Okay, let's assume there is an MLS quota as you say. Does that quota also include which players to take from MLS specifically or can he take the best MLS players currently in MLS to fit that quota?
I felt bad for dest and a little vines because the cb were so bad and for some reason didnt make simple passes to those guys instead of forcing it through the middle.
of course it doesnt include specific players (well, it didn't ...NOW it does) ...but I saw a graphic after the Saudi game that as of now of the top 11 players in minutes under berhalter 8 of them are MLSers ...which is INSANE. Arriola has the most minutes and caps of any player under ggg - or something along those lines. Arriola. if you go back, he's tried his damndest to find any MLSers up to the task....from lovitz and trapp yuiell etc etc.....he takes forevr to say goodbye to them and then just replaces them with other MLSers....meanwhile not giving much chance to the euro players....(outside of the obvious ones) would you bet your bank account that arriola is better than Lynden Gooch? I wouldnt. However, theres literally zero chance of him getting into the team. We saw 2nd div euro players moore, hoppe outshine most of the MLsers in the Gold Cup.....but somehow if you arent in a top 4 league absolutely killing it in europe you arent good enough for USMNT. the fact that ggg isnt really taking the best us players in MLS - is all down to his game model or something....he doesnt make sense.
On your first point…in general I agree with you. For a Cup that is going to be played in such hot conditions, I disagree. On your second point…Europe isn’t magic. How often is Haaland or Messi benched for a single mistake? The answer is literally never. No, the difference isn’t the nature of the leagues, but the clubs. An MLSer who is a candidate for the Nats is going to be the Haaland or Messi for his team. Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream play in the Prem, and it would take a series of bad games for them to be dropped. I see this argument made all of the time, and it’s always wrong. What is true for Pulisic at a super club isn’t true for Pefok at Union Berlin. In short, the “competition for places” argument isn’t about Europe vs. MLS. it’s about how good a player is relative to his competition.
Conversely, I’m not sure I’d bet my bank account that Lynden Gooch is better than Arriola. Not sure Lynden would be an upgrade.
You raise some good points. On the first point our group stage matches are scheduled to kick off at 10:00pm local so temps should be ~70 F. Maybe we’d get a day game in the knockouts but not sure we’re selecting the roster based on that hypothetical scenario. On your second point, it seems like we’re saying the same thing in different ways. How good a national team player is relative to his competition is a key difference between a top European league and MLS. Ream has Diop breathing down his neck who has years of Premier League experience and is valued at $14m. Jedi got injured and now he has to win his spot back from Kurzawa, who has a ton of experience with PSG. Every time Jedi or Ream step on the field, they have to be at their best or there are real consequences for their careers. Also we have testimonials from former players such as Charlie Davies and Heath Pearce, who both played in Europe and MLS and have stated that the competition in Europe made them better players. Contrast with Long or Zimmerman - who are their backups? Long got hurt, was out 6 months and walked back into not only his club team but the national team as well. They can play poorly, mess up repeatedly, get injured, etc, and still keep their spots. Mistakes don’t have the same consequences. And we’ve seen players like Altidore and Bradley come back from Europe to MLS and play considerably worse for the National Team. Where I would disagree is that any MLS player in consideration for the national team would be a Messi or Haaland for their team. I just saw a report where Long wasn’t in the top 46 best defenders in MLS.
Do those specific players from MLS have a marketing contract with a company? If they do then maybe you are on to something as to why those specific players get selected. If they don't and are selected because that's what Berhalter thinks fits his style of play then there is nothing that can be done by anyone. Each coach will never have ALL the players YOU want. Matter of fact, no NT always has the players everyone agrees with.
when 90% of the talent is abroad and yet 8/11 of the most capped players by the coach are domestic, it SCREAMS that this isn't only about personal preference. if the USMNT manager has a broad and general preference for domestic players...he should be fired for negligence.
The thing I don’t get is why have a quota if you don’t do much with it? Berhalter has routinely liked MLS guys the league itself has never made a big deal of in terms of national marketing. A guy like Pity Martinez got more hype from MLS during his short stay than Paul Arriola got his whole career. Similarly “Paul Arriola sat on a bench against Japan and got some time against Saudi Arabia” is not some marketing boon. Those friendlies didn’t even get good ratings. Plus you can go to MLS.com and find an article mentioning how Pefok shouldn’t be ruled out for the final roster even if Berhalter is skeptical about his fit for the system. I have a hard time believing such a sentiment would be allowed print there if MLS was pulling all the strings.
