Pre-match: Brasil Friendly, 6/12

The answer to this question may provide a glimpse into just how much pressure Crocker is placing on Berhalter.

If the US comes out like Saturday never happened, I think that will be very telling about Crocker’s indifference to the state of the program at the present time.

 

I completely get what people are saying when they say that Reyna should sit for more bite in the midfield against Brazil, but for the last year or so every single time Gio has come off the field the team has looked worse than they did with him on the field. Gregg knows it too. It's actually a big problem in my mind.

I guess it's reasonable to go MMA and see how long Tyler can last. Maybe hope for 0-0 at the hour mark and then bring Gio on. Could be better than bringing him off after an hour and having things go to complete hell again like they did when he came off against Colombia..

 

Yeah it's going to be fascinating to see how much things are changed up. I think this game is a pretty important one for Gregg and the team both. He's got a goal keeper whose confidence is at an all-time low. There is a less than zero chance that if things start going south early that they could get really ugly.

I may be reading into things too much but I see a level of concern on Gregg's face now that I haven't seen since the NL debacle in Toronto. Difference is that he had some time to regroup back then. This time he has a very important tournament in two weeks. Friendly or not, it would really help him and the team if they have a respectable showing on Wed.

 

I'm gonna go ahead and assume that Crocker will never be indifferent about the state of the program, regardless of how people on the internet read the tea leaves. He's a professional.

 

heres what i want to see, strictly to have us as "ready" as possible next week...

gk- horvath. i fully understand and appreciate the logic of getting turner every minute we can to counter his lack of playing time over the last few months but i just dont know how much one match is going to help. letting in another 2 or 3 (which is very possible against brazil in any scenario) will only make things worse for him, mentally/confidence-wise. im not going to shade anybody hoping for some keller v brazil miracle that turns it all around for him, but 4 of the 5 goals from colombia werent even crazy tough shots. yes, they were were all bang-bang and reaction time (even getting set) is probably the hardest thing to get back after a long time not playing but he wasnt even close. he wasnt positioned well. its really, really bad yall. let him sit. if hes the guy once copa starts ok- but i dont think theres a strong chance he gains anything from this one. let him watch, let him miss it, let him stew. but the team has to come first.

rb- ugh, this is painful to even type out, but i think a half for shaq and a half for one of the "alternatives" would be a pretty solid call. my (strong) preference/hope is that we go into the copa with scally as the guy- dont disrupt multiple positions/roles and just play how we play. that said, get shaq in the mix, and give a little time to whoever gregg sees as the best fit- i suspect thats wes simply based on the last window and timmy tillman being here rather than zendejas. cause as scary as scally is to some of you, him doing an ankle against panama would be a nightmare. we gotta be ready. thats all im saying.

cb- start richards and robinson, our "a" pairing. i dont see fitness as a huge issue for cbs (excepting grandpa ream, but i imagine/hope we are only going to use him situationally anyways), but mckenzie for richards at the half/fairly early makes sense- and i do think this is a place you pre-plan that move, just so everybodys ready and on the same page. im not against the idea of getting ccv back on the horse towards the end, but im not gonna be mad if we dont.

lb- i start lund for sure. theres no special considerations for sitting jedi here (letting him get his groove back or whatever)- hes a veteran player. even if the copa goes according to our wildest dreams im not sure there are more than 45 minutes for lund- and its not even about getting him a run with the team. jedi has a ton of minutes on his legs, we need him for almost every minute of the copa. its that simple.

cm- start johnny again, above that "first team" cb pair. just get him right back in after a mostly positive performance and keep building confidence and comfort, then adams at the half. i only want a half for obvious reasons, and making it the second limits any temptation to leave him on longer. that way also give us a little stability/security to avoid another full on collapse, which could very easily wreck our confidence overall.

the other two spots i dont really have any strong preferences. i definitely dont want to put more than a half on wes' legs, and i already said i think hes the most likely "alternative" rb so hes out of the mix here.

so maybe johnny, reyna and yunus start? adams at the half for sure. maybe start luca with johnny and musah? a strong possession/"press resistant", 2/3rds passing trio? i fully realize that reyna would make that 3 out of 3 but i dont know how much we are going to, or should, push forward. ive never spent a minute of thought on this before, but that really neutral middle 3 is weirdly intriguing...could just be indigestion, though.

anyways, i want to get malik a solid chuck of minutes if/wherever we can. im not feeling great about him but nows the time to find out. maybe gregg can talk dorival into 11 subs for this one so i can address all of my concerns? but an overall plan of playing it pretty safe while taking chances later isnt the worst idea. i didnt see any rhyme or reason to the changes against colombia, and obviously a friendly doesnt require a unique and sophisticated tactical approach- im just saying frame it up a little. give some structure to what we want to get out of this one.

cause the only result consideration here is dont get f-ing wrecked again. play smart, play together. we are a possession team, so do that. keep the ball, play it around, probe something, unbalance whatever and take your shots later on. if we lose 0-3, scoreless draw, miracle win whatever- just dont roll over and die. thats the only "result" that i think would have any lasting effect (except for here, of course. we are gonna take it to the street!)

