The only real question we can look for answers to is whether, given three weeks, can he get them to "disorganize the opponent with possession, break lines with passing, and score goals"? If he can't do it in 3 weeks, he can't do it in 3 days.
I would normally agree, Patrick, but my sense is that we are behind schedule with the year lost in the Berhalter hire. They called January/February camp "Camp Cupcake" for years for a reason - mostly all of the experimenting done with players marginally good enough to compete at the international level or some youngster(s) showing promise. A possible positive view might look at the Sarachan year as a year-long January camp. In the USMNT's current posture, some fast-forwarding needs to be done. By March, definitely, but Berhalter does not have the luxury of time. Perhaps the teams Sarachan put on the field have given Berhalter a body of work to study and build from and it will all come together. Of course, it could be that Berhalter has spent a year thinking about the scheme he wants to implement for the national team and already knows what players he wants to make his system work.
I'm pretty sure those last two fixtures had some Berhalter input, informally. That would be @ England and @ Italy. My guess is that only midfield was involved because I dont think Berhlater is going with Wood/Green as his attackers like Sarachan. England midfield was Trapp + McKennie (behind 4 attackers) Adams came on for Green 62'. Acosta came on for Trapp 70'. Lletget came on for McKennie 76' Italy midfield was Acosta---Adams---Delgado Trapp came on for Delgado 56'. Lletget came on for Acosta 83' Sarachan never repeated the Adams - Trapp - Delgado midfield which played v. Paraguay earlier in the year when Adams was still green and we didnt have Pulisic with us. I'd like to see Roldan fill in at the Adams role and a midefield of Roldan/Trapp/Delgado for one of the games in Jan camp. Maybe Delgado could play Panama and get release to prepare for CCL with his club.
If you say so. From where I'm sitting this is the least talented, least tested, least organized team I have ever seen from the US. But I'm happy if they can figure it out.
That team we've seen most recently will not be 'the team' to comment on. If it is I'm right there with you. I still want to see who Berhalter has on his 23 and starting 11. I suggest we haven't seen it. Still hoping to be happily surprised. And I disagree on the talent levels available in the pool for '20. But agree on the tested part and hope to disagree on the organization on the pitch and time will tell on that.
I'll bet you'll get to agree to disagree with someone somewhere along the way, and that's a good thing at this time when we are all trying to figure out where the team we support is headed. I've taken my boys to quite a few USMNT matches. Now that the coaching decision has been made, we're getting ready to make some roadtrips (or flights) and bring the "bomb pop" jerseys back out of the closet.
I think they are the most talented, look where they are playing. They played tough teams, so they are tested but will failing grade. Yes, they looked/are disorganized but I put the blame mostly in the coaching staff.
I could honestly care less where they play. I haven't seen this team string three ttacking passes in succession. Not one of them can dribble aside from CP. They are what our coaches have been running out of 10 years: athletes who play soccer, not soccer players. Sargent can ball. So can CP. Miazga can be a great CB. Yedlin if he checks back into, um, soccer can be a game changer. Spuds has a shot at being some kind of something but i will keep the verdict out on him. Brooks is not fit mentally. The rest? Some combination of MLS happy hour special , wishsong project or 'why not give him a shot?' I hope I'm wrong. I'd like to see maybe three or four attacking passes per game one day.
Well, the good of the last weeks is that Sargent may get his shot and prove to be our best striker in the pool, and that Horvath may be more than just adequate in goal. Otherwise, IMO, it's still just Puli, McKennie, and a bunch of not very good players. Most of our guys in Europe are inflated here, truth is most are not playing or barely playing or with the reserves. Or in lower divisions. We have some hope with Gall but the level of his league is low, lower than MLS IMO. Also with Sabbi, who has his moments but not many. And our best hope is Amon, but still just a hope.
It all depends on the coach and his staff, the kids can do it. I liked Porter as a coach, I like how he got the U23 playing team ball, the timbers and the all-star team.
I've already written off 2022, so I'm expecting very little from this coach. USSF has so bungled everything it touches that quite honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the USA misses out on Qatar as well. At least for 2026, the rest of the soccer hating country will have a good excuse not to support the team after it embarrasses itself in front of the entire country and world.
.@MattDoyle76 and I had the chance to get new USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter at the tactics board to talk about how he sees the game, how he wants his team to play, and what USMNT fans can expect.https://t.co/opH7ayWWoT— Bobby Warshaw (@bwarshaw14) December 13, 2018
What I get from this is that since we lack a Higuain, we'll be going back to the empty bucket, if he keeps the Columbus tactics for the nats.
Well yes. We've flirted with that for the last decade. Even under Klinsmann. It's one way to compensate for the lack of an attacking mid. Even now, do we think this problem will go away? I don't see many number 10s on the horizon. A lot of wingers.
So basically a guy that can play 8 or 10. We don't really have that. Haven't had that since Reyna, Stewart and O'Brien. Not Nagbe, not Adams, maybe McK.
Thinking back on the guys who can play clever forward passes from an 8 position. We've had really bad luck. Hyndman, Zelalem, Lletget. All guys with a lot of injuries. This just highlights that we don't produce enough of them.
And we massively over-rate this ability in incomplete players who haven't shown the ability to compete at the major league level Adu EH Zelalem Carelton Parks Lletget Benny Nyugen One day we'll have players who can do this at a high level but we're nowhere near that at the moment and the wishful thinking that we should build a program around it is just that: wishful thinking.
do you know the u23 team failed to qualify for the olympics? all star team? has to be saracastic these kids can't do it right now this group is too young. they lack attacking options, guys that can create, and at best have a few average possession/passers. this group is years away gb is going to be tasked with setting up super defensively and getting getting draws against better teams and trying to pull out wins against really bad concacaf teams.