It's been reported the U20s are having a separate camp run by Varas in Florida. And they should as their only focus should be preparing for the U20 World Cup and this is probably the last opportunities to look at new faces for the tournament. Who was the last player to turn down a January camp call up? Guys don't do it because this is how you get back in the mix or get involved in the first place. MLS also has a much longer offseason compared to European leagues, made even longer this year because they ended a bit earlier due to the World Cup. I agree about leaving off the World Cup guys, but I don't think an Arriola or Miazga turn down a call up if it comes, whether from Berhalter or from an interim coach.
Regarding the bolded, I'd say that there's no notion one way or another about Berhalter's status come the new year. There's been nary a peep from anyone on the subject, aside from comments on here (and presumably on the twitters and whatnot).
It feels like if Berhalter isn't going to be coaching the team for January camp, we probably need a decision on his future before Christmas. Because typically it starts at the beginning of January and that's a pretty quick turnaround for any interim coach to come in post Christmas and pick a roster in a week. Now I also have no issue with USSF and Berhalter agreeing that they are both evaluating their options and doing a short term extension to get through January. The decision of who is going to coach this team in 2026 is an important one and there's no reason to make a rushed decision either way.
Exactly. I’m not so bloodthirsty to be rid of Berhalter that I don’t think I couldn’t survive another January Camp with him. Moreover, it might be a decent way for the USSF to do their appreciation and congratulations for Berhalter.
They could have Varas, Stewart & McBride make picks for the seniors. Then Varas could run it, while having an assistant man the u-20's. If it's going to be in the area, Varas can shoot over sometimes. If Luchi's not too busy yet, maybe he could stick around to run it. Otherwise it's BJ Callaghan or Anthony Hudson There are options. It's not like we have to throw our hands up and cancel if a permanent hire isn't made in time. And I see value in it, if managed well. I'd bristle if Gregg ran it, especially as a lame duck. We had enough problems with his talent identification when he was invested.
I doubt there's going to be a short term extension through January. Maybe through June, but if they are committed to a new coach and just want a month or two of hiring time, it'll be Hudson or whomever running the camp, I suspect. I don't think Berhalter would want to do it, and while most or all of the WC roster won't be there ... I also think this should be a clean break if it is supposed to be a clean break. It'd be ideal to have the new coach in to get their feet wet, to see some of the extended pool in person, and more importantly, to recruit. But I don't think it is necessary.
Well that’s all fine too, but if it’s going to be a clean break that seems like a call they’d have to make this week. If there’s a short term extension it seems like the length will have to be flexible for both sides, depending on what options that emerge over the next six months.
Absolutely yes??? We're talking about two totally meaningless games 3.5 years out from the next World Cup. If Sean Johnson wasn't good enough to play a single minute at age 33, the odds of him playing important minutes in 2024 or 2026 are like one in a million.
Heck. I can pick the team for them Senior January Camp.... GK Sean Johnson, Roman Celentano, Drake Callender (JT Marcinkowski) RB DeAndre Yedlin, Shaq Moore (Brooks Lennon) CB Walker Zimmerman, Aaron Long (Justen Glad) CB Matt Miazga, Henry Kessler (Mauricio Pineda) LB John Tolkin*, DeJuan Jones (Andrew Gutman) CM Kelyn Acosta, Aiden Morris* (Keaton Parks) CM Eryk Williamson, Leon Flach* (Jackson Yuiell) CM Paxton Pomykal, Cristian Roldan (Sebastian Lletget) RW Paul Arriola, Chris Mueller (Matko Miljevic*) LW Jordan Morris, Niko Gioacchini (Ben Bender*) FW Brandon Vazquez, Jesus Ferreira (Jeremy Ebobisse) Starting XI: —————-—Vazquez——————— Morris————————————Arriola ————Pomykal——-Williamson——— ———————-Acosta——————— Tolkin—————————————Yedlin ————Zimmerman——Miazga———— ————————Johnson——————— Note: I have Tolkin, A. Morris, and Flach (and maybe Bender & Miljevic) playing up but tried to keep this to the best players who are 2000 and older. Note: Did not include Miles Robinson because I don’t know where he’s at health wise. Note: Assumed that Slonina, Sonora, Mihailovic, Cardoso, Lund, Cappis, Rogers, and other YA are not available. Note: Called in all the WC vets, even Aaron Long to help provide leadership for the next group. Note: Main thing that we can learn is, can Tolkin, Miazga, Pomykal, Williamson, and Vazquez play at the level we need them to be at? .....It might help to bring in our most experienced in order to give us something to base that off of. Junior January Camp..... GK Chris Brady, John Pulskamp*, Antonio Carrera (Emi Ochoa) RB Tayvon Gray*, Kayden Pierre (Michael Halliday) CB Brandon Craig, Marcus Ferkranus (Noah Cobb or Santiago Suarez) CB Jalen Neal, Joshua Wynder (Matai Akinmboni) LB Caleb Wiley, Noah Allen (Curtis Ofori) CM Daniel Edelman, Danny Leyva (Josh Atencio) CM Jack McGlynn, Noel Buck (Owen Wolff) CM Niko Tsakiris, Esmir Bajrakterevic (Reed Baker-Whiting, Bryce Duke*, or Cruz Medina) RW Quinn Sullivan, Jackson Hopkins (Serge Ngoma) LW Brian Gutierrez, Diego Luna (Kristian Fletcher) FW Cade Cowell, Darren Yapi (Marco Zambrano) Starting XI: ——————Cowell——————- Gutierrez————————Sullivan ————Tsakiris——McGlynn——- —————-—Edelman————— Wiley———————————-Gray ————-Neal————Craig——— ———————-Brady——————- Note: Did not include Obed Vargas because I don’t know if he’s healthy yet. Note: Did not include Caden Clark because I believe he’s going back abroad. Same for Paxten Aaronson. And Slonina. Note: Did not include any of the YA’s that we typically call up because unsure about their availability. Note: Did not include Brian Cremaschi because he accepted Argentina call up and not sure if he’s interested or eligible. Similarly unsure about Christian McFarlane. Note: Duke, Pulskamp, and Gray are not eligible for u20’s. Notes for camp: -Camp begins on Jan 15. -Scrimmage between seniors and juniors on Jan 21. -Would be cool if they streamed the scrimmage and allowed for a small audience to give the players a feel for representing the US. (plus, I’d like to watch it). -Serbia game on Jan 25. Colombia game on Jan 28.
