Official Gregg Berhalter Coaching Thread

you have to understand he is trying to talk himself into keaton parks being the answer.

the problem right now is guys like adams/mck/trapp/delgado are literally similar versions of each other. The first thing gb has to do is realize they are competing for the same spots they can't all play together.

 

I've seen Amon play passes through the back four to runners, nicely weighted. Pulisic has done it with the USMNT; doesn't get in that position with Dortmund much but has done it. Seems to prefer the chip (to Dempsey vs. Honduras, to Brunn-Larsen vs Nurnberg) to the on the floor pass. We've seen Weah do it.

I think with wingers pinched in who can create on the dribble or with a pass and good crossers at fullback (Robinson is very good, Villafana and Yedlin not so good, Dest has potential, Lennon has a great cross but anything else I don't know); should be plenty for Sargent to work off. Then you can play someone like McKennie at the 10, who could also become another number in the box with Adams a late runner.

 

The only one that comes to mind is Parks. Unfortunately for him, he didn't obey Sarachan's instructions to stay back and was never given another opportunity.

 

Of course, they failed. Not because they didn't know how to play. Porter was still an inexperienced coach and didn't have the least notion on how professional substitution works, remember, he was college coach (they get to sub in-out during the game).
He had the starters playing against very weak teams and by the time they had to play tougher teams they just ran out of gas. It didn't help that Porter played favorites with his ex-Acron players instead of using stronger players, like Boyd over Bunbury. Also, he didn't get to have Morales either who played very well for him.

 

He is not going to watch Pulisic vs maybe Sargent?

 

I'm not incredibly worried about who will play the 6 in Berhalter's system. There are, thankfully, more players tidy on ball and with good passing range. What we don't have is the clever player who plays zone 14 and can make things happen. How many times have we trotted out Green?

 

The issues we have with zone 14 is, IMO, a bad bias at the youth level. We keep putting the tallest, strongest players centrally. The skinny, short guys are pushed out wide. It's the little kids that have to learn how to deal with situations early on that later translate to the skills needed by the AM and wings. Since we don't play them centrally we get a glut of wingers and few AMs. And why? No good reason, just bias. The way youth games are played these days doesn't require a big kid in the middle.

 

McKennie is set to be the fundamental guy in the coming team. If he continues starting, we have a shot. If he's relegated to the bench, we're going to suffer.

 

The ideas everyone has put forth are interesting, but I've decided to take a "wait and see" approach right now. The player pool called up for the upcoming friendlies should give us a little better insight into where Berhalter's thought process is.

The honeymoon period has just begun. Now let's give GB a chance to show us what he's got up his sleeve.

 

I am very concerned about our DM as we need to have a very strong ball winner at the international level as good teams will punish us severely if we don’t have one, particularly if we’re going to press high.

 

His last sentence is a probability statement. Now, what happens when you make a probability statement and you try to carry it over into a different population? It's one thing to watch vid of RedBulls as you prepare for your 32nd game of the season with the usual crew in attendance; it's quite another to prepare for a Gold cup, say, after one jan camp where half your squad was missing and 2 March friendlies with players who may or may not be available for Gold Cup.

Another thing about that video demo of the Crew: Look at that grand canyon that opens up in front of Trapp as the Crew go forward. Shades of Bruce Arena?

 

Have to disagree. Playing those 4 together is the starting point and we move on from there. Fact is, we never played them together. Trapp, Delgado, Adams was tried once - v. Paraguay. In that game Nagbe was the right wing in what has become an annual tradition of playing the game "what is Nagbe's position".

We have seen that Adams and McKennie don't mesh all that well but I think that would change if we get Delgado and Trapp in there to hold and use Wes and Adams to disrupt offensively. Delgado had to play with Adams holding v. Italy which meant he was passing to a guy who wasn't on the front foot. otoh, v. Paraguay we saw what could be done with Trapp and Delgado holding and Adams playing on the front foot. And Adams was very young at the time.

Sticking Adams and Wes at dub 6's at this point, as I've seen imagined here and there, just isn't very practical at a time when both players are undergoing development of their game in Bundesliga. Let's be smart and use them elastically at the international level in position where we don't have anybody better anyway and where they can use their talents to explore their true potential with players like Trapp and Delgado, who are experienced, holding the fort.

b.t.w., there's Canouse to figure in as well.

p.s. - Berhalter should see if Benfica would let Parks go for Jan camp.

 

what position does he play (fundamentally)?

 

Eight. But better than the Son of Man.

 

Really hope someone is kind enough to alert Pep to this clip.

 

Once Adams or McK learn the system we will see if they have passing range and the mind for it. Canouse looks good. Also, Parks, Durkin and Servania are rising up in the system. Looooots of options in the #6 spot. Trapp will be good enough for the next year or two.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking that his flexibility allows him to be the overload guy in multiple positions. He's even done a decent stretch as striker. The problem is that you have to run twice as much to create those overloads.

 

Cannonballed Run 2 - You'll root for them all, but you can guess who wins.

back to robobob ball.

 

so you like porter and thought he did well...but now he didn't understand how substitutes worked and that was why they failed to qualify?

if that was the only issue they would've qualified.

Did he make three subs in the first 3 minutes in each match and have to be reminded that was it?

yeah if bunbury had played more they would've qualified lol

maybe keaton parks would've been the difference.

 

wow so like four dmids, do you play five in the back too and just play for a draw every match? don't give up a goal you can't lose? at some point you'll have to try to score.

mckennie and adams don't mesh...but adding delgado and trapp will make them mesh lol?

those four don't mesh because they occupy the same spots.

parks isn't a good player he will have to play his way onto the u23 team at this point. he has shown nothing and was a disaster in his only camp he wants to be a 10 regardless of where the coach puts him that isn't going to work its a team sport you can't have ur six thinking he is a 10.

the issue is adams/trapp/mckennie/canouse/delgado are all playing for the same 1/2 spots. there is zero reasons to have 3/4 of them on the pitch at a time unless its late in a match and ur trying to hold a result.

 

its a solid 6 hour drive...now the pulisic/sargent match is three hours later but I think its safe to say he wouldn't make it.

Also pulisic and sargent won't be starting and both may not play its a very smart choice

 

its not what adams/mck do

parks isn't rising up anything he is looking for a transfer/loan to a smaller club in a smaller league.

 

Fine, let's go with Bradley, Nagbe and Arriola and Pulisic

 

I've seen that somewhere before...