Next Coach

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by nbarbour, Dec 3, 2022.

  1. Fighting Illini

    Fighting Illini Member+

    Feb 6, 2014
    Chicago
    I'd be interested, he certainly produced a cohesive, spiky Peru team.

    Does he speak English at all? For as much as I think it's USSF's responsibility to scour the world for this coach, I have trepidation about someone who can't speak English.
     
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  2. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    What I'm talking about is far above a formation choice or the decision to play defensive in the World Cup. It's about building organizational strength to scale good ideas and to ensure that as people leave, you don't take a massive step back.

    As for the other element, I do think the 433 is a bit of a dictate from Earnie as a base formation. He's Dutch, he wants us to bring a LOT of Dutch elements, etc. He wants pretty much everyone to start here, and there's a lot of good reasons for that. It's a pretty flexible formation, it's a good base formation, and it aligns well with a more skillful game that Earnie wants to bring from youth soccer up. In the YNTs, having something reasonably consistent will also help players come in and out, move up the ranks, fit in quickly to the USMNT.

    That said, I don't think the dictate goes that far with the senior team. I think we started there, but we played 442 in the WC, we've played 4231 and we've played 3 ATB, etc. I am pretty certain those decisions were Berhalter's even if the decision to have a base 433 was Earnie's.
     
  3. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    Yeah, this all came out a bit later.

    At the time, the narrative was that Lacob was a genius for moving from good to great. Which I agree is a very hard move to do. Far harder than getting to good in many cases.
     
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  4. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    I enjoy his long flowing locks. I'm curious what people like about his tactics, etc. -- Peru isn't a traditional power but those teams had some talent.

    My bigger concern would probably be around management style -- how does he communicate and connect with the players?
     
  5. Fighting Illini

    Fighting Illini Member+

    Feb 6, 2014
    Chicago
    And like, that's Earnie Stewart having the right idea and doing his job properly, a coherent federation-wide philosophy is important, and I can sympathize with him having a fear that a different manager would go bunker-and-pray the second things got tough, something Gregg to his credit never once did.

    But this is not a youth team. To quote sage philosopher Herm Edwards, you play to win the game.
     
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  6. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    No, it's all a balance. Ideally you find a manager who does everything. I suspect in Earnie's first cycle he leaned a little further to "program builder." With a foundation in place, does he lean a little more into "results getter"?

    I'm just pointing out that people often view these decisions in contexts completely differently than the decision makers. There was no much internet bile over the Chicago requirement -- and the supposed English requirement -- without anyone stepping back and understanding why those might exist.

    I think as completely firm requirements they are a mistake, but I would only break either for an especially strong candidate or someone who has proven they can manage around them.

    Earnie's been hired to build a program, so that's what he's doing. But he also wants to win -- I always think it is a bit silly to think high level athletes have less of a competitive streak than fans. Like, you want question Brian McBride's competitive streak? What about Berhalter's? The guy Benny Feilhaber said would spike him in practice? Or Earnie's?

    There are times when people start to collect a paycheck even in this situation, but I don't see it yet with these guys. Though that is a reason I'd see to turn over Berhalter now. Four years is a long time.
     
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  7. ChambersWI

    ChambersWI Member+

    Nov 10, 2010
    Club:
    AC Milan
    Usually plays 433 or 4231. Big issue for Peru was depth but they seemed to play really hard.

    I guess other big concern would be he's never had a job outside of South America
     
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  8. Reccossu

    Reccossu Member+

    Jan 31, 2005
    Birmingham
    Maybe he, at least, has more than I had recalled. What were his coaching moves at those stops? I will go look it up, but you may know already. I don't think he made any changes at Philly.
     
  9. Boysinblue

    Boysinblue Member

    Jul 31, 2011
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Eh we can least try and sell the Pochettino tier guys about how good this group of players is(cmon Poch you told us how close CCV is to the first team for years this is the least you could do to make it up to us who actually thought you were serious), the fact that we're hosting in 26, the lesser workload of an international job.
     
  10. Reccossu

    Reccossu Member+

    Jan 31, 2005
    Birmingham
    According to Wiki he was a TD at NAC Breda for a year (they don't hire coaches right?), and something called Director of Football Affairs at AK Alkmaar for a period. He may have been involved in firing Verbeek and the quick hire of Advocaat in 2013. But that looks like it was a personality clash, quick change thing and not a very deliberate process. So, I am not sure Earnie's experience includes leading a structured search for a manger to try and get better results.
     
