I think this is to me and if so agree. Except for the part where you think that Adams should (not could) play the underlapping RB. That's crazy talk man.
A couple of last things - yes, Mexico is up. But, we shouldn't be down. The talent pool is as good as it's ever been. Sarge is a young guy trying to break into the BL Puli is a part time player with a upper level PL squad. McKennie is a rising BL star. Morales is a BL starter. Boyd had a good season in Turkey last season. Steffen is a BL starter who made the best IX already this season. We've never had 6 guys playing at that level. Filling in, we had 3 decent MLS defenders out there. A young guy at Ajax. We played Trapp, but we didn't have to, there were other, better options. This team should not *suck*, which is what it's doing now. I heard some guy reference Koeman's slow build at Atlanta. The problem with that comparison is the Koeman has the exact same guys, for 5 practices/week, for months in a row. He has all the time in the world to build his system. GB gets to call in a different mixed bag, 4-5 times/year. And, even then, he doesn't even keep his best players for the full time. How the hell is he going to completely change the way people play, when he has different guys in every time, and doesn't even keep his best players around to maximize building the foundation he wants to build? It doesn't make any sense at all. Does he realize he's not a club coach anymore? Why only keep your best players for 1/2 the time they are available, if you're trying to completely re-make the style of play? There is just so much stupid going on.
I was with you up to a point. Here are the facts though: In 7 game GGG is 0-6-1 against Martino. GGG's "The System" has produced 2 goals in those matches and given up 14. Tata is by all objective measures a far superior coach to GGG. We should have hired him over Gregg, or at the very least interviewed him.
This really is a good piece of it in a nutshell. He's envisioning what a well organized, possession passing team would look like, teaching/organizing the skills necessary to make it happen, and then watching it fail to happen and he can't seem to understand why it's failing and seems to think it's more about mentality and approach, rather than talent deficits, and skill deficits. He's wrong, he's selecting the wrong team for it because we lack most of the players necessary to run it at "prime" age groups, and would still struggle to do it, even if we went full scale youth due to lack of experience. It's that classic bind. The guys w/the experience, lack the skills to execute it, and the guys with the skills to execute it, lack the experience to be able to do it without making some crazy mistakes he can't live with (and that might be generous in suggesting a team made up almost entirely of U23's actually could do it, but they sure as hell could do it better than the ones he insists on choosing). So he's stuck. He can live in denial, or he can scrap this until all the kiddies like Gio reyna, Pomykal, Ledezma, Soto, Sargent, Mendoza etc are ready to join the handful of in their prime or not quite ready for the scrap heap guys who can also hack it. He's living in an inbetween world where he thinks he can coach up his loyal Cbus players+favorite vets (a perennial past time of former player coaches is overreliance on veterans when) into this style of play but failing to recognize that they can hack it playing Minnesota or Real Salt Lake, but freaking Uruguay, Mexico, or the Netherlands? Not a chance. Heck Venezuela/Jamaica/Curacao, not a chance either. Rather than own these problems, he continues to force this issue, demanding they take their lumps while transitioning into a style of play they can't and won't ever be able to execute, let alone given time and more experience in it. It's beyond asinine and yet here we are. He's like that 1970's/1980's/Armageddon grizzled mechanic in an action movie learning the young 'en in how to fix a malfunctioning piece of equipment by just whacking at it enough times w/the nearest blunt metal object. He doesn't seem to get that that was just a ----- Hollywood movie, and in reality, if you just wack delicate, NASA, space station material with the nearest wrench, it breaks. Ditto the ineffectual never was call ups he keeps insisting on humiliating in the USMNT uniform. Wasn't Venezuela, Jamaica, and Curacao humiliating enough? Must we continue to psychically damage the fragile ego's of these domestic players who aren't remotely good enough for a Concacaf roadie, let alone legit competition with call ups, and forced starts/sub in's utilizing this system that's totally beyond their ability to understand and execute against anyone better than an U9 all star team? It's enough already.
