Tata makes a lot of sense. It just really should not be the next man up from the USSF/MLS cadre. Forget the symbolism, we're not going to have the talent to make ho-hum work in the next cycle. The manager will actually have to add value to the equation.
I'd take Vermes in the short term. Just put a guy in place that knows most of the players so he can sort out a few friendlies and hopefully pull in the 'lesser known' players into the talent pool. The real move is who gets names the next 'head/president of USSF". Desperately need new blood there. Get him in and then let HIM decide on a coach/philosophy for the future. I just see bringing in a top coach now as a waste and potentially rule him out for the future when he would be needed.
Right, for Wagner or Tata Martino their connections to US Soccer is more about our pitch to them than their pitch to us. It indicates that they might be interested in the job. But if a good international candidate with no US Soccer connection is interested, that should not be a negative.
Key factors: 1. Arena needs to go immediately. 2. The dead weight over age 27 and everyone over 30ish needs to be done immediately save for a possible farewell game for the 3-5 top old guys. 3. The most likely core guys ages 17-22 need to start getting reps alongside the top players under 27 already in the pool. 4. While we need a new coach immediately, we also need to take whatever time is needed to get the right guy for the 2022 cycle. In light of all of the above, I think the immediate answer is Tab Ramos, as bad as I hate to admit that. He knows the young player pool better than anyone and is already on the payroll and could and would take the job as a caretaker. I'm not sold on him as a long-term option, but I would be on board with him at least through the November friendlies and possibly as far as the May pre-WC friendlies if it takes that long to get our guy. My best guesses on the long-term choice would be Tata starting in January or Wagner starting in June.
That's a good thought--it just reinforces how many options we might have if we wait until next July to hire the permanent replacement.
We can do this well, we have all the time in the world now. PS: Can't just kick Gulati out, FIFA punishes any form of government or popular interference.
Based on Arena's and Gualti's statements after Tuesday's The End of the World event there is a good chance Arena will ride his contract out till next Summer (unless he resigns which i doubt he would do, he is a blowhard, wanted to stay after disastrous WC2006). Won't be surprised to see him coaching same bunch of clowns during November FIFA break if he convinces Gulati that November friendlies are needed badly for our struggling program.
If this happens, I would love to see the likes of Yedlin and Pulisic declines any call ups during this time, and instead focus on their club careers.
I want someone with at least a little bit of foreign experience (either as a player or manager), in any foreign league. So my top two picks are: Gregg Berhalter, and Steve Cherundolo. David Wagner would be a fine choice as well. Nobody's bringing up his name, but Paunovic won a u-20 World Cup, which is nothing to sneeze at. I feel he would bring back a bit of the "Bora" era of heart and determination to US soccer. Pareja has a lot of South American experience, and has done wonders with FC Dallas, so I feel he could handle the slog of CONCACAF. Vieira has the pedigree and resume, but I'm worried he would turn out be Klinsmann 1.2 (instead of 2.0).
Tata if we hire now. Or, Tab as interim coach until after Gulati loses the election and his successor picks, when Tata would still be a god choice. But, I get the argument to get rid of Gulati before selecting he coach for the next cycle.
As much as I admire the guy, he is not the one to rebuild this program and get us through Concacaf. Also has zero knowledge or connection to US player base. His last team, Ghana, also just failed to qualify for WC by the way.
I have seen Tata Martino in action prior to his Atlanta days, and he is not the man to take the USA program forward. He is neither an innovator, nor one who will improve a project over time. He is quite rigid tactically, and incapable of progressing his team's way of playing. His best successes, at Newell's and with Paraguay, have come in very low risk situations and neither lasted long. He is the guy who shows up as a house is finished, flips on a few lights, turns on a fan, leaves, and updates the resume as having done something. I just can't take the man seriously as a manager after seeing his work at Barcelona and with Argentina. His idea of man management was to hold asados for the players every other weekend. He actually became known as Coach Bar-B-Que, no joke. Understanding the current situation and true depth of USMNT issues is needed to get things turned around, and I can't think of anyone who checks this box in addition to being the right type of manager. I have a feeling it will be an old USMNT player. Obviously, it really all depends on who hopefully (swiftly) replaces Gulati.
