Rob Stone: US Manager shortlist is Ramos, Tata Martino, Marsch, Berhalter, Friedel, Osorio & Vermes.

You're suggesting that the fact Vanney can build around superstars undermines NT value? What is Pulisic? McKennie? etc. People talk like they are trying to revive DC United rather than win with a US all star team. I want the coach who identifies studs and wins, not the one who comes up with cute ideas and loses in the semis. If we went by that standard Cabrera has revived the Dynamo and well beyond that the talent merits, but it's a single minded tactical gimmick that doesn't adapt. The idea of a overdog coach who knows who to get and where to play them -- and not just the big 3 but the supporting cast who have also moved into NT consideration -- used to be what voted in favor of Arena, Bradley, etc. Just win baby. Now we have bogged down in the ideological battle of wanting to have a style, of wanting the team to evolve. Now it's a beauty contest and who cares what round Atlanta disappeared last postseason.

On that note, while they are grabbing expensive players, so are other teams. Why does TFC work, but, say, LAG not? Why does TFC work for Vanney but not his big spending predecessors? Marsch and some of the others come to mind. NYRB aren't exactly saving money. Where's their trophy?

Like I said, I feel like this is some sort of "sexy coach" contest backed by snobbery about who is supposed to be the next big thing. Meanwhile we ignore who actually wins. THAT used to be what got people hired, and is what I would look for. Domestically, who can win that league. Foreign, who has taken teams like us to world cups in dominant fashion. Anything else is farting around experimentally. I didn't know we wanted to become an experiment.

As I used to say re JK, if you literally want to change how the team plays go back down to U10 and the US youth team system. You are wasting your time trying to hammer grown men into something they were not made to be. The new coach needs to be a winner whose style fits the sweet spot of the current talent pool. Maybe slightly challenging to the team where they grow, but not pretending to be something we aren't yet.

 

If we were dwelling in the world of winning, the analysis is different:

Vanney -- finalist last two MLS Cups, winner of one, finalist CCL
Paunovic -- world U20 champ Serbia, total reversal of Fire fortunes (as opposed to Ramos achieving roughly what Rongen or others have)
Vieira -- world cup winner, team routinely near top of league
Vermes -- league title, team routinely rebuilt back to success
Bradley -- won with an expansion team, back near league lead again, coached one successful world cup and was run out of his job before the next qualifying cycle

You then add international usual suspects. I would be wary of Osorio because when he's been north of the border he hasn't won.

 

The real question is this: which one of these guys who are all MLS through and through, is best for MLS profits?

Dan Garber has a really tough decision to make here.

 

Osorio reminds me a lot of Klinsmann in one regard, in that he might be the safest USSF-friendly possible outside the box choice for US manager. Martino is clearly a top tier candidate. If USSF is too lazy to really consider any managers that aren't already familiar with North American soccer, then Martino obviously vaults up the list.

The only domestic candidates I would consider are Marsch, Vanney, or to a lesser extent Berhalter. So I think Vanney should be on this list, he's clearly demonstrated since 2016 that Toronto isn't just winning matches because of top-tier talent alone.

Friedel should not be in consideration, and Ramos should remain with the youth teams or move on to club soccer. Vermes is the type of candidate that would be acceptable to me if the 2018 cycle hadn't been a disaster.

This list demonstrates a failure of imagination.

 

Yawn. Wake me up when it's over.

 

Vermes confirms he's been contacted by USSF for the head coach and GM positions.

 

What else could explain it was that the USSF was lulled to sleep by what happened at the U.S.-Costa Rica qualifier at RFK in Washington in 2009.

U.S. had already clinched qualification, but Costa Rica could have clinched with a win in that game. It drew a crowd of only 26,243, of whom it appeared that only about a third were rooting for Costa Rica.

If Costa Rica could only draw 10,000 or so fans for a game in which it had qualification on the line, then what was the danger of playing Costa Rica at another northeast location, or so the thinking seems to have gone.

The fact that the number of Costa Rican immigrants living in the United States is tiny compared to Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador or Mexico probably also was factor in the decision.

 

What a joke this has all become.

How about hiring him as GM so he can hire himself as NT coach.

And if true, good lord the USSFailures have set the bar low.

 

Why were they playing the WCQ in 2009 or 2017 in the center of CR immigrant population? To make money. They are putting $$$ over NT success.

