Is this serious? Just in case it is - Klinsmann bombed once he could put his own influence on the program. The last camp was 1/3 players who exclusively grew up elsewhere and it's part of what got him fired. There was very little he was right about, and that was definitely not one of the things. Don't have the impending CEO hire his brother who force-fits an incoherent system onto the pool and have the domestic league's commish on a small board when he'll have a conflict of interest and major discretion. That could lead to also blocking players call-ups from the domestic league who are actually good and could make a transfer soon. Klinsmann likely would have been influenced by this as well. May have been the reason for his only new MLS players in Jan. camp policy. MLS made major gains during this time.
I've been a wait and see on Berhalter but I've now waited and seen. Time for a change. Players I thought were placeholders are still there and put the whole team in a hole. Lovitz can't get off a cross. Every game Roldan plays I wonder where he is. No midfielder ever looks good playing with Bradley. Go back 5-6 years and if you can remember who played with him you'll remember they all looked bad. No matter how good or bad he plays he makes those around him worse. There is never an actual #10 starting the game and usually not one the entire game. Yedlin has not advanced at all as a player. Still has stunning speed. Still has almost no good passes, shots or crosses near the box and usually makes 2-3 bad plays a game where he turns off. So no offensive help from either full back and no #10. Now comes the part of who should take over. My early favorites are Marsch because he would rip this bunch a new Ahole if they didn't up the effort ten fold and Ramos because he knows the upcoming pool better than anyone and would know immediately who's ready to move up to the main team and has no reason to keep any of the old Lions playing. I think Marsch is my favorite because he likes to press and be aggressive and I think that fits the best players who are ready. Tired of being out worked and out hustled maybe more than anything. Berhalter(s) out.
We certainly are... and there is no end in sight w/ GB at the helm. 2022 WC seems iffy at best now and only because the rest of the region is soft. Perhaps 3rd place? Doesn't seem likely now. I can't believe that the federation can't see how bad GB is. It is setting us back an entire cycle.
My prediction for the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers in CONCACAF Qualified: Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada Playoffs: Honduras Eliminated: USA, Jamaica
On this beautiful Autumn morning I was listening to SXM on my drive to work and they classified the game as an upset. It didn’t look like an upset to me. A team who hasn’t beat us in 34 yrs legitimately looked superior in most aspects. That isn’t an upset. Thanks GGG. Thanks, establishment. And where’s Cordeiro?
Yeah, let's not go down that route. Let's not reach for the "it's all about the intangibles; we need grit; we need PASSION" excuse that gets thrown out every time the USMNT struggles. Because while I think that's probably true, we were still incredibly poor technically. This was not a case of "Berhalter is too technical" - because our technical performance was pathetic and miserable. We weren't "out-passioned" last night. We were out-thought, out-planned, out-strategized, out-organized, out-techniqued, out-executed, out-played, out-produced, out-run, and out-coached - and out-passioned. People have been saying that we were losing 50/50 balls and the Canadians took better advantage. Gregg Berhalter said it himself. That's nonsense. Check the match stats. 50/50 balls were won evenly by both sides (50-50). Canadians had 9 shots to our 7. USA actually had more possession (56%). We had more corner kicks (5-1). This wasn't a case of the Canadians just had more opportunities and we didn't take ours. It wasn't that the Canadians were passionate and so fought harder and ran harder for the flag - play for the jersey, eh, play for the flag - these maple leaves don't run! What we were - all night - was clueless. That was the difference. All night. We were uncertain, lost, adrift, absent - we didn't know what to do. When we were in possession, guys dribbled slowly, looking around for an idea of what they were supposed to do next. Then they passed to the backline - presumably in some vague notion that they needed to "play out of the back", so since we don't know what to do now, let's try restarting this thing by kicking the ball back to Ream and Long. 