I keep seeing this and it is mind blowing to me. My soccer playing adult sons (neither of whom had been clamoring for him) were struck by how much more creative the attack became when he came on. One said “How has this guy not been playing?”
I agree 100%. He didn't score or assist but our offense when he touched the ball took up better positions and he was always calm on the ball and made several good attacking passes. His ability to remain calm and in control and pick out a pass is different than what we get from almost anyone else in the squad and it was visible in his half against Netherlands. Getting him more involved and working more with Pulisic should absolutely be the highest priority for this team to develop an improved attack, which is sorely needed based on the evidence in Qatar.
To confirm Jeff Carlisle clarified saying while there have been preliminary discussions Berhalter also has interest at trying his hand in Europe again
Disagree, but why do you think Puli kept taking free kicks when Gio came on? He’s clearly better with them and had been taking them when with the team prior to the WC.
Yeah, I think people are going down the rabbit hole here. Berhalter is looking at his options, as we'd expect him to. He's out of a job in December. So I'm sure he's talking to the USSF, and evaluating other opportunities.
Gregg Berhalter is set to begin discussions on a new contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation, per @JeffreyCarlisle. pic.twitter.com/T9vTxH33aG— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) December 7, 2022 This may be how my supervillain origin story begins...
We definitely played a more proactive style this World Cup compared to both 2010 and 2014 and the underlying statistics back that up. John Muller wrote up an article in the Athletic that quantified some of this. https://theathletic.com/3974522/2022/12/06/usa-world-cup-tactics-soccer/ In some measures we only improved slightly. For possession for instance we were 13th amongst World Cup teams at 53 percent compared to 43 percent in 2014 and 49 percent in 2010. We were also 8th lowest in the World Cup in terms long balls as a share of all passes (the teams ahead of us are Spain, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, England, and Croatia). In both the 2010 and 2014 World Cups we were in the top of half of teams with frequent long balls. We were also 8th in the World Cup in field tilt, which is the share of touches in the attacking third (and the teams ahead of us were France, England, Portugal, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, and Spain). Spain was number 1 in this metric in 2010 and Germany 2nd in 2014 (France was 12th in 2018). The 2010 US team was below average in this metric and the 2014 US team was second to last ahead of just Iran. In terms of possessions reaching the final third we were 4th in the tournament (with only Germany, Brazil and Portugal ahead). The article doesn't give the 2014 numbers but we were 10th in this metric at the 2010 World Cup. We were also the 5th best team in the tournament at successful counter pressing (behind England, Brazil, Spain, and Germany). In 2010 and 2014 we were in the bottom half of the tournament in this metric. The one metric that's not great for us is share of penalty area entries from crosses, where we were 4th in the World Cup, behind Canada, Serbia, and Mexico. Croatia was 3rd at the 2018 World Cup at this metric, but also had Mandzukic at striker. The article doesn't give the numbers for the 2010 and 2014 US teams on this. This chart is also interesting of all the US passing networks for games from 2010, 2014, and this World Cup. I think when you look at some of these metrics, we played alot more like the best teams in the world do compared to previous World Cups. Now none of this means that we don't have room for improvement. But the way we played at this World Cup was much different than at past World Cups and more proactive style than both Bradley and Klinsmann played.
The ratio is strooooong with this one.— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) December 7, 2022 So Gregg is going to explore his European club options, find that no one outside Scandinavia or mid/lower tier Netherlands/Belgium is interested in his services, and take the USMNT job again... while USSF wait for him like he's Lebron making "the decision"? What makes this dude whose failed in the Swedish second division, was average in MLS, and had the USMNT exactly where they usually finish in recent World Cups, so amazing that USSF is holding the job for him (last time they waited almost a full year while he finished coaching the ****ing Columbus Crew)?
Yup as expected Berhalter wants to explore his European club options. Now that feels like something he won't be able to adequately do in the next few weeks, so this is why I'm guessing we'll see a short term contract extension through the March window.
That's nice, but the World Cup is all about results. 5 goals in 2010, 5 goals in 2014, 3 goals in 2022 including the flukiest US goal at a World Cup in how long... oh and four games played at each one, no advancement to a fifth game. In fact less close to advancing than in those other World Cups, not like they were going to score 2-3 more goals in the final minutes vs Netherlands.