I don't think any of that matters nearly as much as the players being confused and scared to screw up his precious moronic tactics matters. We've got guys manking panicked hospital ball passes in the box to one another out of terror that they won't make the next 23 if they just launch a long ball to Des Moines. It's ridiculous. i see a team that's equal parts: Neurotic, anxious, confused, uninspired, and worst of all "THINKING" instead of playing. When you're doing it right, it's almost intutive. You know where your teammates are, you have an idea where the best ball should go, and it's like flipping your blinker before you turn left or right, you don't even realize you did it, it's so automatic. Instead the players are constantly acting like some neurotic in a Woody Allen movie, or me as a 19 year old trying to ask a girl out. It's ridiculous. We're trying to get to flow state, and instead we look like a collection of guys that can't remember if they took their anti-anxiety meds, and just can't function unless they did and damn it, I can't remember because my wife and kids were talking to me when i picked up the pill box and what was that again.... It just feels like that perpetually. It's funny. I never thought it could be worse than the sheer horror of watching a gang of entitled lay abouts loaf their way to the most humilitatingly bad qualifying campaign in US Soccer History and yet, it is, because it least those guys knew what they were doing. They were just carried unearned esteem in their own talents and ability to turn around the campaign and the in game and hexagonal results, then suddenly, in one twenty minute stretch, the roof caved in, and even then they couldn't believe it was actually happening (hence Bradley's loafing effort to the corner pole). But now? Now we play like that fifth grader that actually cried when he struck out in little league, or had a tantrum when he gave up a home run, just a neurotic bunch of idiots that can't figure out that it isn't their fault that they suck, it's the coaches fault that he doesn't recognize that they aren't remotely up to the task. They weren't good enough 3 years ago when we were bottom feeders, they won't be good enough three years from now when idiot Berhalter is long gone, and they aren't good enough now. It's not there fault they suck, they just do. And Berhalter, part of me thinks, "Nah," to your post, but then I think, "didn't that one article mention that is brother is an epic c word, and totally despised at soccer house? That he's unaccountable AND that his word is law, and the brooks no dissent? Kinda sounds like his idiot brother trying to trash a reporter friday night doesnt it? Trying to coachspeak him, when he doesnt realize we've all been watching soccer for decades, and can smell bad soccer like a Tampa Bay Mutiny team's porta potty from a mile away. He's behaving w/the same sort of epic dbaggery his brother supposedly does, even to the extent of excommunicating players who run afoul of his approach. Maybe, just maybe, not only does he suck, but maybe he's that kind of <expletive>, and not the little junior accountant sucking up to the JP Morgan exec. Not sure. Only thing I'm positive about is that he's an inflexible moron w/the least impressive CV since Sampson, and unlike Sampson, Berhalter didn't and will never take a team to the Semifinals of the Copa America, let alone while it suffering from labor strife so severe the players almost refused to play in the tournament. Worst USMNT coach EVER, and that says a lock considering we've just had Klinsy, and Arena's corpse as our coach the past decade.