56% possession, but we didn't have a clue what to do with it. People said we looked lethargic and slow and lacked urgency - that contributes to the image that they just weren't motivated - but what it really reflected was that they didn't know what the hell they were supposed to do next. When we got the ball, there'd be a single pass to an open man on the wings, who would dribble forward. Three attackers would go to the box. Michael Bradley would jog to midfield. And then the guy with the ball would slow down on the wing, looking around, thinking, "What do I do now?" Maybe an idle pass if someone else was close by. That guy takes the ball and continues the quiet, slow, looking back and forth for a clue. Maybe passes back. Eventually, Canadian player gets close, and then the ball is passed backwards to Aaron Long or Michael Bradley. That was our attacking plan. In defense, disorganization and disorientation. Players sort of drifting into spots with an idea that this was "their zone" - but if the Canadians tried something - anything - that mildly disrupted that, then all became chaos. Yedlin should've covered better on the opening goal - but what the hell was the rest of the defense doing? Starting from the moment of his initial giveaway, Michael Bradley spends the entire time chasing the ball around like a happy little puppy, never getting close, but having a fun time. Ream decides his role is to defend the square patch of dirt in front of the goal, with no reaction or awareness to movement by Canadian players - Long takes his lead. Other guys were equally irrelevant. 7 USMNT players in the box - they get beaten by 2 attackers and a simple square pass across the goal. And the defense looked completely dumbfounded by the concept of a ball over the top. All the Canadians had to do was play a single long ball over the top and our defense would collapse in on itself. We were lost. All night. We didn't have a clue what we were doing or how to do it. It's easy to reach for the "we're not motivated" and point to the apparent lethargy on the field. But I contend that this wasn't that they lacked urgency or passion or will to win - they wanted to win, but had no effing clue how to do it. In the same way, an infant might appear slow and non-reactive when confronted with a massive housefire. Pick up the fire extinguisher and pull the pin, child - don't just stand there wetting your pants and crying. But the little tyke just doesn't understand. This team is garbage. And it's not (just) because of motivation, it's not (just) because of the talent pool - it's because this team doesn't know what the hell it's doing. And that is absolutely and entirely on the damn coaching. Fire Gregg Berhalter before it's too late. I said give him a chance, I swore to give it a year before I started complaining - but the Gold Cup already forced me to break that, and this game has shown just how far we've fallen.
Players that need to be brought in to fix this mess: 1) Theoson Jordan Siebatchieu. He's the best uncapped played out there, and we need him to commit the US soon. He doesn't fix the program by himself, but provides strong competition for Sargent, and eliminates the need for players like Zardes. 2) Timmy Chandler and Fabian Johnson. Why were these players let go? Even though they haven't played much this season, they provide notable upgrades at RB and LB respectively. 3) Jeremy Toljan - He has yet to acquire US citizenship, but would be immediate upgrade at RB. If he can get citizenship and commit, we need him in the program. 4) Julian Green - He's played pretty good this season and last, and has a lot to offer (including a decent shot from distance). Bring him back in for competition and some pizzaz. 5) Desevio Payne - Can play LB or RB. He's had sparse minutes, but I'm sure he's better than Lovitz (no offense to Jon). 6) Mix Diskeruud - This team needs some flair. Mix may bring some to the table.
I thought the second goal was not an easy save but soft for the rest of his day, it was down by his feet and susceptible of kick and/or dive saves, it was moving but he blocked harder last night
this will be unpopular but it's time to bring wood back. sargent seems a little green. zardes is substandard and about the nth choice at striker. jozy will be an age problem. either that or run siebatcheu or soto out there to see what we have. or try pulisic as the big dog. sargent needs to be off the bench until he seasons up or we have a long gold cup where he can grow in the role.
And “Wearing the Stars and Stripes is the greatest honor you can have” is the most boomer thing I’ve ever heard.
