. Our play used to force Mexico to lose their cool, now it's the opposite. We have a lost generation, do we also now have a soft generation? Herc Gomez mentioned the softness on Twitter.
Wrong. Not just objectively wrong, but subjectively wrong as well. His teams were far more direct and bruising than his flowery language would suggest to the casual observer, but he got more out of a shallower talent pool than GGG has ever done. Not even close. I'd take Jurgen now over GGG. Hell, if the old guard retired from international play, I'd take Arena over GGG, let alone someone who's a really good coach like Almeyda.
Guess I don't mean a great victory over a great team, but more of just the team looking great. Even the pre-GC friendlies were a chance to have a great result from my perspective (ie. just having the team playing cohesive attracting soccer). Besides the first two games, it seems like it's been a downward spiral.
Lol this has to be true rock bottom - wishing Sunil was back in charge. Can’t say I disagree though - almost anything has to be better than this. Is Berhalter really going to fire his own brother?