Berhalter has a really weird mix of coaching scared and coaching incredibly arrogantly. I see this thing getting uuugly. Our systemic weaknesses under Gregg play to the strength of historical C'CAF mid weights like Jamaica and Canada who now have loads of pace which will gut either Bradley or Trapp right thru the middle. I also frankly think our CB pool is weaker than its been in awhile. And our fullbacks outside Yedlin are pretty young and untested. And our GK situation is considerably worse than historical levels. So our entire defensive shield, GK to back four to DM is arguably the worst we've seen in decades. Adams at DM would help but who knows if that is even tried. Then our CM's who are ok, can't even excel in doing what they do well because they'll be pinned back covering for the worst defensive of this century. Throw in Gregg's #1 CF who couldn't even control a ballon with his feet. Also, who's gonna step up and be a legit weapon, a legit force next to Pulisic. He was pretty alone last cycle outside Clint. I hope folks remember the Hex, full of Pulisic getting surrounded and hacked down and refs swallowing their whistle. That will be the playbook on us, combined with ripping us apart with pace on the counter. I don't currently see an answer to those problems with the current setup or coach or to an extent, the player pool.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states/story/3939002/us-soccer-ceo-dan-flynn-to-step-down Cute bit of work they have set up, all but officially confirmed. Flynn was going to retire end of the cycle but waits for the next coach to be hired. In doing so he allows them to circumvent Berhalter-Berhalter nepotism concerns. He then sets up Berhalter to take his soccer position after the Berhalter hire, but defends the coach choice by saying the brother is commercial side. So they get their guy and then the brother is ultimately on the soccer side after all. So we know how fast that firing decision will get made. On a related note, Stewart, who kept Curtin employed for years, is the man with initial hiring and firing power, and after we finish GC (in second) his portfolio is expanded out to hiring all male YNT coaches as well. So Berhalter is the "success" that got him promoted, so we know how fast he would move on that. The part of concern to me is the improvement of the field product itself is not happening. These are all bureaucratic victories. If anything the team is worse than last year. My hope is an ageing Panama team gets us down to 4th not moving a muscle. But we will still have to shove aside at least one of Mexico, CR, and Honduras to get there. And for a team with field product issues the effort has gone into the office side, the vigilance on the soccer side is slack, and the missionary vibe is high for a team with a practical necessity of moving up slots. Alternative hope: the FIFA rankings gambit gets rid of some of our competition before we hit the Hex. ES and Jamaica stay ahead of Panama on rank. But every team I'm worried about who were ahead of us last time would still make the Hex. So you're going to need a high functioning machine capable of getting the results.
I have decided if you wanted Berhalter saved you might schedule Mexico because some would perceive that as not placing in doubt our future. The runaway first place doesn't imperil a top 3 finish. However if we had to play CR or Honduras A teams right now then the question would be squarely raised, and there is a good chance the answer would be unsatisfactory. In plain English, do you think we would beat any of the big 3 right now? Not just Mexico. Even CR or Honduras. You have to beat one of the three to go directly to Qatar. So you might want to work on some psychology to make that happen BEFORE qualifying next year. Drum up they need to be March opponents. Because if we can't beat Mexico for sure, and then also one or both of the next two qualifier-quality teams.......you should know all you need to know on the coach. They would also be good odds for LoN semis, but that would be summer 2020.
The 1994 team is a great example. They were awful. And yet.... 1-1 vs Switzerland 2-1 over a Colombia that ripped the eventual champion, Brazil, to pieces just a year or so earlier and was a tournament favorite. Yeah, own goal, so what, we still had them down 2-0 until very late on, a team that put 5 in against Brazil. 0-1 to Romania 0-1 to Brazil where we were dominated, and yet one flukey mistake and we equalize and are up a man (I think around halftime the red card career wrecking of Tab happened). The following year: Copa America '95: 2-1 over Chile 0-1 to Bolivia 3-0 over an Argentine team that pushed Brazil to penalties in the quarterfinals. and allowed us to win the group 0-0 vs Mexico (we won on penalties) 0-1 loss to Brazil in the semifinals. 1-4 thrashing to Colombia in the bronze game. Think about that. The '94-'95 team flat out did not have the talent base the 2017 or 2019 USMNT has, especially if you consider the young players. However look at the freaking results. How did it happen? Brilliant coaching and man management in '93-'94, and an outstanding job by Sampson in supposedly building the team around the players, allowing them to play a more aggressive, confident brand of soccer they believed they could do, and did so. Those teams featured excellent communication, clarity, reasonable flexibility, leadership, and self-belief despite their lack of bona fides. This team? It's Behalters Monster, and it's uglier than Mary Shelley's version.
