Pekerman was almost coach of USA before Berhalter

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by Chaliaaaj, Sep 9, 2019.

  1. Chaliaaaj

    Chaliaaaj Member

    Argentinos Juniors
    Argentina
    Jul 21, 2018
    This is from a very good source: Pekerman was about to be named coach of USA until they decided to hire Berhalter.

    Being a of Argentinos Juniors, having been born in the US and Pekerman having started his career as a player and coach there, it would've been unbelievable. And seeing what Berhalter is doing now, I'm hopeful that Pekerman can be the next coach for USA.
     
  2. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    I think Pekerman wanted the job. And there was reporting in Colombia that he was holding out for an offer. But I don’t think he was ever seriously considered or even on the short list. He was certainly never interviewed. Sadly, I think the Berhalter decision was made long before it was ever announced.
     
  3. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Every time we've had an opening, Pekerman has been discussed. As long ago as 2006, before Jose took the Colombia job.

    I think a big problem the USSF had with him was that he doesn't speak English.
    Right?

    At this point he's 70. And he looks like he has more than one foot in the grave.
    [That's meant in a loving manner.] That doesn't mean I wouldn't want him over Berhalter.
     
  4. AutoPenalti

    AutoPenalti Am I famous yet?

    Sep 26, 2011
    Coconut Creek
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He doesn’t speak English. Next.

    God I hate this federation.
     
  5. um_chili

    um_chili Member+

    Jun 3, 2002
    Losanjealous
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    "Titanic almost steered clear of the north Atlantic before choosing course through iceberg-infested waters."
     
  6. chad

    chad Member+

    Jun 24, 1999
    Manhattan Beach
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If he really wanted the job he should've been Jay's brother.

    NEXT.
     
  7. onefineesq

    onefineesq Member+

    Sep 16, 2003
    Laurel, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Only 1 of many. There were literally dozens of threads that discussed who would be the next coach. This is the one most favorable to Pekerman because it was created specifically for him as a candidate.

    However, back in 2006/2007, @superdave and I were like 2 lone voices (in truth there was a small handful of others) in the wilderness screaming to the mountaintops in every thread we could find for him to be hired. Sadly, nearly everyone else here was on Klinsmann's jockstrap … and ultimately, Bradley got hired. So now what? We should be hoping for Pekerman to be the manager 3 or 4 years from now? The guy will be 73 or 74 then. We blew our chance to get him 3 cycles ago. Time for us to move on … and we all know we should have moved on with Tata. So now we have blown it twice.
     
  8. Mantis Toboggan M.D.

    Philadelphia Union
    United States
    Jul 8, 2017
    I'm actually kinda OK with preferring that our national team coach have at least basic proficiency in the country's dominant language (enough to get through a press conference) given that it's by far the most widely learned second language in the world. But that's not an excuse for ignoring a guy like Tata.

    To be clear I wouldn't have English capability as a cast iron requirement, but I would consider it a point in a candidate's favor.
     
  9. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Yeah, but Tata Martino took English lessons once named Atlanta coach. By the end he was doing interviews and press conferences in English. He wasn't great, but he put forth the effort. [Of course, he had a secret weapon. His wife teaches English.] That's fine with me too. Hire a guy like Pekerman, and then have an expectation that he'll learn English.

    Well.......................what you ideally want is somebody that is bilingual in Spanish and English. Particularly at the youth levels. This is one of the reasons Tab Ramos has been so good as youth technical director and US U20s coach. There are responsibilities for a USMNT/USYNT coach other than just on-the-field coaching. Press. Interactions with agents and clubs. Interactions with players and families.

    The second we have a coach that doesn't speak English, and his results start going south...……………..everybody on these boards would point to it as a reason. "He can't communicate with many of his players!! What do we expect!!?"

    When you see a coach that speaks many languages, you say "OH, that guy has an advantage." Schellas Hyndman spoke English and Portuguese fluently with really good Spanish thrown in. He had a connection to some Brazilian players that they brought in that he otherwise wouldn't have had.

    Its like we all know Michael Bradley is a future coach. Right? He speaks Italian, German, and Dutch well enough to give interviews in them. You can see these all over YouTube. Some people just have a natural ability to do this. It was shocking how quickly he picked up Dutch.
     
  10. Pegasus

    Pegasus Member+

    Apr 20, 1999
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's interesting because there's a rumor out there that he wanted to leave Atlanta because his wife wanted to move back to a Spanish speaking country.
     