Interesting, US Soccer is sitting on $100M. That would easily pay for any coach choice and also end "Pay for play" at some stage. First, the "big talk" coming up is going to be about that $100 million the USSF is sitting upon, and how to use it to end pay-to-play academies. https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017...st-no-excuses-no-good-outcomes-now-whats-plan
I'm a big SKC follower, and have followed Vermes as a player and as coach. I don't think Vermes would/should be the best next USMNT coach, but you have to give Vermes credit for developing US "youth" at SKC. Sample of USMNT players who had Vermes developing them from their start as first MLS coach Graham Zusi - from Super Draft Pick to MLS All Star, World Cup two assists, etc. Matt Besler - from Super Draft Pick to MLS All Star, World Cup starts, etc. Dom Dwyer - from Community College player to MLS ALL Star, scored in first two USMNT appearances Eric Palmer Brown - recognized his talent at age 15, signed him, and now he's with huge City Football, and was captain of U-20's. (You can knock Vermes for not playing Eric Palmer-Brown recently, but honestly, Opara and Besler are much better current CB's - proof point EPB's Own Goal that sank SKC last night against Houston) CJ Sapong, on periphery of national team after first being developed in MLS by Vermes Teal Bunbury, from draft. He didn't pan out in the long run - but for a time Teal was the new "it" for US hopes at forward. He's benched all of them, made them into hardened fighters, and so forth - all within the very small market of Kansas City. Yes, none of these are Donovan, but no one is Donovan. Vermes has a pretty good record of turning rough stones into maybe not exactly flawless diamonds, but at least into very nice gemstones. He's also turned "spoiled goods" into players who reach their peak under him, e.g. Benny Feilhaber. P.S. Like I said, I don't think Vermes would be the best fit for next USMNT manager, just giving him some credit where it is due. (Vermes has had some flameouts too, so I'm not being a blind eyed fan here).
This gets at something which I think we should avoid in looking for a manager and which I think seduced Sunil with Klinsmann for far too long. The senior team manager doesn't need to be and shouldn't be the skeleton key for transforming the entire sport in the country. They don't need to adjudicate the federation's relationship to MLS. They don't need to be the shepherd of their players club careers. They don't need to be a recruiter for dual-national talent. They don't need to over-prioritize youth development beyond what's needed for a given WC cycle. They don't need to set the tone for the national conversation on soccer. All of those things are irrelevant to the job, and have the potential to detract from the job, as they did for Klinsmann. The next manager's brief should be to qualify for Qatar and put the best possible team on the field there - that's it.
What about Opara's errors of late? Error on goal one yesterday, error on a goal the game before, error on a goal the game before that.
Every single logical thought I have says there is no chance in hell that Joachim Low would even give one second of consideration to the USMNT job. However, what better challenge could there be for someone like him to undertake? He's already won a World Cup and has a really good chance at a second one. If he enjoys a big challenge and feels like he has done all he can do with Germany perhaps . . .?? It would take the right leader replacing Gulati with the perfect sales pitch, but there's a VERY small part of me that thinks Low might listen if he wants a new challenge.
Opara hasn't been quite the same since his Grade III (yikes) concussion vs Dallas in July. He was definitely worthy of league MVP discussion up until then. All the SKC early season shutouts were mainly due to Opara - and notice SKC has very few since that injury. When SKC went down to 10 men after 15 mins in US Open Quarters vs. Dallas, I said out loud that the only way SKC wins this game is because Eric Palmer-Brown is in the game. And EPB was magnificent in pitching the shutout. I love watching EPB play (this year, in his first years he was a coin toss between brilliance and newness), so I get the frustration of not seeing him on the field. Vermes will ride a player hard, but when they earn their spot (and Opara more than earned it), they get a "little" leeway until the trend is clear. Then Vermes is totally unsentimental about benching you, possibly forever. This works well for Vermes style in a club environment where you see the players every day and you have a game or two games every week. I don't think that translates well to the International game, however.