Coaching Philosophies and the Gregg Berhalter System

Also, am I think only one who gets confused with so many people flipping lineups upside down with the goalies at the top? Guess it's a thing that is changing these days but I'm way too used to seeing them the other way.

 

So it's not 7 bodies defending as much as having 3 CBs.

 

If your CBs are mediocre having 10 of them around is not going to improve anything.

 

Agreed. My previous argument is using 3/11 spots for the position where we have the least talent isn't the best idea.

In this general argument, it's basically a "pick 1" of Sargent/Yeuill/3rd CB (Ream maybe?). I'd choose the 20 year old major league player who had a pretty good first season at the highest level and is still improving.

Others prefer more defense.

 

sticking a guy who’s in the game for offensive purposes behind two good defensive players isn’t 7 defensive bodies, it’s six but with an offensive player positioned weirdly in between them.

 

couldn’t disagree more (hyperbole aside). Asking mediocre CBs to cover a lot of area and account of outside backs who are known for offensive prowess is a recipe for disaster. Have three competent (albeit not shut down guys) defender plus two wingbacks is much easier.

to me, it’s similar to NFL defenses and how they can either stack the box with numbers to stop the run or play nickel or dime defenses to throw bodies covering the pass - that’s irrespective of talent generally.

 

I think if you play Cannon and Dest it’s a better defense and I don’t think we have three good enough CD’s to build a formation around. I’d go 4-2-3-1 against tough teams and a 4-3-3 against lesser ones.

Steffen
Cannon- Long- Brooks-Dest
McKennie-Adams
Morris-Pulisic-Reyna
Sargent

Steffen
Dest-Long-Brooks-Robinson
Adams
McKennie-Pomykal
Reyna/Morris-Pulisic
Sargent

If any CD’s rise or Weah returns to where he was I would reconsider. Great depth allows fresh players to avoid Couva situations and mix and match for opponents. I chose Pomykal over Yuell or a third defender. I think he’s both offensively and defensively better than Yueill and allows McKennie and Adams to play in their ideal spots. There’s going to be a real fight for wingers once everyone is healthy and get first team minutes. Wish forward was the same.

 

If the CBs are mediocre then splitting the duties among a 3-CB set might be better than doing so among 2 CBs. Arsenal and David Luiz, for example, have looked better in a 3-CB set. 3-CB set allows for more specialization and for the mitigation of weaknesses.

Union, Sheffield United, and Atalanta all play a lot of 3-in-the-back. Each has the highest place in the league standings minus payroll standings the respective league.

 

When I hear three center backs, it always sounds more like shoring up a week middle with an extra body than thinking you are strong there. With wingbacks, it is still basically five in the back with some ability to get forward, which is still pretty defensive minded. It would be good to have that option against some competition. It is similar to arguing for two strikers when you don't have a good one. Sometimes in the absence of quality it takes two to accomplish what you'd want with one. We may be that thin defensively against some teams. Heck, up front isn't much different. 532 could be interesting.

.......... Pulisic..Morris
.................Reyna
..........Adams. McKennie
Robinson Ream Brooks Miazga Dest
Steffan

 

To be honest, Miazga has been looking poor of late. I'm not sure he's a starter for the NT any more.

 

You're taking our worst collection of talent for the most part, and putting 3 of 11 players there. If we face a bunkering opponent, we likely still wouldn't use two strikers cuz we aren't very good there.

You're sitting one of our top prospects, a 20 year old who did pretty well in a top league, for a MLS/Championship level CB.

If we're playing a better team, our outside backs will be pinned back the entire game, not allowed to move forward. If we're playing a worse team, we don't need 3 CBs. It's the most bizarre idea I've heard on these boards.

If you want more defense, play Mckennie/Adams as dual 6s and stick Holmes/Aaronson/Pomykal in front of them. At least one of them has potential to be a higher end talent, and can still provide defensive usefulness by clogging the center of the field.

This is the one case I'm actually happy with Egg, in that he hasn't even mentioned using 3 CBs, when we only have 1 that is good.

 

-------------------------Morris---------
-----------------CP----------------Reyna-------
-----Jedi------Adams-------McKennie-----Dest----
------------CCV------Brooks-----Richards--
------------------------Steffen---

Who is missing from this?

 

Haven’t seen it yet. Guardado put a hand to his neck. Weston should’ve seen red or Principito should’ve left the field in a stretcher. End of story. Jermaine would’ve never let that happen.

 

Actually I'm liking this one for right now. I guess that's about as good as it gets at this point. The question marks are Richards, Reyna (are they ready) and Morris (can he do the single-striker job?).

 

I am just happy to hear him say that he would put McKinney in Adams in the midfield. That is a big positive step.

 

I'm not sure that's allowed.

 

A bottom half championship player and a u23 player starting? Bizarre. Maybe in a year? Sure. But I'll take Sargent over Richard's for now and look to score 4 a game.

Morris is not a back to goal player. Sargent can be.

 

CCV was on loan.
Luton's record with CCV in the starting lineup was 6W 6D 3L
Richards will likely be in a B1 club's starting lineup by Fall.
The striker doesn't need to be 'back-go-goal'.

 

Berhalter is saying anything that keeps fans happy at this point.

 

How can he keep fans happen when they are so fundamentally divided?

 

Divided about what?

The overwhelming majority of fans don't follow along day to day and just want to back a winner.

A small fraction of fans want the USMNT to market MLS and its players. Another small fraction thinks that is counterproductive.

But even those last two groups would rather see the team win. Any debate about anything is because someone doesn't believe the team is being optimized for winning now and in the future.

Winning has been something Gregg has done very little of.

 

Well there you go, slagging off MLS fans.

The idea that MLS fans want to use the NT to market the league is ridiculous, as is the idea that any European experience trumps MLS.

Two things we can all agree on:
- we want a NT to be proud of;
- Omar Gonzalez is crap.

 

Yeah, I'm one of the biggest MLS defenders here, and I have no interest in the national team as a promotional tool for MLS.

I just think the constant conspiracy theories are idiotic, and I think when someone says "so and so has to leave MLS or they won't improve" or "They need to get to Europe ASAP" it's often simply factually wrong.

 

I'm firmly of the belief that our better players now and for the foreseeable future will almost exclusively play in Europe baring some oddball personal decisions, which is what happened with Donovan and now Morris. Most sensible starting lineups will have no more than 2-3 MLS guys tops as our growing Euro contingent reaches prime age.

But, that doesn't mean all guys just take whatever job they can find in Europe. We've seen a ton of players get lost in the shuffle over the years and the whole system is brutally designed to weed out more players than emerge. Either go early when you are seen as a developmental project or wait until you are developed well enough to have success right away. Not many Euro teams are patient or care much about guys in their early/mid 20s who aren't good enough to be productive players but are a bit older than the guys they consider kids learning. For those types of players, many of whom can blossom later, I see no reason they need to move. If a player is still learning and not dominating, the league is not beneath them.

 

Maybe re-read my post. You have taken what i said to an extreme that was not in the original post.

MLS executives, writers, some front office personnel, marketers, have publicly said they want to market their players through the USMNT. Some hard core MLS fans want their favorite players on the USMNT, regardless of the quality of that player or any other player.

A small segment.

There is another small fraction that know the above and respond to it as a conspiracy. Again, a very small segment. If there are some among them that think any Euro experience is better than MLS only, they are a very small number. Find one example of someone saying someone in Israel or Bulgaria should be starting over an MLS player.

Omar Gonzales is crap.

You are the one that said there is a huge gulf between large groups of fans. But, again, what is the gulf? What do people disagree about in mass?