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  11. TOAzer

    TOAzer Member+

    The Man With No Club
    May 29, 2016
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Then you could say "We Suck!". Now you can say "We Suck Again!". Boy do our Wise Federation Betters hold Water.
     
  12. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    Yep, that was the #1 reason stated by the rumor mill as to why he left Atlanta United, though it's worth noting Tata never stays anywhere for long. We know that it probably wasn't money -- Blank would have ante'd up. It could have been workload -- club coaching is more time intensive than international.

    However, if it was about his wife's unhappiness, it could have been less about the language and more about the culture, ability/inability to meet friends, etc. Atlanta's a multi-cultural city, but she could have just never found "her people" so to speak (I don't mean ethnically, but just people she feels comfortable around).
     
  13. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    Conceptually I agree.

    But I would also take Matias Almeyda and his rapid fire interpreter in a heartbeat. It's pretty awesome to watch them work.

    In order words, people should recognize it's a real barrier, but certain coaches are willing to go to great lengths to work around it.
     
  14. Mantis Toboggan M.D.

    Philadelphia Union
    United States
    Jul 8, 2017
    Yeah, that was my point with Tata. The English thing was a BS excuse.
     
  15. Mantis Toboggan M.D.

    Philadelphia Union
    United States
    Jul 8, 2017
    A competent Fed would have offered them a penthouse condo in Miami (or LA or Houston or Dallas, whichever they prefer) as part of the package.
     
  16. nobody

    nobody Member+

    Jun 20, 2000
    There were and still are many high quality coaches available. There was never a lack of potential candidates, just a lack of candidates the fed would consider.
     
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  17. ifsteve

    ifsteve Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Jul 7, 2013
    MS and ID
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have zero problem with a criteria that the MNT coach has at least a rudimentary ability to speak English. As a player I would not like to have to sit down for a one on one with the coach and have to have an interpreter.

    I am not talking about training sessions but a situation where a player needs a face to face with his coach. I would want that to be just between him and me.

    Now that has zero to do with Berhalter being chosen. There were plenty of solid candidates out there that we apparently didn't even talk to.
     
  18. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    How many languages does a coach have to know? Should Zidane
    Have to speak Serbo Croatian, Dutch, Portuguese, etc.? Why is it more imperative for a national team coach than a club coach who sees his players daily? I can understand arguments about national pride (not that I agree with them) but this language requirement at the expense of all other qualifications is hubris at best and, at worst, just a lame excuse to get the mediocre American we got.
    Did Korea (or now China) require Hiddink to learn their language?
     
  19. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    You make a strong point. Bravo!
     
  20. juvechelsea

    juvechelsea Member+

    Feb 15, 2006
    you're viewing the check-a-boxing in isolation here. used properly some sort of gestalt effort where candidates are scored across an array of categories would probably lead to good choices. but i don't think we compared candidates with scores for individual competencies, or you don't get berhalter the mediocre.

    i think we instead used check boxes as a whole to eliminate threats. used more obnoxiously, you actually use the check boxes to get rid of qualified people standing in the way. "plays exactly the way i want us to play." poof a chunk of the list. "speaks english at some high level i want to demand." poof another chunk. the check boxes are then used as a sword to eliminate candidates for narrow concerns as opposed to pick the best one across the board.

    it's more like talking points that way. you don't compare your guy across the board for his creds relative to theirs, with some offset for language skills and such. you make it where the next guy who is 2x the coach loses completely out on that talking point. then we are only talking native speakers. etc. etc.

    that was my thing on check boxes when i heard we were doing that. it should be scoring across the board and you just get lower scores on language. based on what tata has done relative to berhalter he's obviously the better coach. even if you discounted that for language he should still win. the only way to muddle that is make it about how he would look in interviews.

    fwiw i think GB is full of crap in his press interactions, does that count? he speaks english but he talks gibberish. relative to that i might prefer halting honesty [and a more sensible system and personnel approach].
     
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  21. freisland

    freisland Member+

    Jan 31, 2001
    But I would also like a coach to have a rudimentary ability to win big games against top national teams. As a player I would not like to have to sit down and eat poo after ever big game.
     
  22. ifsteve

    ifsteve Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Jul 7, 2013
    MS and ID
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Totally agree. I was only commenting on the ability to communicate at least a little in English.
     
    freisland repped this.
  23. Pegasus

    Pegasus Member+

    Apr 20, 1999
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You probably don't like participation trophies either do you meanie?
     
  24. freisland

    freisland Member+

    Jan 31, 2001
    Sorry, I know I quoted you, but just for the "clever" retort, not that I think you think losing is good.
     

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