rw/lw- id split the wide minutes between puli, weah and wright with an eye towards getting weah off asap. theres only so many minutes to go around, and im not really worried about brendan. hes fully "in" the team, he knows whats what.

st- balo/pepi, obvs.

so i guess that puts me here:

______horvath______
___richards__miles__
wes___________lund
______cardoso_____
___musah___luca___
weah__________puli
________balo______

shaq for wes, adams for johnny and wright for weah at the half (switch sides w/puli i guess).

as always id actually start pepi but it aint gonna happen so he comes on whenever. i want a good chunk for mckenzie (richards) and tillman (musah or luca). that leaves brendan, gio and ccv, so whatever makes sense.

scallys just a victim of circumstance here, maybe he relieves lund? but let turner, ream and jedi sit and plot how theyre gonna take shit out on panama (while sean leans in and says "yeah! yall got this!" every now and then). sarge can ride a bike, timmy tillman can chill and wonder why hes there like the rest of us (dont get pissy about this, hypersensitive nerds).

easy peasy. i just want the guys to go out and play.

 

So then we should see a playing style that increases the chances of success in the Copa on Wednesday. Because when any manager sees the equivalent of what we saw on Saturday, a good manager will talk with the subordinate and figure out how to change things if that manager cares about being successful.

I guess we’ll see tomorrow night. And I hope those looking to attack fully note that not once have I said “beat Brazil”. Just come out recognizing that continuing from Saturday would be disastrous and that there has to be something done to increase getting out of the group and looking like we belong on the field against a non-CONCACAF opponent.

 

I wouldn’t presuppose anything about what Crocker thinks based on anything that happens tomorrow.

It’s bad for Berhalter if the team plays similarly poorly tomorrow, but it’s too late for Crocker to do anything before the Copa America.

What Crocker does or doesn’t do will be something to judge post tournament if things go poorly (and obviously if things go well there’s not really any action for Crocker to take).

 

I never once said that if tomorrow is as bad as Saturday that Crocker would or should fire Berhalter on the spot.

I sincerely wish those defending Berhalter would stop putting words in people’s mouths when they offer reasonable and objective criticism and questions.

If the team repeats Saturday, then it’s painfully obvious that the Copa is merely a glorified training exercise for this team instead of a major opportunity for the team to show it can play with teams outside of the CONCACAF Nations League. USSF can spin it all they want, but the real story will be apparent to those looking at the situation objectively.

 

Coaches have gotten fired before tournaments.

GGG has had success bouncing back after embarrassing results. And Reyna as an 8-10 against non-Concacaf-level competition is crazy.

 

I'd like to see some significant changes in the lineup, understanding that it would absolutely result in an on-paper weaker team with a lower ceiling. The lack of fight and intensity from far too many should not be accepted, and a message needs to be sent that yes, you can play soft if you want, but you're not getting to play against Brazil if you do. I think we gain more from holding players who slack responsible than any sort of tactical theoretical advantage we could claim we get from tweaking the lineups and strategy with the same guys.

For me, Wes was one of the main culprits and he's failed to show up in other games before as well. If he's not going to work hard and bring the intensity he can, his value is marginal. He sits. I'm also sitting Ream. He didn't play well, has been shuttled to the bench for his club, brought nothing and is not a physical presence. We need some defending with intensity more than his decent passing. I'd consider sitting Richards as well as neither center back played with intensity. Up top, sit Balogun. Yeah, yeah, he doesn't get his ideal passes the way we play, but he needs to work and get involved with what we are doing, can't just be a spectator and hope the ball will eventually find him. And finally, Turner was horrible and has been a few times, so he sits. That's at least one change on each line, trying to focus on those who lacked intensity and ambition the most, at least in my eyes; the coaching staff should have a better handle on that up close.

Roll with something like...
Pulisic, Wright and Weah up top - Those three brought some level of intensity and drive to the game. Tyler and Johnny in midfield and probably Reyna as well although I'd also consider sitting him too, too much play along the backline so he can touch the ball a lot under no pressure and not enough working hard to get it where he should. Tyler should be able to get this part of the field fired up. In the back, Scally and Robinson played with some fire, even if they weren't all that effective but I'd keep them out there. Center backs are Robinson and McKenzie. Horvath in goal I guess but mostly just not Turner. Tell the whole squad, we need intensity, physicality and I want you out there committing fouls when you need to. All in for every confrontation.

We're very likely going to lose to Brazil no matter the lineup, so stop trying to be cute and sit those who slack and give others a chance. Sending this message could be more valuable than any half assed tactical tweaks we try to introduce when we're outmanned anyway. We don't have an 11 with the quality to outplay and out pass Brazil, stop trying. I'd sub in those guys who did not play against Columbia if I need to.

