LA Galaxy Flavored USMNT in 2019

Discussion in 'LA Galaxy' started by Berks, Jan 24, 2019.

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  1. skydog

    skydog Member+

    Aug 1, 1999
    Durham, NC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    I’m sure Berhalter won’t be going away any time soon, especially since there aren’t a bunch of great managers lining up for the job. Also I may be overreacting to a limited sample but I just think Greg may be a bit too laid back for the job. Especially with this group who seem to need a boost in the passion department.

    And I think I may be a minority of one on this but I don’t think Pulisic’s best position is as a wide midfielder. He needs to be a more central 2nd forward. His best attribute is his short range (1-10 yards) burst speed which is lethal in the box. But he’s not particularly effective at the long rangy runs, whether on offense or on defense.
     
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  2. MPNumber9

    MPNumber9 Member+

    Oct 10, 2010
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah, it's this. This team is in identity crisis, frankly.
     
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  3. Geneva

    Geneva LA for Life

    Feb 5, 2003
    Southern Cal
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Honestly I can't figure out Christian Pulisic. Maybe he has yet to come into his own as a national team player. We need a step up in effort, skill, teamwork and especially consistency from him.
     
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  4. Skevin

    Skevin Member+

    Aug 9, 2009
    Colorado
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Czechia
    That was a shit show. I've said it the last two international breaks already, but Roldan has no place in this team.

    Gregg's tactics were so bad too. We went into Canada playing essentially 3 DMs. We clearly lacked an attacking mid. McKinnie is a great box to box mid for us, but we need someone like Pulisic in the middle. There are numerous options for that role as well. BUT NOT ROLDAN FFS.

    Pulling Pulisic was also so stupid. Guy was isolated all night, so of course he was going to have some bad passing and moves. There were numerous players that played much worse than Pulisic and stayed on.

    Gregg dug his own grave with this one. He completely lost my support. I was on the fence with him, but last night match was the worst USA performance I had ever seen.
     
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  5. barroldinho

    barroldinho Member+

    Man Utd and LA Galaxy
    England
    Aug 13, 2007
    US/UK dual citizen in HB, CA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    This is 100% right but I'd be more scathing than this.

    While the US had an identity, it wasn't enough for some fans or for USSF. They were still complaining about Bradley back then.

    Even if you listen to their complaints today, it's not "how do we get back to that?", it's "how are we ever gonna win a world cup???".

    Newsflash: nations that have soccer woven into their popular culture where the sport generates billions of dollars and who produce elite players, haven't nailed that down to a precise science.

    England, Spain & France underachieved for generations. Germany has had its low patches. Argentina can't quite figure it out with players like Messi, Aguero & Di Maria. Even Brazil aren't what they once were.

    Yet point out an objective fact like American athletes have other options and they laugh at you because Messi "wouldn't be tall enough" to play US pro sports (like track & field doesn't exist or the likes of Messi, Ibra or Ronaldo wouldn't have coaches trying to get them into other sports).
     
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  6. Ghosting

    Ghosting Member+

    Aug 20, 2004
    Pendleton, OR
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is a good post. I'm probably biased, because I lost faith in JK fairly early in his tenure. By the time we hit the 2013 Gold Cup, it was pretty clear that he was instilling the team with a rugged individualist ethos and abandoning the gritty identity that had gotten the US into the conversation on the international stage. Rather than making the USMNT a place where players felt like they were coming together like a family, JK wanted them to see it as a shark tank where they were competing with one-another. He liked to make players uncomfortable and force them to deal with difficult situations without preparation (e.g. throwing Omar on as a d-mid in the World Cup). We went from being one of the best team stories in US sports to a collection of individuals who weren't comitted to one another, and more importantly weren't really comitted to winning: "As long as I'm playing well, it's not my fault if we lose."

    The really sad thing is that the US had a unique culture on the international stage that was developed in the 1980s and 90s when the team was comprised of amatuers. For those guys, the only way they were going to get any chance to play real competitive mathces was through the MNT. They played because they LOVED to play, not because they thought they could get rich and famous.

    I'm not saying I want to go back to those days. I love the fact that pro soccer is an option for young US players, and that transition was going to be hard no matter what. However, I DO think that the foundation for the culture of the USMNT was based in that sense of belonging to a greater project, and I think there were ways to progress the program without losing that culture. Unfortunately, JK deliberately destroyed that culture (seeing it as a weakness) and there is really not a mechanism to get it back in this day and age.