The Fed, itself, has tons of money in the bank. They don't need to take any chances w/ qualifiying.

But, who puts money in their pockets from a sold out high dollar WCQ match? The owners of SUM.

 

at this point its a little bit impressive though.

I mean we had a chance for change in an election and they let wynalda make a mess of it by being the trump candidate and scare everyone away form the candidate who actually had ideas(martino) and then on election day the 'athletes' council goes full political and instead of voting for the game they vote for their careers going forward.

they promised to make changes while clearly laughing because they changes weren't going to be real changes they were just more job titles for the same people.

I really wish someone like pulisic would call out the athletes council.

 

Success typically revolves around a team's most pivotal players. This sporting postulate, not to mention MLS's being a capped league, renders downplaying of Vanney's success on the basis of Toronto's DPs a weak line of argument.

And Altidore's and Giovinco's combined total of 31 goals and 12 primary assists for the 2017 league play was not out of line with the output of the other top attacking units in the league. Toronto's other DP, Bradley, isn't highly regarded on these boards.

 

If they are really looking at hiring a domestic coach and this was their plan all along, why wait so long? Why say that it will be after the WC if everyone on the list, except Osorio, are locals? Out of that list I'll go with Vanney, even over Martino. Martino has said before he doesn't want the MNT.

Winning something should be a big plus to get you the coaching position of any NT.

 

Oh no!! Let me take out my nice pen and start working on my one time switch.

 

Be real, what are the chances a guy who just signed an extension is allowed to interview for or take another job. If he says "I have an out clause" maybe I buy it. "In other hands" is just ego talking. "This flatters me and if they offer to hire me I might ask if it suited my ego at the moment, or I might just keep my job." Move on.

 

Like I was saying, they have realized that waiting for (1) US Soccer election (2) GM hiring (3) world cup, is basically leading us to irrelevance. They decided to do this and to extend Sarachan to June but now see the publicity implications. By this summer people will be talking about anything but us. So for PR purposes we're going to start talking candidates to create buzz since people will soon be forgetting a missed-Russia team with no real coach even exists.

My thing is if you were concerned about soccer and not PR then either you hire the guy last year or you have the courage to stay radio silent and play your own strategy out as planned. This crap of "I am waiting on a GM" but "here are some names without even hiring one" just sounds like we are either full of it and engaged in bureaucratic power games, or lacking the courage of our convictions, or some of both. At minimum it does not inspire confidence in the leadership we just delayed the coaching choice to elect.

 

They aren't superstars. Giovinco is to MLS what a player like Griezmann is to the world stage.

 

Caleb Porter will probably be hired because nothing says you're ready to coach the USMNT like historic failure with the USMNT

 

I agree with you - Vermes is staying at KC. His words were to the effect of "Thanks, but no, thanks." The fact that he's publicly talking about it at all means he's not in the running.

We may have to accept that this is not going to be an attractive job offer to many, even among domestic coaches.

 

Is it historic if it's happened twice in a row? And we now know more about that 'talent pool'

 

You mean the U23s. You can't close that out against ES at home with a lead I don't want you as senior coach.

My thing however would be that he has done more actual winning, for all his slipups, than many on the list. He actually has a MLS Cup and won NCAA with Akron, which in retrospect is mindboggling. And I'd still say he'd be over his head. And most of the people on the list have never actually won anything as a coach. Friedel???????? This is Season #1 as a head!!!!!!!! If he wants to be goalie coach........

I mean, to me, if you're going to hire MLS, hire the guy in the final every year, and who has won, not the cute choice who loses in the playoffs every year. If you're elevating a former U20 coach, go with the guy who won the trophy with Serbia, not the guy who lasted roughly as long as Rongen always would. If you're hiring international, go with a top notch dude and not just the neighbor coach who you are jealous of, but who never won here. How about some ambition?

 

100% if the same people are involved. If SUM thinks Vermes is a great choice that's fine with MLS. They're the same thing.

 

Well, he started the ball rolling in historic fashion, perhaps he can finish what he started?

 

With the criteria of winning multiple NCAA titles and MLS cups,I know just the guy to see us through these tough times: Bruce Arena!

 

OOH, the book that would produce!!! Title : "How my Genius mind produced the second consecutive WC failure. If I had taken over the team in 1980, surely we would have made it."

 

You want changes in this Mickey Mouse federation, stop buying over priced tickets and jerseys. Start blasting their social media accounts.