Many of us here have been raising red flags since the March camp roster was released. We pointed out that many of these players are not even good in MLS and why are they being called again. Well, it turned out they were called again, and again, and again. Bad performance after bad performance. You can't play Gregg's system with the players Gregg prefers. You can't start Lovitz, Long, Roldan, Yedlin and possess the ball into dangerous areas. To be honest, it is possible the system simply won't work but we can't even tell because Gregg sabotages it with his player selection. The offense doesn't work against anyone FIFA #80 or better. We are two Andre Blake howlers from having scored 2 goals in the last four competitive games against Jamaica, Curacao, Mexico and Canada. We are two howlers and a deflected clearance from having scored 2 goals in the past 6 games, not including denuded Cuba. Five of those games at home! There is a bigger problem, incredibly, the defense. Since Gregg was probably really hired (Spring of 2018), we have played with a soft, ball distributing #6. This is the one constant of the past 18 months and the continued cause of all these historic defeats. We had a player that is an emerging ball winning #6 and he was moved to RB to accommodate this. The red flag was again raised all the way in March. Vidal just stood 5 yards from Bradley and was able to receive the ball and do whatever he liked. We have seen it time and again since. Bradley looked good last night I see some write. But that is because he is uninvolved in defense to such a degree it seems he is not responsible. Ream and Long were isolated on Davies and David repeatedly. Completely exposed by Bradley and Roldan. Early in the game, Davies dribbles right across the box and gets a shot (luckily scuffed) off right in the penalty arc. Where is Bradley? No doubt, cutting off a pass back to a CM or waiting for a recovery. Would Davies have been able to do that with Adams, Servania, Canouse there? Of course not. Even Leyva would be responsible enough to at least contest that dribble. You can't play effective defense with a soft 6 and a soft 8. We saw it versus Jamaica in June. With all his bad performances, how is Roldan a starter in this game? Curacao figured out Gregg and teams have simply followed the plan. Outnumber the US in the middle and the whole system falls apart. The players will or have to keep playing exactly how Berhalter wants or they are pulled or dropped the next camp. But the USA doesn't really try and play defense. They don't bunker, they don't press. They form a shape and do nothing proactive. They have no ball winners in CM. Their LB is so worried about looking like Antonee Robinson, he sits off everyone and lets them dribble or cross at will. Very Villafana-esque. But Lovitz brings so much to the offense, it is worth it right? He sent so many hospital balls to midfielders, it is amazing nobody got hurt. The team can't turn possession into offense, doesn't try and defend, doesn't press in an organized way, creates zero moments of transition. They have looked worse the longer they have been coached by Gregg.
We "turned the page".....but we went BACKWARDS in the book, not forward. I hope Don Garber is happy. This is exactly what he wanted, USMNT as a whole owned subsidiary of MLS.
look at the pulisic reaction. these guys want to win badly and are being put in positions where they have no idea how to do that
Man oh man...what a disaster. The only thing that would make this more of a disaster is if Nations League play had fed directly into World Cup qualifying like it should have. If it did, we'd be making things difficult for ourselves as far as making the Hex. Even as it stands, though, we're gonna make the Hex, but it's not gonna make a whole lot of difference if we play like this.
i think the worst choice was roldan, because he looked above his head in a low level game and has rarely impressed me however, i think there is an argument to be made this idiot fielded a better lineup minus bradley and yedlin for the easier cuba game, and simply doesn't get that fielding old hands in this situation is regression rather than his best hand that being said, half the issue is simply selection, you go out at 80% playing a decent team and our advantage disappears. that includes pasturing wood and green and others, not playing kids, not bringing back interesting dual nationals.
My quibble is mostly w/the overall read on the program. I think it accurately indicts problems with the senior team, and development especially of the 1990-1995 generation. However, our '13, '15, '17 and '19 U20's all qualified out of the confederation for the youth world cups, and our '15, '17 and '19 editions were all better than the preceeding iterations, and this is probably best exemplified by an U23 squad made up of some, but definitely not all of our best '95's-'01's, utterly annihilating El Salvador 6-1 at the same time our senior team was getting curb stomped by freaking Canada.This is of a piece w/how all these kids Berhalter isn't calling up (eschewing them for veteran MLS detritus) have done previously against mediocre, superior, and subpar Concacaf talent all the way up through the various layers of the beleaguered program. To me this is an issue far more about selection and coaching then it is about talent. When our talent was crap, it showed in our results in youth qualification campaigns: notably missing major tournaments for 3 consecutive years ('11 U20 WC, '12 Olympics, '13 U17 WC), as well as an additional Olympic qualification campaign in '15-'16. To my mind, we should be building around the players who haven't crashed out in terms of development from that 1996-2001 generation, but instead we seem to be doubling down on overage vets, players from the lost generation ('90-'95) and scrubs not good enough to be a part of the U20 successes in '15, '17 and '19. That, to me, is the issue. Horrific player selection. You can still survive an issue like that (to my mind, terrible player selection, especially in First XI's, along w/occasionally questionable tactics were the sole issues w/Bradley) if your a quality coach, like Bradley, but you can't survive it if you're a bad coach. We have a poor coach, a stubborn coach, and a coach that's terrible w/selection, and it all shows.