Everyone wants "accountability" for Berhalter and I don't disagree, but the players need to be taken to task as well. I don't care what clubs pay their bills, I want to see them show up when they put on the shirt, even in friendlies. A big part of a coach's job is beyond Xs and Os and gets into preparing his squad mentally. I'd like to see Berhalter value getting these guys to show some fight and intensity more than making sure everyone is relaxed and happy when they come to camp. He said in press conferences they didn't respect the opponent or the game and didn't bring the fire needed. So, you're the coach, do something about that.

 

Sure but there’s no action for Crocker to take now or tomorrow after the game.

His job is to evaluate the coach not dictate tactics and strategy to him. And that evaluation will come once the tournament wraps up.

At this point there’s not much else for him to do.

 

except his infallibility, which requires blind, unquestioning trust and its up to you to continually impose that opinion.

you think your extreme on this (like any number of ussf/mls/berhalter issues) is any more valid than the other, and then hide behind "who knows if someone else would be better?".

 

Have you ever managed people?

I have for the better part of 25 years. You absolutely step in and ask “How can we fix what happened?” after a disaster like Saturday. If had something like that happen at my job, I sure wouldn’t just sit back and say “well, that sucked. I’ll put it on my to-do list and deal with it in a month.” If the response is, “Everything’s fine, just have to do better”, then my response is “No, it isn’t. What needs to change?”

If that’s how Crocker is managing Berhalter, then Crocker isn’t fit for the job. I am awfully certain Crocker and Berhalter sat down Saturday night or Sunday morning and Crocker’s first question was something to the effect of “How do we make sure THAT doesn’t happen moving forward?”

 

not to stir anything up, but hajis performance against colombia is closing in on hoppe-in-the-gold-cup status.

he tried to take guys off the dribble a couple of times, but nothing really came off. thats not even a criticism- no harm, no foul.

like this post you just take it in and move on.

 

well, after canada smacked us down as we pranced around attractively someone "allegedly" told gregg to cut the shit and win a game.

so theres that.

...ill be over here waiting for someone to ask for a link if anyone needs me.

 

Or maybe we'll see no changes, because Crocker sees consistency as a key to the success of the program? Or because he's simply mistaken, as professionals often are? Or many other reasons that are easier to believe than that he simply doesn't care?

There's a big difference between questioning the wisdom of someone's decisions and questioning whether they care about the job they've been hired to do.

 

I think there’s different types of managing that you do depending on the persons position and role.

And with a coach you let the coach do their job and evaluate them based on the results. I’m sure Crocker and Berhalter have talked and Berhalter has told him what he thinks went wrong. And his answers are part of Crocker’s evaluation of the position.

There’s no action items for Crocker to take right now. It’s not putting it on his to do list for a month from now, it’s a continuous evaluation which is going on right now and will continue.

 

I'm surprised by how many who thought McKennie played poorly. He was one of the few who was doing a lot of quick one touch passes and not slowing everything down. He also would take off after those passes expecting a return pass and Scally never made that pass. Huge difference from Dest who always read the intent and made that pass into space on the right sideline and then followed for more interchange. McKennie can't pass to himself.

 

Injury updates from Gregg Berhalter:

Josh Sargent is out tomorrow but "is progressing well."

Tyler Adams "will be available to play limited minutes, and my guess is it's under 45 minutes that he's able to play."#USMNT

— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) June 11, 2024

 

If it's under 45 minutes, then he's not starting; he's a 2nd half sub.

 

And what is that and who judges it?

 

I have, and I agree that Crocker should need a plan from Berhalter. This shouldn't be the stand-offish relationship -- that's one of the benefits of a Berhalter over a fly in-fly out guy!

But I would also question our ability to understand what happens next. Is the right play to bench the players who clearly didn't bring focus and intensity on Saturday? Is it to try out a replacement for Scally at RB? Is it to play conservative to get confidence back? Or is important to have the team execute on the plan, but this time, with intensity? How important is the result?

You original post seems to imply if some specific changes aren't made, Crocker doesn't care. But they may simply have a different idea of how to address the issue.

 

Keep in mind that when the USA plays Uruguay on 7/1 to decide (presumably) #1 and #2 in Group C, they will not know who will win Group D, because Brazil x Colombia plays the next day on 7/2.

Therefore, the USA will have little choice but to try to win the game against Uruguay and the group. The plan all goes to heck if the USA does not get 6 points in the first two matches.

 

my lineup?

Wright - Pulisic
Reyna
Musah - Cardoso - Mckennie
Jedi - McKenzie-Richards - Weah
Turner or Horvath

need Weah and Wes and Richards all to work hard to contain Vini Jr.
let Wright and Pulisic get our few chances on counter with Reyna feeding them
basically ONLY attack with 3 ....
have Wright and Pulisic switch often
Keep Cardoso and Musah always back ... Wes occasionally go forward

please keep this respectable ....

after a changed lineup - Bolivia and Panama will have to wonder what lineup we will bring against them ..

Greg needs to adjust for god's sake.

 

while I understand wanting to rest Cardoso - there are plenty of days after Brazil to Bolivia.

I would not risk Adams at all and if that means keeping him out of the CA I would do that.

He needs to get permanently healthy.