I would just like to take issue with all this crap about how we need to play "good" soccer. Since when is it not good soccer anytime you show an ounce of pragmatism? Were all the winning teams around the world that did not play exclusively short passes on the ground playing "bad" soccer? And all the talk about wanting soccer to be attractive. Who thinks playing short passes around your defensive end until your center back chips it to the other team is attractive? Who does not find a quick attack attractive? Is playing defense too unattractive to matter anymore? This value of judging aesthetics over results as if these things are all inherently better is just one big circular argument that lets you explain away any shortcomings by refusing to break these absurd principles that apparently Ernie and Gregg agree on. That may be well and good and accepted in some places, but I feel extremely strongly that the way you grow the fan base in the US is by winning, not by being pretty. I cannot remember one major sports star in the US that was judged on aesthetic merit without also loading up on trophies. Jordan's dunks were fun to watch, but without 6 championships, no one would have cared. Good soccer is soccer that wins games. Everything else is some vanity attempt to get people to say nice things about you after you lose.
Well, do you mean what he's doing (yes) or how he's doing it (no)? If Egg doesn't understand by now that his midfield is a wasteland, he'll be fired before long. We didn't hire Stewart to sit around picking his nose. he needs to get into Egg's grits and hire a specialist as an assistant manager and straighten out his midfield. It's always preferable when a manager can be hired and left alone. What happens when it starts to go wrong? I think when we deal with a guy whose resume consists of being fired at Hammarby and otherwise managing the Crew, it's not at all unreasonable to stage an intervention, especially with the clubby nature of US Soccer, when we are talking about competitions v. Mexico, Uruguay and the Hex, etc. Management by committee doesn't have to be bad.
I don't care if you wish we played prettier, the far greater sin to me is a giveaway in your own defensive third as opposed to launching the ball to Mars. The ball to Mars denies the initial line of pressure that giveaway. I also think that trying to pass the ball straight up the middle of the field is some childish stuff, even if we took possession and passing as something we could do. A lot of the damage recently has been keeper passes played right up the middle, bad passes right up the gut, being caught in possession or losing the ball trying to wall pass right up the middle. I mean to me half the point to this 433 should be spread them out and get the ball going wide and using the space between the chalk lines. And yet we're very compact and basically a pretty version of Route 1.
So, 4 BL players, 1 EPL, 1Turkey How many of Mexico's players on Friday were BL players? I can't think of any.
As I’ve said before, ask any Leicester City fan if they cared that the 2015-16 team played an allegedly boring counter-attacking style of play instead of a “nice” brand of possession soccer. I’m sure they will point to the Premier League trophy and say they really don’t care how it was won.
Yup, and you won't find a much more pragmatic country full of sports fans who considering winning the only thing that matters like you will find in the US. Want the team to reflect the country, there you go.
He should be on a short leash. This was a value hire. The value needs to promptly manifest or it, bluntly, doesn't really exist. If we're going to blame the talent again at this level then he isn't the coach we need. Maybe if given the Brazil job his value unlocks. Yeah, I think most of ours would. Since people are mentioning we had far worse teams that did far better qualifying, a point relevant to that is we weren't all up our own butts about the clubs we had people at and the style we were trying to play. This was pre-snob when the primary goal was winning and putting together sets of players til they could do that. Club status was not a gold card onto the field. Prettiness did not trump results. In terms of personnel, Layer 1 of that is the Trapps of the world who don't belong. But layer 2 is we don't even know what position(s) our good players should be in just to maximize them. Where do Pulisic, Adams, and McKennie play? Exactly. So neither the top nor back end is being handled right. Mind you, historically Landon and Dempsey got moved around. But it wasn't done for the f*ck of it, we doublechecked that by results. At some point style became its own end, and the fridge-door-anecdote of being proud of where the boys were playing became a perceived proxy for how to achieve that success. It is now a perfectly acceptable argument in some quarters to just drop the gauntlet of where x plays his club ball, regardless how he looks for the USA. I also think that Concacaf has improved around us as the rest of the region professionalizes and uses MLS and itself plays abroad. Curacao was a very organized and fairly technical bunch. This needs to be optimized to ensure success in a much more competitive environment, and isn't. We're regressing right as the chase pack gets their crap together. Last, whoever thought some tiki taka dream sequence is the answer to Concacaf is trying to escape the region and not play within it. I notice a lot of the same people also wish we merged with CONMEBOL or UEFA or something else that will never happen. Which is usually an ego rager ignoring where we actually finished for 2018. Too good for Concacaf, and increasingly too good to bother winning as often.