    The loss of THAT USMNT is like watching a good friend whose life has fallen apart and continues to make self-destructive decisions. It's painful. It's hard to stay engaged.

    I don't know if Berhalter is the counselor that can pull my friend out of his cycle of destruction, but at least he's trying, and I'm rooting for him.
     
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  7. The Cadaver

    The Cadaver It's very quiet here.

    Oct 24, 2000
    La Cañada, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Honestly, I completely forgot there was a game last night. I was actually a little sad about that - that my interest level has fallen that far. Then I read thru this thread and I guess not watching may have been the better course.
     
  8. MPNumber9

    MPNumber9 Member+

    Oct 10, 2010
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have to say, it's this more than anything. American soccer fans literally thought we'd win a World Cup by 2010. And I fully cop to it! It's a testament to how much we still have to learn about this game. We had the cart before the horse: we hosted a World Cup before we even had a league. So for many American fans, soccer is an international game first and foremost -- something we want the US to dominate in because it's contested globally.

    There's an existentialist crisis happening, now, where I think American soccer fans are realizing what the every other footballing country (but about 8) has had to contend with forever: we may never, ever be good enough to win a World Cup. And when you take away that (somewhat ludicrous) thought of capturing underdog glory --- this is frankly a mediocre and uninteresting team to watch play football these days. Mexico may never win much, but they have a recognizable style their fans take pride in seeing on the field and neutrals may find attractive. This US team is just sorta flat all around: not athletic, not technical, not well-organized or hard-working. It has no guiding principle, value or idea to express except winning the World Cup and with that seeming like a pipe-dream, the team is clearly lost.
     
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  9. natfaninla

    natfaninla Member

    Jan 18, 2005
    L.A.
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    QFT
     
  10. StillKickin

    StillKickin Member+

    Austin FC
    Dec 17, 2002
    Texas
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't have time, unfortunately, to linger in the forum and get caught up on everything, but just came in here to say:

    USA is in real danger of once again failing to qualify for the World Cup
     
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  11. barroldinho

    barroldinho Member+

    Man Utd and LA Galaxy
    England
    Aug 13, 2007
    US/UK dual citizen in HB, CA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    There is a glimmer of hope: I'm boycotting Qatar 2022

    This means there's a strong chance that the fates will conspire to mock me by having an England vs USA final.
     
  12. skydog

    skydog Member+

    Aug 1, 1999
    Durham, NC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Good try Barroldinho but I don’t think there has ever been a reverse jinx powerful enough to make that happen. :eek: :)
     
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  13. GalaxyOne

    GalaxyOne Member+

    Dec 6, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Um, you know Klinsman is no longer coach, right?
     
  14. rtdavide

    rtdavide Member+

    Apr 20, 2005
    Whittier, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This IS on Berhalter. But it may turn out that these low times are actually stepping stones to what he wants to see- which is the US beginning to really play.
    He wants us to build out of the back, he wants us to stay calm on the ball.
    The unfortunate side effect of staying calm is what we saw Tues, and it looks like a complete lack of passion.

    If I think objectively about it, we may have just about tapped "guts" as far as we could. If we, as a nation, want to get to the next level- then we will need to learn to play a more sophisticated game than we have been. Obviously, results have been pretty dismal, and it's disheartening to see it, but maybe there's no other way forward.

    I dunno... just some thoughts.
     
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  15. GalaxyOne

    GalaxyOne Member+

    Dec 6, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, those that liked JK's approach better, would say that, yes. Are you saying you like Beerholder's approach so far?
     
  16. GalaxyOne

    GalaxyOne Member+

    Dec 6, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Except it wasn't JK that killed the gritty, never-say-quit attitude. He was the one trying to save it, or resurrect it. This current batch of US players is just too soft and naive.
     
  17. GalaxyOne

    GalaxyOne Member+

    Dec 6, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Actually, you need it all. Playing a sophisticated game (which is actually laughable when describing the US team) does no good if you don't have passion and energy and grit, etc.
     
  18. barroldinho

    barroldinho Member+

    Man Utd and LA Galaxy
    England
    Aug 13, 2007
    US/UK dual citizen in HB, CA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Wasn't it?

    I recall it in spades under Bradley. It was JK that talked about the attitude and the mentality needing to be different.

    By the time Arena returned, it was gone. Happened under JK's watch.
     