The roster was announced two days from this date in 2021. And we've still yet to have heard anything this time around. I figure the hold-up on any rumors even is that we are in coaching limbo. Someone will have to notify the players soon to start getting in shape and making plans. Berhalter's out of contract. I don't know how he could just handle the duties. I would think the task would be one of Berhalter's assistant on an interim tag or an existing manager in the youth ranks.
It feels like they'll announce the coach tomorrow as reported, the roster Friday, and then start the camp the next Monday. I imagine the players have already been told however as I can't imagine the decision as to who is coaching this camp was actually made today.
The coach would have had to select his roster quite quickly regardless & maybe even then get in a time machine to notify them early enough. So it's likely the decisions were made by the USS intelligentsia (Stewart, McBride, etc.) that was already in place. Then the coach will just handle the tactics and manage practice.
Well assuming it’s Anthony Hudson he’s been pretty involved in terms of roster decisions in the past so he’s already fairly familiar with the pool to begin with. He’s been part of the roster decision making process already, has probably done a lot of scouting MLS, and has a good idea already of who they were planning on calling up in January (Vazquez, Tolkin, etc). I’m sure Stewart and McBride were involved too, but Hudson isn’t starting at square 1 either.
Regardless, it's going to be interesting how their scouting chops look. Hopefully better than whoever was making selections for the USMNT and u-23 domestic pool. Because they sucked at it. Maybe we'll learn these were the influences all along. Or if it's much improved, then it was heavily just Berhalter. Incidentally, Kreis indicated publicly his hand was being forced on some of those choices for the abomination he/they produced in Mexico.
For me the big question is much of a role will the World Cup guys play in this camp. Because otherwise for the most part the January camp roster picks itself. The more complicated roster to pick is when we get to March.
There's a ton of variation in strategy and selection on the fantasy rosters that have been selected. Many want to use this as a joint u-20 exercise and call up a bunch of reservists, bench players, and usl guys (which I'm staunchly against). As you say, it could be a totally vet-laden roster, which I'm also an adamant opponent of. Then there's a choice of where to play DeJuan Jones, to push for Alan Sonora or not, start Celentano or someone else, etc. I'm intrigued about trying Brandon Bye at CB. I don't know if he'll even be brought. Then I think if it's Berhalter I seriously question if Pomykal and Williamson would be there and play real minutes given their off the field comments. There's a lot of room from my perspective to say if it's a great roster that produced some bonus fruit or a terrible one that wound up in January camp being a waste of time again.
Can we discuss how Anthony Hudson, one of the worst coaches in recent MLS history by certain measurements, will soon be coaching the US men's national team in actual games, as inconsequential as they may be? Remember when Hudson said his own players were crap, and the Rapids fired him, and went from being terrible to good by replacing him as coach but not their supposedly crap players? For interim goalkeeper coach maybe they can get Brad "my players should get beat up in the parking lot" Friedel... But seriously, hopefully they go with Mikey Varas over Anthony Hudson...
Since one of the few things I care about in January Camp is recruiting Brandon Vazquez, I think I'd go McBride as head coach with Hudson there to handle the details. I want someone who will be around in March and can be a positive influence on Vazquez there. I realize McBride has no coaching experience, so maybe this is a bad idea, but I would definitely have him there handling a lot of the culture-esque stuff and recruiting. Plus, striker to striker.
