USSF Press Conference Incoming...

In fairness, Deadspin assumed he was. USMNT GM Brian McBride gone, Gregg Berhalter should be next (deadspin.com)

 

Dane Murphy?

 

They care about the Netherlands and club play. They don't care about the kind of grand mal stupidity that happened with the Reyna's and Berhalter and I don't know why they would. Stewarts been involved in soccer in Netherlands for like 4 decades, whatever the hell this last thing was is not relevant to running an operation like PSV, it's some bizarro world American ---, and culturally, I think the Dutch are pretty well known for being plain spoken, direct, no sentiment, etc. They just want Earnie to build excellent operations and run excellent operations like he's already done 3 times with Breda, Alkmaar and Philly. Whatever nonsense comes with the US is irrelevant to them.

Recall how the Dutch operation was quoted as talking about :now we're dealing w/the real tournament, with real opponents, and real challenges in the run up to the QF against Argentina. Like basically we were simply an R16 road bump before the real actual tournament began (pretty presumptuous for a team that struggled badly against Senegal until a pair of late against the run of play goals and were dominated by Ecuador). They didn't even think they should've been worried about us (they should've, but still). These guys couldn't give less of a ---- about the nonsense that happened with the Reyna's or in our country. It's irrelevant to them except as a place to mine for future cheap transfers (that's probably the one American angle, and the only one they care about-Stewarts insights about developing American talents that can be sold for lots).

 

Deadspin though...

edit: I did check the link just to make sure you weren't the author

Sean Beckwith appears to be Mr. Hot Take

 

Apparently the job was never created

https://www.inquirer.com/soccer/usmnt-earnie-stewart-brian-mcbride-reyna-scandal-20230126.html

McBride added that he had planned to say something in December, “but another opportunity inside the Federation arose while there.” He didn’t say what it was, only that he looked into it and “felt it was one that would fit seamlessly with my position in leadership. Unfortunately, the position has been put on hold for the foreseeable future.”

What was that job? A source with knowledge of the matter said it was a new position under consideration to be created, but was not ultimately created. No further details are available yet.

 

Job Title: "Fall guy for the Berhalter-Reyna" Disaster"

 

I was kinda shocked that he went out there with "McBride sacked over Reyna affair" based on pure assumptions. Or the assumptions of his source. Who could also have clued him in about Stewart.

Another banner day in the long and glorious history of Deadspin's soccer coverage, I suppose

 

Thank you. I was going by McBride's statement. The bolded was not included in his statement.

 

I don't believe McBride's statement.

 

Haha, so Earnie Stewart and USSF leadership is supposedly responsible for a massive shitshow, and the notorious direct and straightforward Dutch wouldn't take that into account when placing him in a critical senior role.

As you mention, the Netherlands were hardly worried about the United States in the Round of 16. So a big club like PSV isn't going to give a freebie to somebody who hasn't been involved in management in the Netherlands for nearly a decade unless they think Stewart is still showing that he can handle the job. And if a position with the US is irrelevant, same applies to a club in a supposedly small league like MLS.

The ultimate problem is that the big anti-USSF, pro-Reyna argument seems to be that management catastrophically mishandled a major issue that incriminates everybody involved; yet at the same time it is perfectly natural for prominent soccer clubs to come calling to those people who are incriminated. It's an asinine position, and no doubt we will be seeing it a lot on here.

 

Yes and no. If Earnie wasn't landing in such a prestigious place as PSV, it would be alot more suspect in my eyes.

I will comment.

What the hell are you getting at? Like, I literally have no clue. The cycle just ended, and the new cycle is a completely different animal, since we won't have to qualify. Massive change is a good thing IMO.

 

That kind of over simplification only works in MAGA land.

 

Not only did he land at a Dutch power perennially in the Champions League but his family is there too. Seems like a no brainer to me. And now Danielle Reyna has no reason to call him which is also a plus.

 

Maybe Washington Generals.

 

Here's how I think the process went for PSV:

1. Earnie Stewart is somebody with an impressive CV. Knows Dutch clubs, played there for years, is Dutch.
2. Most importantly, Stewart has had a very good record as technical director with NAC and AZ. It's also notable that he's continued to find success with Philadelphia and the United States. So it's not like he's lost it since leaving the Netherlands. Let's consider him along with other candidates.
2. Goes through search process, probably started in late 2022 or whenever the position opened. Stewart seems like best fit.
3. Uh-oh, there's a situation with the US national team after the World Cup. We don't really care that much, but since there are serious improprieties being alleged, let's do our due diligence, investigate him, and make sure that there is nothing that either condemns Stewart or suggests egregious incompetence. Beyond that, we don't care, because we already know enough about him
4. Stewart is hired.

 

What exactly Technical Director for the NT is doing? I understand what Stewart was doing, and everything was redundant and damaging, but what soccer decisions besides hiring a coach you mean?

 

I don't think there is a lawsuit against the Fed.

1. Defamation? No. Truth is a defense.

2. Intentional interference with a business opportunity? Weak, because there is no reasonable way to predict he would have been rehired but for the disclosure.

3. Public disclosure of private facts? No. The Fed didn't disclose anything. D. Reyna did (to Stewart), and then Gregg made the broader public disclosure.

Hard to see any suit vs the Fed not getting laughed out of court.

 

I dunno man.

A good life lesson is to never attempt to predict crazy.

And she’s crazy.

 

In the words of the lawgiver Solon - maybe? There was a week between the Netherlands game and the public disclosure of the leadership conference. The USSF could have thanked him for his service Marie Kondo-style at any point during that week, and no one would have blinked, much.

And while I might be in the minority here, I don't think the USSF thought the leadership conference remarks by themselves affected anything. This was their January 3 statement.

Through this process, U.S. Soccer has learned about potential inappropriate behavior towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organization. We take such behavior seriously and have expanded our investigation to include those allegations.

If the USSF was going to move past Berhalter over trashing Gio Reyna without mentioning his name, it's funny the USSF didn't do that instead of, um, trashing Gio's parents without mentioning their names.

 

Could be or could just be that Stewart's got a reputation for doing an excellent job in the club td sphere (which I think he does and have said as much). I've also said that I think there's at best a 10% chance we find someone of his quality to replace him.

You're trying to play gotcha with a guy that supported the Stewart Hire, respects Stewarts abilities as a club td a ton, and thinks he has done an excellent job everywhere he's been club wise. I'm not sold with what he did with the usmnt especially w/the coaching hire, nor w/the reyna situation (though I put 95% of that on Berhalter (and the Reyna parents I should've added), not Stewart and viewed him as caught in the middle of insanity).

So okay, I guess, but, largely whatever, this isn't hard to me. They think he's a good TD, they hired him. The US stuff is irrelevant to that, as I said before. What does some hyper incestuous us fed structure have to do w/what he'd be asked to do at PSV? Umm, nada.

 

The Generals accomplish their objective, the wizards have never accomplished any objective beyond cashing ticket sales and tv revenue.

 

The search group is being hired to provide cover for hiring an MLS guy to manage. I'd be ok with Curtin or Smetzer

 

That's not a cause of action.

 

No because that would require the USSF intervening between Gregg and the third party and purely for spite. Maybe, just maybe, he'd have something against the Reynas, but not USSF, his former employer.