  19. Berks

    Berks Member+

    Dec 22, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    BLEGHHHHHHHHH. What a disaster. I echo what others said:

    -tired play without creative runs
    -ambling central midfielders
    -what midfielders?
    -total lack of our old identity (where were the challenges? Remember Jay DeMerit?)
    -abject passing
    -too much time on the ball
    -Pulisic trying to take on the world and getting stripped
    -Tim Ream aka “mr. brain fart”
    -why are we fighting Canada? It’s freaking CANADA
    -Seargeant still looks like a teenager among men

    The key word is ambling.

    I’m scared. This team doesn’t look good, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to be solved any time soon. My faith in Gregg is teetering.
     
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  20. rtdavide

    rtdavide Member+

    Apr 20, 2005
    Whittier, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Granted.
    I don't think anyone, including myself, would make the case we were playing a more sophisticated game. But from what I'm hearing, that's what Berhalter is trying to implement. In looking at the team, and the fanbase, I'm pretty sure we want to see our team get to the next level.
    We had been making the WC finals and were getting into the round of 16 every other WC. But it's hard to see us getting much beyond that on gumption. I don't think I'm alone in feeling like our players now are probably better than they were back in the early days of MLS. So naturally we'd like to see some coaching that can get us past "get stuck in and play hard". We need some tactical improvement in our approach to the game.

    Obviously, it's not coming off right now, and it looks dismal out there.
    Maybe our players just aren't good enough for it.
    Maybe Berhalter's not the right manager for it.
    Maybe these are all the failures needed to go through before things click.

    I don't know what the answers are, and I don't disagree with the negative assessments here. I was pretty demoralized myself watching that display.

    But it does seem like we're going to have to learn this at some point if we want to get past where we were. I get it that it looks like we're just getting worse. Hopefully we turn a corner and our team is able to implement a more tactical approach to the game.
     
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  21. Skevin

    Skevin Member+

    Aug 9, 2009
    Colorado
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Czechia
    A little nervous stats, but literally the only top 50 fifa ranked nation we have beaten with Gregg as manager is Costa Rica. That was also in a friendly where Costa Rica did not field their A team.

    The rest of our wins have been against nations that teeter the top 100 in fifa rankings. Whenever we play a somewhat decent nation, we have not won.
     
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  22. Dr.Phil

    Dr.Phil Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Club:
    FC Bayern München
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Have we replaced the core of 2010-2014?
    Dempsey, Beckerman, Bradley, Zusi, Cameron, Fabian Johnson, Chandelr, Altidore (that can be on the field) etc?

    All these players were at better spots in their careers then their replacements now....

    There is a flux in the player pool.
     
  23. barroldinho

    barroldinho Member+

    Man Utd and LA Galaxy
    England
    Aug 13, 2007
    US/UK dual citizen in HB, CA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    The problem is, the USMNT that routinely made the WC R16, did so because that was their level.

    It often feels like both the USSF and a chunk of the fan base, think that reaching the next level can be achieved simply through coaching.

    As I keep saying, this comes from player development. Everyone marvels at Pep Guardiola's teams but even the biggest clubs struggle to replicate that. It requires talented personnel capable of executing that system and heavy drilling in how to do it.

    MLS youth development is in its relevant infancy. In 2002 the league came within crossibg the Ts and dotting the Is of folding. They're building a system but we didn't expect that to be fully realized for a few more years and then we're looking at 5 years before it bears fruit - IF the system is a strong one.

    I don't have any faith in the USSF.

    I don't know that GB is the right person for the USMNT head coaching position but regardless of who we get, we still shouldn't be expecting more than gritty performances and the WC KO stage.
     
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  24. Dr.Phil

    Dr.Phil Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Club:
    FC Bayern München
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We used to play bigger then the sum of our parts. That has been gone for some time. No more grit. Berhalter will really have to dig deep and create this atmosphere or find the players in the pool that can bring it.

    It sucks bc we wasted so much time and games vs quality teams in 2018. Berhalter could have been using that time to explore the pool. Now we are in a rush to figure it out NOW becuase qualifying is coming up.

    We are so far behind
     
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  25. Skevin

    Skevin Member+

    Aug 9, 2009
    Colorado
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Czechia
    You gotta think that guys like Morales, Green, Saief, Holmes, Robinson, Gonzalez, and Lletget are better than Roldan, Trapp, Lovtiz, Yuell, Baird, and Ream.

    I don't think we have the same quality as we did in 2010, but we are not that far off.

    We still have Pulisic, McKinnie, Adams, Brooks, and Steffen who are all playing well in Germany.

    Why can't we call up Fabian Johnson and Chandler? Are they completely uninterested now? Both could easily be involved for this qualifying cycle.
     

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