Was Pulisic pulled because he orchestrated the long ball from Steffan that resulted in our only legitimate scoring chance (the one where he shot it right at Borjan)? We know it wasn't the flu. Greg punishes improvisation and deviation from the plan. Pulisic was probably the only player that thought he had the clout to change things on the fly. Well, he knows now who is boss.
A #USMNT manager taking off a healthy Christian Pulisic in any competitive 0-0 game, with this player pool around him, is inexcusable.Trying to think of a scenario, literally any scenario, where it’d improve the team’s win prob. Can’t.— Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) October 16, 2019
If you haven't been reading my posts over the past few years, here is my take on that in a nut-shell: The fed doesn't give a rat's a$$ about you. They make huge money, hand over fist, whether or not the fans of the USMNT are happy with the state of the system. They make money on all the friendlies Mexico hosts, they make money on the visiting teams fans who come to watch their team play the US, and of late they have made big $$$ on the Women's team. What's the worst that could happen to them, that the USMNT fails to make the WC next time? Didn't make much of dent in their coffers the last time. They know they're making the WC in 2026 and will be financially set up forever as a result of hosting the tourney. They're in fine shape with us or without us. We have been 100% disenfranchised. Our only hope is that the players actually care and listen to the fans, but we aren't paying their salary, so I'm not sure what's forcing their hands either. Our only hope is to go outside of the system, create a soccer federation that represents the US better than the current one.
if the coach doesn't get fired this is basically the lame duck klinsmann scenario over again, a wounded coach who has lost the players' confidence being allowed to coach on into the juncture when he can cause lasting damage. cause i get what you're saying rank wise but this is the buildup to the hex and we're stumbling and without change that will not turn out well. a switch is not going to magically flip. that seemed to be the JK excuse was he's a winner and we will get them next time. and then it quit happening. and we ignored it over and over. this guy has never won anything meaningful and his last 5 are 1-3-1, win vs cuba. the lights are blinking red. the only question is how long do they double down knowing that a straight line graph of this doesn't trend towards any quali success. we can't beat the #1. we can't beat the #7. i wouldn't feel confident in anything under any scenario and i don't get why the rankings freebie softens that other than hex round would be very hard to miss.*** "and then what....." ***if this was last time this would be like tripping over your laces in guatemala after losing the playoff after finishing 4th in GC. even if you turned that into Nations League and we went straight to hex the results themselves should give you pause what would happen once we are there.
For all this talk about 50/50 balls, here are some fun stats: Michael Bradley has won 48% of ground duels at a rate of 2.9 per game this season. Weston Mckennie has won 32.6% ground duels at a rate of 2 per game this season. Paxton Pomykal has won 61% of ground duels at a rate of 5.8 per game this season. He also records 2.3 tackles per game (to Bradley's 1.9 and Mckennie's 1.1). Joe Carona has won 59% of his ground duels at a rate of 5.6 per game. He averages 3 tackles per game. I get that Paxton is young and Carona is old, and that stats never tell the full story, but at this point its clear that we need monsters in the midfield, and both of them play like monsters in MLS. And if Berhalter is going to absolutely demand a no. 6 who is patient and capable of holding possession, Keaton Parks wins more ground and aerial duels per game than Bradley or Mckennie while losing possession way less and having similar pass completion stats (and way more 'big chances created'). Yes, we're in need of a Beckerman-esque destroyer, but the midfield pool isn't as dire as Berhalter makes it seem...