Getting a mid tier club job in the Netherlands or Belgium would be a pretty big deal for a US coach and the only ones who have really done better than that are Marsch and Matarazzo (and Bradley with his brief EPL stint). And Matarazzo is not a product of the MLS/domestic coaching pool as he's rose through the ranks in Germany. It's very hard for coaches from the US to get European jobs still. I think we'll find that Berhalter is alot more respected in Europe than he is on twitter or on here. And given the uncertainty US Soccer can make clear to Berhalter that they need to at least gauge interest from other guys in the meantime. You can have a discussion with Marsch, Matarazzo, and some foreign candidates. You set the conclusion of the March window for Berhalter to make a decision either way and if he decides not after that you can move quickly to the list you've developed of interested coaches, with the goal of having someone in place for the Nations League Finals.
The game against Netherlands was much different than the game against Belgium in 2014. Advancement to a 5th game is going to be difficult to expect until we have the talent that those teams. Look at the teams who are in the quarterfinals currently, how many of them do we have better talent than? It's not a fair expectation of any coach. As I said not everything was perfect and there's room for improvement. But we also definitely played a much more proactive style than we had at either of the previous 2 World Cups. Sometimes it seems like there's this idea that if we just hired the right coach, that we'd suddenly be legitimate contenders to win the World Cup, when the thing that's going to do that is continued improvement of our player pool.
Do you think Bob and Juergen would have played a less proactive style if coaching this same team? I don’t.
Agree with this... Best thing I can say about Gregg, outside of creating good environment/culture and ok tactics, is he got incrementally better as time went by. Will he continue to get better? Idk. I wouldn’t extend his contract, but it could be worse. It could also be way better with someone else https://t.co/Kv4PlZUhZi— Kranks (@dis_possessed) December 7, 2022
Bob has clearly evolved with the times, so your implication is probably correct with him. I think he would potentially be a good USMNT coaching candidate again at some point in the future. There has never been any evidence in favor of Jurgen's ability to coach a team or lead a locker room. Most likely, he would be as lost with this squad as he was in his actual tenure.
Could "improvement of our player pool" have anything to do with it? < thinking emoji > Okay don't hone in on Klinsmann as an individual, how about generic slightly above average national team coach X?
I dont care where GB goes as long as its not with the USMNT. He is stuck with is system (doesnt work) locked into too many that are not international quality and thinks knocking it around midfield then cross and pray is some kind of offense. Time for a real coach/ Let GB go
"Berhalter is alot more respected in Europe than he is on twitter or on here" I guess we'll soon find out. You will be proven right if Gregg takes some Euro job that "would be a pretty big deal for a US coach" and you will be proven wrong if "Europe" doesn't actually show how much more they respect Berhalter than Twitter and BigSoccer do, and he comes back to the USMNT... now we wait and see!
Interesting nugget in the comments: six of the eight coaches in the quarterfinals are second cycle coaches. There goes the narrative (which I have also believed to a point) that two cycle coaches don't work.
100%, he looks a bit like an old man out there now but it’s glaringly obvious what he brings to the table that others don’t. As much crap as he takes for being immature, watch him play at BVB or even in the little time he has had for the national team lately, his first instinct is usually to get his head up and look for the pass. He sees the field better than anybody else they we have, has the technical chops to deliver the ball, and the strength to maintain possession in a crowded area. I, maybe deservedly, took a bit of flak over on the other forum when I basically suggested that Gio is too good for Dortmund, that only Bellingham and a healthy Reus we’re on his level. That he needs to get to a super club with better players, ideally, a team that puts a premium on possession and tactical nuance. It might have been a bit over the top based on his recent history but I still believe this. His absolute first order of business is to stay healthy and get match fit. If he can do that then sooner or later it will, hopefully, become self evident to anybody that the team needs to be built around him.
I hope he is right. Certainly the defensive stoutness of our midfield impressed some people. Making the Dutch tailor their game to work around it isn't nothing. The ease with which they did that, and the failure to adapt to it, would put some clubs off. But if there are other Earnie Stewart's out there who believe that there is one way to play, and want someone who will do his best to vindicate that belief, Gregg is their man.
I think with two cycle coaches it depends on the circumstances. I also think it depends a ton on where your team is in its evolution age wise.
There are plenty of nations we can point to.................who kicked their domestic coach to the curb for shiny Euro or South American options, and got worse. Exhibit A: Mexico and Tata Martino. You know, the guy people on these boards crushed the USSF for not being interested in. Meanwhile Martino hasn't beaten Berhalter in four straight attempts. I'm not a "Berhalter guy." On the other hand this cycle was a big improvement from the last, and we can do....................a lot worse. I mean, I can totally see the scenario in which the USSF chooses not to move forward with Berhalter, hires Caleb Porter.....................and we regress. That's a totally plausible scenario.