Probably. We lost a final at home. By being completely unprepared. Against a manager who failed with the Olympic team and has yet to win a single playoff game since. It was the most terrible failure of the Berhalter era, wasting an all time great season from Kei Kamara, the last season in which Higuain was a functioning adult on the soccer field, and the best season of the Berhalter era from the midfield 2 in Trapp and Higuain. It sucked. If you still aren't disgusted by that game, especially seeing what Porter has to offer this team through 17 games. I have no idea what to tell you.
I was in St. Thomas, as my future sister in law's wedding, watching the ending to the semi-finals, realizing that we were going to host MLS Cup. We were flying back the night before MLS Cup, and ran into bad weather in Charlotte, and had our flight to Dayton canceled. The next flights to Dayton (where we flew out of) were the next day. That wasn't going to work for me, as it would be a stretch to get to MLS Cup. Instead, we were able to split the group up into different flights heading to Columbus. I was on the first flight back, arriving around 10 p.m. or so, and after landing, I was able to find a friend to pick me up from the airport and drive me to my fiance's parents house in Grove City (where we carpooled to Dayton from) so I could grab my car. We made a few trips to pick up family members as their flights arrived, with the cars growing in number as more people got back to the house to grab their cars. Amanda's parents hosted everyone for the night, and the next day, they helped coordinate driving the rest of the family members to Dayton to pick up their cars from the airport, and I was able to attend MLS Cup. After that disaster by Steve Clark, I started wishing that I just stayed in Charlotte and skipped the game.
I'm not sure. You'd probably need to put the actual statements in front of me. In another thread several weeks back I mentioned that I would rather have Berhalter as manager than Porter. Today I mentioned that such a statement does not mean we should kept Berhalter on as manager or extended him after 5 trophy-less seasons. Neither of those statements is in conflict with the position that Porter completely out coached Berhalter and embarrassed him, the Crew and their fans in MLS Cup 2015.
Not really. I've discussed this here and elsewhere already. I'll provide the shortest version for the laziest among us here who haven't will, patience, or intellectual capacity to recognize earlier arguments. I think Berhalter's five years within the team without a trophy and with diminishing results post 2015 necessitated a change. I was extremely unhappy with the Porter hiring. I have been even more disappointed by his managing. If we were in a post apocalyptic world where only two managers were available to manage this team and they were Berhalter and Porter then I think Berhalter could get more out of this team despite the fact that Porter completely outcoached him in 2015 MLS Cup. I recognize we don't live in a post apocalyptic world and think there were many better choices for the Columbus Crew than Berhalter or Porter, just as I believe there were better choices than Behalter for the USMNT. I come to these conclusions living in the real world.
I’ll say. Kind of ballsy to make so many changes against the biggest challenge of the group, and after back to back wins.
Not sure about ballsy, but back to back wins in group stage is exactly the time to experiment and get the bench involved in case you need them in a deep run, or need an emergency tactics change.
Experiment and bench involvement yes, but all 11? Against your toughest group matchup? *So far*, it’s paying off.