I'd really like Tab to get a shot. I know there's better,but he knows our youth and I want to see the team go young, sans the blockhead tactics. That being said, I believe we're stuck with GB, even if we were to lose both matches next month.
I'm always surprised at the way the media lets coaches get away w/this Norv Turneresque "What we do works" (notorious explanation of latest defeat for the redskins back during the '94-'00 era, always emphasizing the genius of the plan-his responsibility, and the horridness of the execution-the players responsibility, in explaining away any and all defeats). It's funny because what Egg does there is even worse, he's trying to sell the public on the idea that Canada's home field advantage is somehow analogous to Azteca, or San Pedro Sula. It just beggars belief. Mexico beat them 3-0 in their own house last cycle, not so sure there is a Fortress Canada (not arguing there is a fortress USA, as obviously this concept is farcical at this point).
That might be the single funniest part of his take. There are players with quality technique, and he aint calling the bulk of them up. He's picking MLS scrubs to surround a handful of European based players in Pulisic, McKennie, Sargent, and Ream and Yedlin on the backline. How can he look at anyone w/a straight face and pretend that his midfield will be electrifying when the options he's rolling out with McKennie and Pulisic are Bradley, Roldan, Morris and his super subs are guys like Arriola, and Zardes. It's almost as if he's trolling us. If you want to hold some posession in the midfield, call up Pomykal, pray Adams gets healthy, call in Ledezma, Mendez and Llanez, regardless of their ages, they are miles better at doing what he wants than Boyd, Arriola, and Roldan. It's just gotten to the point that it's comically stupid. If you want to roll out Ledezma, Mendez, Llanez, Pomykal, Soto etc w/the U23's and just lose w/the senior USMNT against crappy opposition you can do that. But honestly, eventually you're going to get yourself fired, and not for failing to play them, but rather for insisting on playing dramatically inferior players in Roldan, Trapp, Bradley (once was very good, isn't anymore), Baird, Boyd, Zardez, Arriola over said kids, and losing to sub-mediocre squads while utilizing tactics they flat out aren't capable of applying. Win and lose with the kids, and watch them learn, or just keep slamming your head against a wall like a football player slams his helmet against a locker, and achieve nothing. It's pretty simple. Or he can change his tactics, and just try to grind out results against crummier teams? He's got those 3 options. Utilizing his tactics and "his guys" against borderline solid, or better sides is not going to yield results, period, especially once we have to play on the road.
The Only Fix for US Soccer is a Complete Reboot https://www.sandiegouniontribune.co...-mls-canada-gregg-jay-berhalter-national-team
I don't think age really matters for a National Team manager. What does matter is having a manager who will have the guts to simply play the best, whether it's a youthful player, or an aging vet. Why would I be happy with Bob? Because he's got enough of a diverse coaching background from here to Europe, that he's in a good position to weigh play from Europe vs MLS. USMNT Twitter has an interesting debate about Mendez & Ledezma probably being good enough to be getting minutes with the MNT, even if they are only playing on PSV's youth team. The question isn't about fit - they do play competitive matches in that youth league - but rather how do you compare kids in big clubs, starring in youth leagues, vs mediocre MLS talents. That's where someone like Bob can come in and help us. I don't think he'd hesitate to bring some of those kids into a camp, and have a side by side look against our MLS players. Bradley also has enough of an ego to not give a crap about pressure from USSF or MLS on player selection, style, or anything else. He's been a successful coach all through his career from here to Europe and even Egypt, he's in this for himself. That's actually an important quality - and different from Klinsmann, in that Bradley has actually earned that FU attitude. Finally, Bradley has shown himself to be pretty versatile and open to change with his systems. He's played different styles from Chicago to the USMNT to Norway to France to England to LAFC. Sometimes his teams are entertaining as hell, sometimes they're a bit more defensive minded, sometimes more direct, sometimes more possession based. And a bonus point - Bradley beat the African Champions, European Champions, and had the South American champions on the mat for 45 minutes before finally succumbing, and basically almost winning our very first every major trophy, while coming runner up. He's proven himself. Bradley isn't a sexy pick, but I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have him right now.
Wow, just wtf wow: "Of course [I want back in]," Johnson said. "I told [Berhalter] that I am ready for the national team. I'm looking forward to coming in, but I never got invited." https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/ne...s-call-up-from-gregg-berhalter-down-the-road/ So we need a 32 year old, broken down, MLS Version, has been Michael Bradley for literally every game he can possibly play, because... there are apparently no othe #6's. Yet we are leaving a 31 year old current Bundesliga player at home so that we can watch Lovitz drown trying to play way above his level? Berhalter out now.
what’s sad about that too is it’s not like we’re watching some 20 year old prodigy left back who is still a little out of his depth. No, we’re watching a guy who is only three years younger, and who also will be over 30 come 2022.