  11. tomásbernal

    tomásbernal Member+

    Sep 4, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I really liked what Gareca did with Peru. He got the most out of those guys and I enjoyed the hell out of seeing them play (it doesn't hurt that I'm half Peruvian). I have no idea what his coaching style is like, though, nor how he'd translate to coaching the USMNT. Language might be an issue, too (but, hey, at least Shaq Moore would understand him!). Before Peru all of his coaching was at club level, mostly in Argentina (with a short spell in Peru and very short stint in Brazil). I do remember being very pleased with the in-game adjustments he made--and not just at half-time, like during the run of play in the 23rd minute sort of thing. So that's a plus on Gregg.
     
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  12. gomichigan24

    gomichigan24 Member+

    Jul 15, 2002
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Gulati did alot of work for USSF and growing MLS when we were in the dark ages as a country when it came to soccer. Alot of the growth we've had, he was very instrumental to the early stages of it.

    But then he got sort of entrenched in running US Soccer when he probably should have passed things off to someone else. If we qualify in 2018 he's never forced out and still making decisions about things like who the head coach should be. We should have created the current Stewart/McBride structure earlier, as I think the organization is much better off with the changes it has made since 2018.
     
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  13. Fighting Illini

    Fighting Illini Member+

    Feb 6, 2014
    Chicago
    I kind of love that idea.

    He might be a little bit too my-way-or-the-highway to be an international manager, but he's a flexible tactician par excellence and he makes really well-drilled collectives who are able to get the best out of a large and varied squad of players and suck to play against.

    He and Stewart might kill each other though.
     
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  14. dspence2311

    dspence2311 Member+

    Oct 14, 2007
    Lol.
    Good leaders don’t want yes men. I will leave the implications of that statement unsaid.
     
  15. RalleeMonkey

    RalleeMonkey Member+

    Aug 30, 2004
    here
    Wife has been there. Good friends moved there and currently live there. They live in the burbs, and live in fear of gun violence, incessantly. Wife & kid went down to see the big balloon sculpture thing. Next day there was a gang gun battle right there.
     
  16. Fighting Illini

    Fighting Illini Member+

    Feb 6, 2014
    Chicago
    Should I go warn Gregg about this? He literally lives right down the street from me.
     
  17. RalleeMonkey

    RalleeMonkey Member+

    Aug 30, 2004
    here
    Your call.
     
  18. truefan420

    truefan420 Member+

    May 30, 2010
    oakland
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I thought about Rafa. My only concern is that he might not mesh well with our young team.
     
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  19. TheHoustonHoyaFan

    Oct 14, 2011
    Houston
    Club:
    FC Schalke 04
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That is so far from reality that it is scary: Sunil is the single most important entity responsible for building up a small poorly run, almost bankrupt org into what it is today.

    "He's the single most important person in the development of soccer in this country," says former USSF president and Major League Socccer founder Alan Rothenberg, another critical figure in the game's recent history who has worked with Gulati on numerous projects. "I don't think there's anyone in the United States that understands all the pieces of the puzzle better, whether it's amateur, pros or the national team or international. We wouldn't be where we are today in the sport if it weren't for Sunil."

    When Gulati was elected USSF president in March, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said at the federation's annual meeting, "If the history of soccer in this country were written today, there would already be a chapter entitled 'Gulati.' "


    https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/national/2006-05-01-gulati_x.htm
     
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  20. Fighting Illini

    Fighting Illini Member+

    Feb 6, 2014
    Chicago
    You guys are pretty much saying the same thing.
     
  21. dspence2311

    dspence2311 Member+

    Oct 14, 2007
    What balloon sculpture? What gun battle? (I googled and found nothing.)

    I suspect your friends need to change their media sources.
     
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  22. largegarlic

    largegarlic Member+

    Jul 2, 2007
    I don't remember many of the specifics regarding how Peru played and how he coached, but I do remember posting here while watching the 2018 WC that I thought Gareca seemed like he might be a good fit and might be attainable. I remember Peru as being a moderately talented team that played really hard, played an attacking style, and gave the better teams some problems.
     
  23. RalleeMonkey

    RalleeMonkey Member+

    Aug 30, 2004
    here
    Apparently, it's a bean, not a balloon. AT&T Plaza.

    My friend's media sources have nothing to do with it. While my family was there, I watched local Chicago news on Tubi. There were proposals to barricade the plaza, and have a 10 p.m. curfew. This was reported on the regular local news.
     
  24. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    Don't know about the Netherlands. At Philly, he was very patient with Curtain. But then again, so was Ernst Tanner.
     
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  25. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    Yes, but don't tell him that. He's enjoying himself too much.
     

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