When People Complain about Gregg, It Could Always Be Much, Much Worse...

There aren't any European players. There aren't any MLS players. They are all American players. Some of them play in Europe, some in MLS, and they can switch back and forth. Gregg Berhalter played in both Europe and MLS. "I don't like you, because I play in Europe" is not a realistic idea. Some players may not like GGG's system, some do. In the end, the only thing that matters right now is qualifying.

Gold Cup and Nation's League are both lower priority to qualifying for the World Cup. GGG did a great job in winning the Gold Cup and the Nation's League. That was not an accident. The only reason to fire GGG would be if the USA is in jeopardy of not qualifying. That is not the case right now. Win at home, draw away is the minimal strategy for qualification. The USA has had 2 games away and 1 at home. 5 points would be the minimum expectation. The USA has 5 points. The minimum goal has been met, albeit it with unorthodox results. The Honduras result made up for the lost 2 points at home to Canada. Once the USA has mathematically guaranteed a top 3 qualification, then firing the coach should be off the table.

I think you fire the coach only when the team falls below the {win at home, lose away} line, and it is unrealistic that they will meet or crossover that line in the next 2 games. Since games alternate between home and away, then you would fire the coach if the team drops 3 points or more below the {win at home, lose away} line, because the most you can makeup in 2 games is 2 points. This is a high standard, and some would say it is too high.

With the October games of {Jamaica, @Panama, Costa Rica}, the expectation is 2 wins and a draw for an additional 7 points and a total of 12 points. If the USA lost to Jamaica at home, you would fire Berhalter. If the USA only got a total of 1 point from Jamaica and Panama, then you would fire Berhalter. If the USA only got a total of 4 points from the 3 October games, then you would fire Berhalter.

Using this decision model, GGG is still on a short leash, and it is very important for him and the team that they get all 3 points against Jamaica.

I think it is unlikely that Berhalter will be fired, simply because the team will get the results it needs to.

 

That all makes sense to me and we all intuitively got it. Whether Stewart thinks this way is hard to judge. He pulled the trigger quick in Holland if necessary but not at Philly. He has never fired any coach at USSF that I can think of. Is McBride even involved anymore?

I do think Berhalter is on probation with the mostly docile US Soccer media. The previous time everyone thought he was on thin ice, he had one of his most pragmatic game plans and the team played really well from the start (Canada in Orlando). But he must have felt some pressure to get a result in Honduras and threw an absolute Klinsmann on the field.

You are starting to hear people speculate that the players (Adams and Pulisic chiefly) forced several changes in the Honduras game. When media types say such things as speculation, they either have it on background or are just speculating. Usually, US Soccer media is pretty deferential to the coach and Fed and don't go around speculating about things that make those two look bad.

 

March? The next two windows will be finished by November 17. Add your flawed timeline to the other straight up incorrect or misremembered items:

- "I didn't say that I wanted to fire Berhlater!" errr, actually he did.

- "You think Berhalter is a genius!" Nobody is suggesting in the slightest that Berhalter is a genius.

This is the type of bs that the "Fire Berhalter" crew is coming up with. Then, a guy is tired of "arguing the points" when sound logic about the challenges of the first window are presented and another interprets a mild comment as an "incendiary" attack. Settle down, fellas.

 

Gregg is a smart guy (with a lot of g's). I don't think anyone on the team knows more about football strategy than him, but the top players have been exposed to some high level strategies. However, I do not think the players "forcing changes" matches with the known personalities of Adams and Pulisic. Sounds like nonsense. GGG knew that a loss against Honduras probably meant a sacking, and playing on the road, he went defensive. It didn't work out, but he got the points in the end.

 

Anything but horrible? This is not even handed analysis and just makes my point more tangent.

During the friendlies the complaint was we only scored multiple goals against weak opponents. This was a true complaint. That was obvious.

I am NOT content with the offense. However, we have scored multiple goals in competition when we really need it even though these are objectively the toughest situations. Mexico when gifting a goal. Honduras away. Canada at home when in danger of elimination. It can no longer be said that we can't score against tough(er) opposition. The Gold Cup games carry the context that it was a third string team and the goals needed to score were scored. This is some advancement. Is it enough? Most definitely not! But you called it nothing but horrible and it is, again, part and parcel of the continuous oversell by the Bashers.

 

So, two more windows we give him. How many points does he need to stay? 15? 13? 17?

I'm sure you are happy with any performance as long as the results are good. So, what is acceptable by the end of the November window?

I'd say anything less than 15 is a problem.

 

our third window is only two matches, and according to "the formula": we should be at 16.

 

His ratings on FIFA21 are terrible and the nasal-voiced college freshman hipsters call him egg!!!! He doesn’t play our rising 16 year old superstar in the Luxembourg 12th division!!!!

Can’t you see?

 

So what you're saying is that Berhalter is absolutely a stunning genius?

 

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...tional-team-at-the-2021-fifa-futsal-world-cup

When you look at the experience on this roster, it's no wonder the results were what they were. This team was exactly what I thought it was - a number of indoor soccer players from MASL, a few who play semi-pro (if that) futsal, and even some players who aren't actually affiliated with a team. To be honest, it's a minor miracle they made it out of CONCACAF.

They were playing against team who either have established professional futsal leagues or who have a lot of players who play in established futsal leagues. Beating Argentina would have been on a level as the Miracle on Ice.

Simply making this World Cup with this roster was a major accomplishment.

 

There is no reason to make "demands" or lay down ultimata at this point. My expectation is for seven points this window. Nine is possible. Six could still be a success. Five is not terrible. Anything less is unacceptable (doesn't necessarily mean that the coach has to be fired). I do expect the team and Berhalter to show that they are evolving and growing as the continue to get results.

