Yeah, I'm not sure if it was a specific formation or a style of play. Teams can play fundamentally the same style out of different formations. Stewart is not a big personality. When speaking to the press he's very dry. He's a big picture guy, and is idealistic when it comes to the sport. I understand what he was building. A repeatable, sustainable model. Each position had a specific role and player profile. Which would make it easier to identify the right players for the team. How they coached each team in every age group. It was more a framework, but since he was in the building phase he was very rigid. Ernst Tanner came in and took that framework, and then evolved the overall philosophy of the club. I'm not sure I'm explaining this well. The Union still have specific traits and skill sets they look for in players and positions, only now they aren't as married to one formation. Their overall philosophy and team ethos is to force opposing teams to play a certain way. Force teams into vulnerable positions, press and harass the shit out them, force mistakes that lead to quick transitions into odd man advantages. Yes, the Union prefer to do this out of 4-4-2 diamond, with the fullbacks providing width through overlapping runs. Though we have seen them utilize and do this from 4-3-2-1. 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-4-2 bucket....depending on the opponent and situation. They've become much more flexible since Tanner was hired as Sporting Director. Granted at the Club level, coaches have FAR more time with players. Which affords coaches the opportunity to build out formational diversity (for lack of a better way of saying it). Where as National Team coaches get what, 4-5 practices in a window? This World Cup they were having maybe 3-4 training sessions due to needing to play 3 games instead of 2 each window.
I think the Stewert stuff is really key and is something that could be a serious roadblock to a lot of the better coaches out there. I don't know that there are going to be a ton of top class, experienced and successful coaches who want to take a job and then be told they will play a specific style and formation without getting to determine that for themselves. I'm not sure this isn't why we ended up with Berhalter this time around with little effort at even trying to find someone more experienced. If this is still the way the job is going to be handled, I'd get ready for more disappointment in who is interested or considered next if Berhalter doesn't stay, which I still think is very possible.
So, If X , then Disappointment. If Not X, then Disappointment. Chicago House has left the future of the USMNT zugzwanged....Great!
If Stewart is dictating this from Chicago House, and he is a "One Correct Concept to Rule Them All" kinda guy, then we're royally screwed. Eternal Mediocrity 'R US.
The worst part is we don't even have the team to really fill a good 433 out. But agreed that no real manager is going to come in and let Earnie and McBride call the tactical shots with no way of just managing the team outside of the 433 bubble. But I'm not sure that's still the case, even Gregg changed styles a little towards the WC and at the WC. So we will see, but definitely need to be better.
Well he had a vision of what he wanted to do and a process of how to try and accomplish it. I still am not convinced that GGG will not be our coach next cycle and I'm assuming that it's Gregg's call as to whether or not he wants to return. We can only hope that he doesn't drag the process out. Even if Gregg does not return though, if Earnie is still calling the shots, I'm not sure why we should expect anything but another coach that is close to USSF and fully bought into the system and process. I have been wrong plenty of times before though and really hope that I am this time as well, but it is worrisome for sure.
Caleb Porter.........plays similar to Gregg, and is available. I wouldn't like it, but I can see the USSF going in that direction for at least the next year or two as a trial.
I feel like coaching a World Cup on home soil is a pretty big draw. GGG is already high on my weirdo scale (coaching qualities aside) and if he was given the opportunity to coach the home side during the world's biggest sporting event and said, "No", he might move up into the #1 spot. I know you didn't offer an opinion on what choice he would make, but I've seen several people on the internetz who claim to know what they're talking about (odds of them actually knowing what they're talking about - not high) say that the ball was in Berhalter's court and he's leaning towards getting back into the club game.
I think Berhalter likely stays because I don't think any jobs he is going to get right now are going to be attractive enough to make him leave. If he was likely to get a top five league job at a club with a decent squad, I'd expect him to take it. But, a job in a second tier Euro league or a relegation scrapper or back to MLS? Eh, I'd be surprised if he'd leave for that kind of gig. He's got a fairly prestigious job that he's comfortable in, gets along with his boss, doesn't have to qualify, already has most of what he sees as his best team in place, gets to play another World Cup this time at home. It's a pretty nice deal where he sits so I'd think he only leaves if he's fired or if he gets a really good opportunity and while he did fine in the cup I don't think he did anything that would make the big clubs take a chance on him with his lack of big-league experience based on what the US did. I'll be surprised if we make a change. Not saying I wouldn't welcome a change, just don't anticipate it.
The package Huddersfield Town offered was out of this world. Plus, the place is full of history. Also, most people here seem to speak some form of English!
This is so, so, so crucial. The importance of it can't be exaggerated. GGG's Yanks do NOT play like GGG's Crew. Many USMNT fans don't follow MLS enough to realize that. I'm 99.44% sure that GGG is playing the style he agreed to play when Earnie hired him. GGG's replacement will be under the same pressure. We all need to keep this in mind in discussing the next manager. One thing that would be great about bringing in a legend like Pep or LVG, etc., is that such a person will be able to resist pressure from the Fed if it comes to it. If the next guy is a big name and comes in and realizes our strength is in our fast play, not our slow play, he'll adopt a faster, more direct style, and dare Earnie to fire him.
I've got to get back to work, but for the record you actually made me laugh. I pictured a press conference where Earnie Stewart was firing Pep.
I’d be surprised if he doesn’t prefer getting back to the club game. NT play is simply too sporadic if you’re looking for the day day challenge and environment to improve. A Euro club opportunity would be hard to turn down and even the more attractive MLS clubs are probably closing the gap in terms of prestige and excitement on the NT job. A 2024 Copa America berth could perhaps alter the equation, though.
Yeah I've seen the same reports, seems like he might be keen on a club job if the right one came around but like you say, who knows how accurate any of that is. Personally, I just find it hard to believe that Earnie would ask GGG to step down unless this last cycle was an absolute disaster, and I think it would be pretty difficult to make that claim based on what actually transpired. In any event, for a myriad of reasons I have my fingers crossed that we get a new manager. No guarantees that manager would be better but I think many folks would agree that a fresh face is the right call.
He’s Dutch so he and Ernie will likely view the game similarly as well. Coached a very young and talented Leverkusen.
I honestly would be shocked if he stays, or Ernie wants him to. Both of those guys have played in the WC and know what the player needs in a coach. Having the same coach for 8 years is an incredibly long time in professional sports. They both know the game and that very very few coaches stay for 2 cycles. You guys seem to think they think they would buck that trend. Why would they think they can do it when almost no coaches have ever done it? Deschamps is doing well with France, but it's France. The attacking talent they have is insane.
I think Stewart will want him. I think the two cycle issue will matter less with such a young. My operating theory is coaches end up failing their second cycle because the team gets old, but they are too slow to on from their guys (see Roberto Martinez and Belgium). France was one of the youngest teams at the last World Cup so they didn’t have that issue. Same with England and Southgate and Low and Germany between the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. It was the 2018 World Cup where the team got old that things fell apart for Low. You can say the same thing for del Bosque and Spain between the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. We don’t have the problem that our core is going to get old and I’m not worried about him being the coach for 8 years given that he’s not with these guys on a day to day basis. Now there are arguments for and against bringing him back, I just don’t think the all 2nd cycles are bad is one of them given the youth of our core.