After a year, here is where I feel we stand, players aside. Gregg's system is complicated and you need players who know each other and know the plays (think basketball weave/backdoor) for it to be executed. It is not a natural read and respond, its a read and the respond by what the other 10 on the field are doing. So it takes a very high soccer IQ, or a lot of repetitions to be able to execute. This is why the same guys keep getting called in, and why I dont see it being good for any player not in MLS (Jan Camp) who is not a big talent (Pulisic, McKinnie, Sargent, Steffen, etc). This is a downside to requiring a system at the NT level where players often should be rotated due to form or injury or aged out. The outside backs are to get forward at all costs, they actually have spent a lot of time at the top of the box adding an extra midfield when we have the ball. This in theory should provide better passing angles via an overload. However, due to the complexity of the patterns and not being able to practice them day in and day out, you see a lot of wayward passes. This then creates horrible defensive balance. You could then minimize this with a counter press when the ball is turned over, but so far its been a turn and bail approach. The fullbacks also rarely play for a full 90, and I think its because of the running they are forced to do. Which really hurts when losing and you sub in a LB. The CBs are hung out on an island and need to be able to read and react to those quick counters, problem is with a slower DM in front they are being overrun. Its not easy to do and we need a more athletic midfield to play in front. This again creates balance problems though when we get a moment in transition. Our MF is constantly running one way or the other and they never get to be in the positions they should be in, until we can maintain possession and hold it, or until the other team backpasses a few times. This doesnt happen often and we get countered and have players uncovered in dangerous spots. They are all being asked to be b2b and have loads of responsibilities on both sides. If a fraction late to either a pass or a player receiving a pass and the whole side breaks down. On offense the whole thing is built on diagonals for our midfield. This has been very hit and miss, leading to a lot of needless turnovers. Pressure has also bother our MF (again not calling out the players) and they make bad passes that lead to opposing chances. Our wingers are more like offensive wingbacks, who track back all the way to the box. Again this upsets the balance of the field when we gain possession as they are all in one small area, allowing fewer players to be able to corral them and harass them into turnovers, extending defensive duties and limiting being able to get out of our opponents side. This also creates tired wingers when we get the ball and a lot of that makes easy things hard as the game goes on. They are asked to tuck in and create an even more overload for intricate passing leading to chances through short passing, tiki taka style. So far its been largely an awful set up resulting in few quality chances or SOG in competitive games versus equal or competent opponents. Our strikers are dropping back to the top of the box, and much like above means every time there is a turnover, the outlets are all within 15-20 yards of each other. Ive seen our 9 tackle in the opposing box, this is not a successful way to play offense. At times, we have went beyond the low block and had no one pressuring the ball until it was about 25 yards out, just trying to muddy up passing angles. They have been starved of service and asked to do a lot of defending and then convert with 1-2 chances a game, very hard to do. Overall we are either defending too deep or committing to many forward, and we are being countered no matter which way. This is where a more tactically flexible coach would change a couple of things, instead Gregg has so far doubled down in committing to this style. Given Earnie's desire for players to feel appreciated and happy (then they will produce beyond their ability because they are happy) we will see Gregg continue through atleast the WC unless qualifying gets iffy, and then it would take the board firing Stewart and the Berhalters. Dont see Jay firing his self. Will he continue to be this stubborn and play one dimensional soccer? So far the answer has been yes. We probably wont have a real true competitive game until June, so it will be more based on tactical adjustments from now and then as to whether the team progresses or stagnates. Will he also hire coaches to implement the same type of system at the U level?
Its crazy to believe but the US was rolling and out-performing with a very young and no Michael bradley squad. The Midfield pairing with Delgado and Adams out-performed Paraguay. Then the old-guard had to step back in and own it (FUBU) and cause massive chaos again and loss of fans. Michael Bradley comes back into the team as CM and we start getting destroyed again starting with his infamous jogging on Colombia's third goal. The problem starts at the top with Don Garber and Jay Berhalter. Lets stop over-analyzing the irrelevant bottom.
Always take results in friendlies with a grain of salt. Remember: the other team is experimenting, too.
Stars? Stars? https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-...ars-in-gregg-berhalters-first-year-as-manager My guess is we all differ in the translation of that term.
The idea that Jordan Morris was an unknown player that Gregg discovered is unbelievable. Don't write the article if you are going to look foolish. I get why USSF might want to put an optimistic spin on 2019. But I don't understand why our media does it for them. It can't even be good business as an article describing all the things Gregg got wrong would be better received, more interesting, and get more clicks. It just has to be guys trying to stay on the gravy train.
