This stat could be helpful getting rid of Bradley/Trapp if they choose to dig further into it. I'd start by adding how far forward or backward the ball is relative to the passer whether we maintain or lose possession. “We came up with an idea to measure whether a pass kept possession or not, by counting if the pass was still in possession of the team after 10 seconds or within three passes after the pass was made,” he said. “This will give us a very easy way to track if a player is helping with the buildup of the game, and all the actions that kind of fall out of that scope but still are valuable."
Well sure, one of the best uses of stats is to challenge a bias. Now [he gingerly sticks his neck out just a little] maybe, just maybe you have a bias?
“Many of us have never been coached like this."-Sebastian Lletget on USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter’s first camp.From Kevin Baxter's L.A. Times soccer newsletter. Sign up herehttps://t.co/Te5a3zcMb3— Bruce John McGuire (aka Bighorn Cecum Jure) (@dunord) February 5, 2019
Stats also can confirm what people see with their eyes. If stats show these players are contributing in certain ways, I'd be more than willing to adjust my views. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to get access to this data, so we not of much use to us.
Thanks. For some reason the link only takes me to a site that wants my email to sign me to some sort of newsletter.
In this week's soccer newsletter we discuss why patience is needed with the @ussoccer_mnt https://t.co/cvAlYtFrZ8— Kevin Baxter 🇺🇦🏳️🌈 (@kbaxter11) February 5, 2019
It is what it is. At this stage the focus has to be on factually what is GB trying to do. At the end of the year (maybe after GC2019) we can hopefully see if the what was the correct decision. "Sebastian is an interesting one because he's got a load of ability, a very good skill-set," said Berhalter. "He'll be the first to say he struggled with the structure a little bit in beginning [of training camp]. "I think it was part of his mentality to hang in there and keep going, keep learning, keep pushing himself that got him into these positions. http://www.espn.com/soccer/united-s...ants-united-states-to-be-much-more-aggressive
Some key ideas from the above two articles. * The teaching style is being evaluated just as much as the players. Maybe even more than the players. This is possibly Stewart's idea more than Berhalter's. I can't stress enough how important that is. * the opponents are "right-sized" and will become progressively tougher. Again, this is as much a test of the system as of the players. Alternatively, this also keeps player confidence in the system at a high. I'm not sure if I like that angle. * Players are evaluated for their buy-in and success in learning as much as their technical talent. This can be good but I can also see issues happening. That's why item #1 is so dang important.
I'm quite interested to see how GB's team plays vs. Mexico and CR A teams in this year's Gold Cup. Historically, we have done well at home vs. these teams in the Hex and I'd expect the same. I'm not sure if they're bringing A team and I don't think that Gold Cup is as intense as Hex but it'll be interesting to watch what we do. Dos a cero, baby!
With no Confeds as the prize, I expect the GC to go down in quality overall. Let's hope there's a Copa America 2020.
.@JohnStrong on the @COsoccerpod explaining that Gregg Berhalter recognizes that he can't utilize his fullback's like he did in Columbus - that you "just cannot do that at the international game" as you're left exposed on the counter. pic.twitter.com/WPwDrH7BKP— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) February 7, 2019 The full podcast is here http://m.espn.com/general/play?id=25941586
FYI, John Strong shows a lot of soccer knowledge in the above podcast. A lot of good inside information.