For me the MLS preference starts at the top above Berhalter with the people who hired him. MLS experience is a prerequisite for the job, to the point where anyone outside the MLS bubble isn’t even interviewed. There likely isn’t a quota per se, but an expectation that MLS players will play a significant role in team composition.
On the other hand Klinsmann was celebrated as an outsider and still had MLS favorites and did stuff like awarding Bradley the captaincy after he left a Champions League team in favor of a TFC payday. Also one of his most notable player spats was with Fabian Johnson, to the point Klinsmann publicly called him out and questioned his commitment. I wouldn’t assume a hire outside the MLS bubble automatically means the league is significantly deemphasized.
When most of the USMNT games are GC every 2 years, now NL every year, plus several friendlies in the US why would a coach want to call in all the Euro players ALL THE TIME for these games? Do you want to roll out an all Euro player USMNT team for 2 NL games then several weeks later start in the GC too, then one month later have a friendly in the US vs some CONCACAF team? Playing the same team over and over even for useless games until someone gets injured is negligence.
I'll reiterate what I said in March after we qualified. And what anyone said who wasn't completely blinded by some dumb c-team level Gold Cup results. Gregg sucks (especially against any half decent team) and this team has the ability to be much better than we are. He shouldn't see another game past Qatar.
I wouldn't doubt he gets an extended contract if we were to get out of group stage. Lucky for us it looks like we won't get out of group stage.
It is quite amazing to me the shear numbers of US fans I have encountered that are almost actively hoping that the US goes three and out at this WC. I still have mixed feelings. I "think" I will watch with a neutral attitude but I really have no idea how I will feel if we go into the last match with a chance to advance. I "think" I will lose all doubts and strongly support the US in that case but Berhalter's potential demise is going to be a very strong incentive to cheer the other way. I kind of hope a few US supporters sneak a "Fire Berhalter" sign or three into the stadium(s) for US games and those signs actually somehow get onto the broadcast. I doubt that will happen as most everyone seem terrified that US soccer might blackball people from future events. Just like in politics the person in the head coach position is not the same as the position itself. That is I "can" completely detest Gregg Berhalter's coaching and want him out at almost any cost and still strongly support US soccer.
it could just simp,y be berhalter knowing his best shot at a job after usmnt is in MLS and wants to stay in the good graces of those owners/execs who might hire him...he can show how sympathetic he has been to the league in interviews....
I would expect nothing less from our terribly corrupt overlords. I hope we make it out of the group, but sadly that will bring the same group of morons defending Gregggg for his "amazing results" (even though it'll likely be a win-draw-loss situation with only 2 goals scored over 3 games). Just like they did after wins in c-tier cups that no one gives a s**t about. Sorry, but Gregg sucks (aka can't coach on this level) and anyone who argues otherwise shouldn't have their opinion taken seriously. Period.
I guess it’s possible, but he had a job in MLS he left for the NT. So maybe he wants to use World Cup success to eventually get a bigger MLS salary, but he’s also tying himself to MLS players even if they’re not the best options in order to placate the owners, all the while assuming that the MLS clubs likely to offer a bigger salary give a crap about Arriola or Long’s playing time more so than a coach who will win at all costs? It seems a bit over complicated, but people do say Berhalter overthinks things.
If any club in the MLS is foolish enough to hire Gregg Berhalter after this fiasco then they deserve what they get. He was never any more than a mediocre MLS coach and his current job performance kind of implies that that is all he will ever be. But, I guess that the MLS and Gregg Berhalter are a match made in . . . . . .. The dotted word begins with an "H" but may have four or six letters in the English language. At this time it would be good to have him coaching in the MLS then I would never (or at least almost never) have to see a team coached by him play. It is possible that the MLS might become more watchable in the future but right now it is not. I do hear that the "North Toronto Nitros" might be needing a new coach. That might be a good fit.
GGG is a decent but not great coach for club level. He has all the time in the world to implement his "system". He'll have a job within MLS after the USMNT regardless of how he treats MLS. But if he keeps failing then the job offers will stop. That's how coaching gigs work.