The article doesn't credit 3G with Morris's discovery. It does credit him with Morris's growth as a player, which is a stretch. It's an optimistic fluff piece. If ESPN still had comment sections, you can be sure they'd be ripping that article to shreds.
It doesn't even say that. the discussion in the Morris section acknowledges that he was a regular pre-Berhalter and basically gives all credit for the breakout to Morris Even in the general section about all players it says: That's hardly giving him credit for development. ESPN is trash in general; you'd be better off avoiding everything on there at this point except maybe Zach Lowe in the NBA side of things. But you folks are hunting for shit that ain't there. It's a mildly optimistic piece that is all about players who broke out a bit and fully acknowledges that at most Berhalter gave a few of them chances.
LOL Klinsy probably made him the last player for a long time to be called up to the full USMNT while still in college. Can you imagine the blowback if Berhalter did that? Say what you want about Klinsy, but he saw talent and pounced on it.
Hunting for shit is the exact right word for this piece. It’s a shame, Carlyle wrote his first actual piece of journalism a couple weeks ago and now we’re back to two pole downhill racers on the Berhalter brothers. Historically statistically visually and developmentally the worst 3 years in US history. Marketing is strong though.
Is it possible that Berhalter is a genius playing chess while we’re playing checkers? his familiarity with MLS players led him to play trapp and lovitz and not give a fair shot to guys like ARobinson and Holmes. he knew what would happen if he played two guys who just got traded within MLS for virtually peanuts over better alternatives - it would light a fire under the championship guys whose level of play would shine through as they have a chip on their shoulder. This is masterful motivation - just like lampard is using reverse psychology with his Chelsea players. Next generation stuff
nice to see us starting the year by now incorporating set pieces that put us in position to give the ball away in immediate scoring positions- saves a lot of time from having to play from possession in the attacking third with zero attacking ideas all the way back to our gk/cbs in the box. goal kick from long to johnson to opposition attacker? genius! its always adding new facets and little wrinkles that keep "the system" humming, folks...
Berhalter was interviewed at halftime of yesterday's Columbus-NYRB match. "Now I know how my parents felt all those years."@USMNT Head Coach Gregg Berhalter on watching his son Sebastian Berhalter earn his first MLS start for @ColumbusCrewSC. pic.twitter.com/wGwjoKcEE5— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 17, 2020 It looked like he was taking mask-wearing guidance from Geoff Cameron.
When he described the job of striker for the USMNT, he didn't mention at all dropping in to link of play. He basically described what Zardes does for Columbus, stay off the shoulder of the CB, exploit space, finish chances created by others.
With the forward pool being our least-talented position, this appears to be strategic...to allow Pulisic and co. to receive the lions share of the ball so they can run at players. It’s exactly what we should have.
When Berhalters kid earns a cap, look out. We’re going to get that Bradley nonsense here again. I’d expect the cap sooner than later, and I fully expect the kid to play well...he looks like a fantastic prospect.
Maybe. But Pulisic was there 18 months ago and Zardes was asked to drop back and link up in a lot of bad looking games. Gregg seems to be learning, but at a glacial pace and starting from 2016...
That's some tremendous gaslighting. Michael Bradley was a fixture on the youth teams. Jonathan Klinsmann even was because of his name. Sebastian Berhalter wasn't on the youth teams, in spite of his name. What does that tell you? And he didn't look like a fantastic prospect from physical limitations & nothing dynamic he showed in 1 game, you're already anointing him as an NT regular for. You're creating a preemptive buffer against criticism since you know almost every dad would give their son preferential treatment if realistically possible. Who is going to inherit Gregg's money when he dies: Sebastian or Jackson Yueill?
Here's my prediction: Sebastian Berhalter never gets a full senior team cap, and certainly not outside of January camp.
No idea what he did to make some people think he looked fantastic.He looked like a nervous kid in his first start, which is exactly what he was. If there's more to come, great. But thinking that was the performance of someone ready for a call to the full national team, skipping all youth squads in the process, is bizarre. Hope he gets better and if he gets good enough for the national team, great. But, that was no breakout performance by any means.
Yea I watched the all touch and that’s in no way a great way to figure out how he played but with how some were talking I was expecting to see some good stuff. He was poor in the majority of it.
Yeah, I mean you do lose a ton about a player's positioning and his defense and other things with those videos and still nothing beats seeing a player in-person But, if a guy is supposed to be your main player working out of the back, he need to be accurate in his passing. If you aren't accurate in your passing, you are not a good deep playmaker, simple as that.
Yea agreed. A lot of his cross field diagonals were overhit. Then he had some really bad turnovers that he was lucky to not be punished for it. I do now think I understand Greggs plan. It’s all about getting things ready for his son.