Nothing is guaranteed in World Cup qualifying and there are usually bumps along the way. This team accomplished some big things this summer when there really wasn't any pressure on them. They accomplished these things facing very little adversity along the way. That is completely different now.

The pressure of World Cup qualifying and the importance of having experience to lean on seem to be a little under appreciated by some posters here. Last window should go a long way in helping the team move past these challenges. There is no question that the US has one of the most talented rosters in the region, but they are lacking in some areas that come with age and experience.

That experience is happening quickly now, so the excuses won't be acceptable for much longer. I don't see what the issue is with watching this team and looking for growth over the next couple of months.

 

He's definitely still involved but it's unclear how much of his job is evaluating the performance of the coach. I'm not completely sure what the full extent of his duties are. There was an interview leading up to the first window with him and two of the things he mentioned was working with clubs to get players released and picking sites for qualifiers, but its not clear to me what falls under his purview and what is Stewart's responsibility.

 

Here's a problem I see. If you fire a coach in the middle of a qualification cycle you'd better have a new coach lined up prior to the sacking or you're looking at a complete disaster. We saw how well fire then hire worked last time. Not good.
How many national team fans are happy with their current coaches? Only country I can think off the top of my head is Italy. How many other countries fans are happy with their teams offensive production? Probably not many.
And who would take on the US job if Berhatler got fired after looking at his record? Why would any reputable coach want to come in mid cycle after they fired a coach with an overall winning record? That's not going to happen.
I also think the idea that the players have forced changes in playing style and such is ridiculous. Yes, a good coach will listen to the players but they will not allow the players to dictate. That's a recipe for disaster.

 

A million coaches in dozens of pro sports all over the world have been fired and replaced. Yet, before that, people had to ask, "who could replace them at this time?".

Replacing Berhalter would be easy. That isn't the point though. Is he hurting the team get results or is he not? If he is hurting the team, then replacing him with almost anyone will help.

Last cycle, don't forget, they had replaced Klinsmann in early 2016. Why they then kept him and then let him stay around until November is a combination of personal cowardice, professional malfeasance, and bad luck. Unless you believe they would have qualified with JK, it was the right move at the time even if it turned out to be a wrong choice of replacement.

BTW, we don't have to litigate that last paragraph just because I named a former coach. It doesn't matter anymore.

 

They released some video from the Honduras half time. 3:43 to 4:15. In my eyes, that speculation is only BS (Bigsoccer speculation)

 

There is no way that replacing Berhalter is right move at this time.

It might be "easy" to replace him (in the literal sense, at least), but that doesn't mean it's the right call. There would be a huge amount of risk in such a move. The team is in a good spot right now, and taking such a gamble at this point makes absolutely no sense.

Back to your underlying question of, "Is Berhalter hurting the team in getting results?" Well, the results speak for themself. Unbeaten in 12 games with two trophies and on track in qualifying would suggest that the team is not suffering under his leadership. Before you harp on the attacking play not being good enough, make sure that you are also considering the defensive side and intangibles such as work rate and morale.

There is no way to add this up and conclude that Berhalter should be replaced. No credible leader would make that call at this point.

 

I'm not calling for a switch but Earnie and McBride should have a list of replacements and even sound them out just in case. They should never be in emergency mode for that.

 

Many of the people wanting to fire Berhalter have what I would call "qualification anxiety" [QA]. QA is a form of generalized anxiety that extends into national team support. QA is not a reason to fire a coach. The way that the team responded in the second half against Honduras, and where the team now sits with 5 points in 3 games, both indicate that the team is on track. Is there a problem with scoring? Sure, but the expected goals (XG) versus El Salvador were 1.78 to 0.32, and against Canada 1.79 to 1.55. You'd like to see an XG above 2.0 and the opponent's XG below 1.0. Berhalter should work out a more attacking scheme when playing at home. There is still time to do that.

 

Seems closely related to the Cassandra Disorder where neurotypical partners of people on the autism spectrum feel that they are not heard and react in rage and despair. There's a lot of fantasy here of wanting to tell off the coach.

 

They released an edited video. Doesn't mean anything either way. Haven't heard as much media talk about it. Doesn't really matter. If Adams or Berhalter changed it, it got changed and it won't happen again hopefully.

Berhalter spoke about it (on the USSF podcast) like the team, of experienced professionals, just decided to act like a poorly organized youth team. It left a lot to be desired. It is his job to make sure the lines are communicating. It seems to me the players were confused and rather than admit that, Berhalter just pointed to a symptom of the confusion and left it at that.

 

When Berhalter says it or anyone here says it, it just sounds like total spin. "Unbeaten" in blah blah.

A tie at home to Canada is worse than a loss to Switzerland in a Friendly. Pretending dropping points at home in Qualifying is anything other than a loss of points is just facile to be generous.

 

I doubt they do. Stewart seems to be super happy to do nothing and get paid for it. Not sure what McBride is doing.

But maybe they are being responsible and doing their jobs, in which case of course they have people ready. Nobody is calling for a switch, but at half time of Honduras, everyone should have been ready for one.

 

I just want the coach to get out of the way of the players. To call mostly the right players, play them in the right spots, with tactical instructions they can execute and free them to express themselves.

That can be a reformed Berhalter. It can be a replacement.

I think Berhalter is a club coach and is not cut out for the drudgery of international soccer. He overthinks everything and acts like he is constrained to a MLS sized roster. Can he change?

There was a roster released to the media with Araujo on it. 3 RBs and ARob. Araujo refused, Bello was added. But Berhalter had already gamed out his whole week. So he still started the remaining two RBs in the first game. He didn't change the plan he had come up with when presented new info, like he is a club coach and the transfer window is closed.