Stop. It’s been true that if a player got meaningful minutes over an extended period of time at a major league they were almost always starting for the USMNT. Heck, it used to be you’d get national team time if you had any Europeans dirt on your cleats but those days are gone and buried.
no. no. no. kenny cooper playing at manU used to get you a cap. club status was a scouting tool. But once here it came down to performance. if we instead figured out in reality you were mid-table FCD Kenny Cooper, your use adjusted. it didn't use to become a 10 year lease on starting the position you play. the problem is when it went from opening the door -- here is your special chance -- to your deadbolt keeping the next guy out no matter how you play. people don't say x deserves a cap and we'll see how he does. they think dest or brooks or whoever is incredible before they show up. it's basically the champions league effect. the snobs want their TV viewing justified by seeing those players again on the NT as starters. the thing being that should be an earned privilege and not just let's assume the people i watch on TV are better than our other options. there was a shift roughly when JK was running the team where club affiliation became a proxy for quality. he pushed those ideas. however i think he was thinking about himself -- some standout at an english club -- obvious crap anyway -- and not the far more complicated job we have where we have few if any stars in elite leagues, a lot more worker bees (even pulisic where he plays), and a much more difficult job of separating trash from treasure when the team is scattered across a dozen leagues and sometimes as many as three levels of the pyramids. there is actually an easy answer to that. what we used to do. club affiliation gets you initial cap(s), alongside other scouting considerations. that then goes out the window and the best 23 players in the jersey stay. the mess is when the snobs wanted club ball constantly on the scales even if the performance isn't there. we've now become incapable of dealing with our issues because eg steffen is making bad passes and handing goals away, but that's our german golden boy. the abstract theory now trumps practical reality. he is supposed to be the best ergo he shall be treated as such. no surprise in that environment few of our players show up routinely and play well.
I can't keep up with all this thread but there do seem to be people who want to forget that we often don't have some guys like Tyler Adams or Jozy Altidore or John Brooks available. If you really think a big problem has been that Gyassi Zardes got time over Josh Sargent... ok? Gyassi still showed up on the scoreboard. Sargent gets a pass for that pen, I'm sure. I can't get worked up about Yeuill getting some bad sub minutes over Pomykal just yet. We can agree Dest wasn't the solution right? I don't think there's much pro-MLS or Crew favoritism here - but we have been embarrassed a few times by our ambition. A few times it's looked good.
wil trapp and zardes are at their ceilings. from an aging curve perspective zardes is probably closer to decline. meanwhile dest is 18. i dont really follow your argument here at all
Are you saying that Kenny Cooper got playing time at ManU? I, in fact, said meaningful minutes in the major leagues. Second, do you know when Kenny debuted for the USMNT? Do you know what league he was playing in? C’mon.
The question is: do you think the "always play it short" is a permanent direction? Or is this Berhalter's version of the Hoosier's "five passes before you shoot" and "my team is on the floor"? Did he simply want the team to try to play through a tough, aggressive, talented press so they could try to work against it? So that he could get film and show them what they need to work on over the next year? There's no way to learn building against a press if you go over the top every time one show up, right away. I don't know if that's what Berhalter is doing. But with Nations League ... we aren't going to get a good match againt tough opposition again soon. If you wanted to see this team force it against good opposition in a game that doesn't count ... this was it.