He's right, stop blaming the federation, stop blaming Cordero, stop blaming the Berhalaters, stop blaming Stewart...blame yourself. There are only 2 group of people that can change things. The fans - Speak with your wallets. Stop buying ticket, stop buying merchandises, show up outside of the game and protests while games a being played in front of empty seats. Changes will not come from inaction. I think groups like the AO can start and drive this. The players - We need our best players, especially our Euro guys to stop playing for this corrupted fed until you have a completely new leadership in place that clearly break away from the MLS and focus only on the Nat programs and youth developments. People are going to pay attention, and sponsors are going to ask questions if Pulisic, Weston, Adams, Steffan, Yedlin, Sargent, etc. stopped accepting calls. You want changes you have to drive changes. At some point, these guys will get fed up playing for these corrupted bastards that are only concern about lining up their fat wallets. For the rest of us couch potatoes, use social media: Relentlessly tweets, post instagrams and facebooks messages calling out the corruption that exist at the USSF. Tag everyone you know, every media outlets, every celebrity, soccer journalists, etc. When there are enough noises and tweets, people will pay attention and things will get going.
I know everyone has different memories of previous events...and I don't fault anyone for this. But, as I recall...no one else was ever given a chance. And, MB was not the best at the start of his career. He got red carded and had a bad temper. Even when MB was played with Benny it was with Benny more or less out of position on the right wing. Ever since MB was brought into the national team it has always been...Michael and someone else in midfield. I, for one am tired of this and want MB gone. Also, I recall that nearly everyone on this board was calling for Bradley senior's head toward the end. If anyone has time and energy to bring up old posts regarding this, they would show that Bradley's selection was not always agreed with. Yes, I'll say again that he may be better than some of the other previous coaches, but now is not the time to fall back on the old familiar. We have a lot of young, exciting players and I am ready to move on. I don't even want him or any other current coaches as interim coaches. Now is the time, before Gregg is fired (if it comes to that) that feelers should be out for an appropriate coach. I am not necessarily opposed to Ramos, but still think we should look further afield.
I'm a huge critic of building around Bradley post 2014 but before then I thought he fully deserved his spot. I think the Bradley nepotism stuff was wrong - Mike was a very good player for us before 2014. I actually liked him a lot more as a player when he was hot-headed - the transition to being poised and calm coincided with a dramatic decline in both his and the USMNT play.
At the Azteca, Mexico greets you with a stadium full of 100,000 screaming fans. In Toronto last week, Canada greeted us with a stadium that had 18,000 empty seats (about half the stadium). These are the two things that Berhalter wants us to believe are the same. Have you ever seen an empty seat at Saprissa or The Office?
His main competition was Benny Feilhaber - we didn't have a lot of options back then. There was a couple of kids playing in Mexico to, one of whom was Jose Torres, and you had Sacha Kljestaan as well. The other option would have been a youngish Stu Holden, however at that time, Stu was seen as more of an outside player, and hadn't yet mode the full conversion to a central midfielder. The other defense I'll have of Bob is that 2011 Bob <> 2020 Bob. The man has been to Europe, Africa and back and has had jobs in 1st division Norway, 2nd division France, and 1st division England, and is now probably the best coach in MLS.
I believed that Berhalter wouldn't be biased in favor of MLS given that he'd both played and coached in MLS and overseas. Not getting fooled again by another MLS coach. I just want someone who looks at the pool without bias, albeit with an understanding of the global soccer meritocracy.
He also had a red card at the 2009 Confed Cup. May have had more. But your point stands...he wasn't a red card machine.
He certainly might be the best American coach in MLS and is probably better than in 2011. But those are not terribly high bars. The American coaches in MLS have done very little and most got their jobs after being an assistant for a coach that hadn't done anything outside MLS.
That's true (I missed the drop down for confed cup on the stats I was looking at), and yeah, he wasn't a red card machine as the narrative has been (and apparently still is).
I'm way late to this thread, but didn't the post game analysis from most sources say they played a square, not a diamond i.e. 4 2 2 2? If this coach didn't even recognize what he was seeing it might explain his inability to counter it.
If we lose both matches next month, the media and fans should be calling for both ES and GGG heads. And the players should stop playing for them.
Egg should be gone yesterday. If they lose one of the next two games, he should be gone. Hell, if they tie one of the next two games, he should be gone. The fact his bar of "success" is beating Canada at home and Cuba is remarkable.