It sounds like the U20s are going to have their own separate camp. And I agree with you there's no need to call up the veteran players and if it's up to me I'd leave off anyone who was on the World Cup roster. I guess I'm not that worried because I'm fairly confident most of the guys I want to see will almost certaintly be on the roster whether the veteran players are there or not (Vazquez, Tolkin, Pomykal, etc). I also think alot of MLS guys have gone to Europe over the last few years and alot of the next generation will be with the U20s. If for instance, Yedlin and Moore are called up at right back (and I'd give them both the camp off), who is getting left off that we really want to see that badly? Brooks Lennon? Same thing at goalie in that you can bring Sean Johnson and still look at Celentano and Callender. I would say the guys I want to see in this camp are Celentano, Callender, Tolkin, Jones, Miazga, Kessler, Aidan Morris, Flach, Williamson, Pomykal, Parks, Sonora, Vazquez, and Ebobisse. I'm not certain that everyone single one of those guys will be there but I feel confident that most will. If they are I care less about who else is there and I do think it is useful to have at least some veteran players to provide a baseline.
If Varas is indeed at a separate U20 camp, Anthony Hudson is exactly the kind of interim coach we'll have. A guy with senior international coaching experience. It was with Bahrain and New Zealand, but nevertheless............... As long as its just a couple of months, and not a guy to take us thru the 2023 Gold Cup, I'm fine with whomever. If we're just looking for a guy already under contract to get us thru March...............I'd actually prefer Marco Mitrovic to Hudson. Current U19 national team coach. Before that an assistant with the Fire and Reading.
You justify EVERYTHING! It's just so frustrating! As aforementioned, Hudson was an abomination as a coach. Furthermore, he grew up in England, and has been in the US for the last 5-6 years. He's not equipped to evaluate the domestic pool. It requires a lot of intricate knowledge. I'd even be fine with the second coming of Dave Sarachan. Someone with intricate knowledge for decades, who is a man manager, and adequate as a temporary tactician. Mikey Varas would be superior. BJ Callaghan would be better probably by default. If Luchi's somehow available for this, that would be ideal. Almost everybody that they could reasonably pick is better than Hudson, who wasn't qualified for an assistant job, let alone this.
It's not my choice. I think that's how the USSF will justify the choice of Hudson! We did hear the rumor that it's going to be somebody already under USSF contract. If that's the case, there really are only a few guys in the running. And if the U20 coach (Varas) and the U17 coach (Gonzalo Segareas) are unavailable at their own camps, then the choices are really slim. As I said earlier in this thread, I'm totally in favor of having this be a joint USMNT/U20 camp lead by Varas. With the USMNT squad skewed very young. Players eligible for the 2004 Olympics plus a few slightly older players (Vazquez, Pomykal, etc.). But I don't think that'll happen.
My biggest problem with Hudson is that he failed as a coach, but then he threw his talent under the bus. Then Robin Fraser came in and succeeded with the same talent. There's tempering expectations based on talent and then there's selling the team out. This was selling the team out. So he was both a shitty coach and did a really shitty thing. No thanks. I think he has been very successful at the U23 level ... right up until our Olympic qualifying. And Harry Redknapp inexplicably called him a young Jose Mourinho once, but maybe he was just referring to throwing someone under the bus. Sarachan would be great. He's not going to screw anything up. Though I will say that Sarachan's coaching got worse as he clearly began angling for the full time job. That's one of my concerns with Hudson. I want someone there that clearly understands that there's no chance they are hired.
I'd love that but I think this camp is going to be BORING. I think that this dumb shit has occupied all of USSF's time (and the holidays) and that I'm not sure we're going to see this kind of coverage. Ideally, we should, and McBride should make it happen. But he might be occupied with a bunch of other stuff.
I agree with this, including the eventual note. As I mentioned, Berhalter hasn't been calling Pomykal. Tolkin wasn't at last January camp. And it's not always who you think is going to emerge. Cameron was considered a surprise breakout, even though he was a solid performer in the league for a while. It's partially because he was like 26. That could be Bye. A lot is how you use a player like that, or DeJuan Jones too. Jones could look more int'l caliber on the right cuz he's right-footed. As I mentioned, a guy like DeJuan Jones could provide an upgrade in depth at rb this cycle. If a bad manager handles January camp, and does something stupid like start him at lb over Tolkin, w/ one of those other vets at rb, then he's sabotaged 2 positions. As for the gk scenario, the choice between Celentano and Callendar matters. You only have 2 games. The official matches matter so much more. Roldan reportedly thrived in practice, then choked in the games. The right call needs to be made at GK. Then they could split time. Sean Johnson sabotages this goal if he's played. It becomes even worse if he's the #1 option. That's a good list. And still I don't agree 100%. So there'd be some variance in outcome one way or another. More when you factor in the usage. Then if a manager like Hudson isn't as knowledgeable as we are because he's from England not too long ago and has been generally incompetent, that's even more of a drop-off in what we could gain out of this exercise. Berhalter was already bad at cultivating depth. Hudson is his assistant. And he wasn't built in to the fabric of USS, + been around it for 25 years, like Berhalter. Some hybrid of Berhalter and Klinsmann, who wanted to scrap January camp, wouldn't lead to a favorable outcome.