Next manager after Poch

If we choose a manager who will help us reach new heights in the WC, there is a basic unreasonable disagreement over whether he did that. To me he did that. I have never seen the USMNT play like it did in the 5 or 6 matches before the Belgium disaster. Other see a loss in the round of 16 as stasis. This argument won’t be resolved by cherrypicki g old results from years past.

 

My general sense is we should take a run at Pep and if he says no offer Pochettino a two year contract through the Copa America with an option for two more. I’d prefer a full cycle but this gives him the option of going back to the club game in two years which gives him some optionally and I think two years from now some of the interesting up and coming US coaches will have some more seasoning (BJ, Bradley, and Varas in particular). At current there’s no real obvious domestic candidate in my mind if we don’t bring Pochettino back.

But we’re probably also going to have to make a decision on Pochettino before doing any outreach on Pep.

 

Not really!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_men's_national_soccer_team_head_coaches

 

I don't agree with all of those changes, but some of them make sense. It certainly wasn't fait accompli to run with the same XI and strategy that beat Paraguay and expect it to be the best strategy against Belgium.

 

Watered down field makes pre Round of 16 comparisons extremely tricky. 3 of the 4 opponents we played prior to Belgium wouldn't have even made the World Cup under the 32 team format. And that was our worst Round of 16 performance ever. With our most talented player pool ever.

 

Sit in a low block? We did not build a squad to do that, don't have the personnel to be successful at it and guess what the first 2 gools they scored we were in a low block.

 

Yes. There's no way you pull that off.

The only way is if Pochettino asks for time, then you can say we have to start looking but we'll stay in touch.

 

Eh, Paraguay beat Germany and gave France a run. Australia went to pens with Egypt. They both beat Turkiye who everyone raved about the talent. And we got a shitty red card in the Round of 32.

Factor in the elimination game aspect (having a win or go home game is inherently lowering odds relative to not) and making the Round of 16 is pretty much the Round of 16. Everything else is positioning.

 

This isn't true at all. All of our group stage opponents had an ELO in the lower 1800s this time. Bosnia is probably an outlier, but that round didn't exist before. We didn't get an England or a Germany, but we were hosts. In the past, we've played Slovenia (1705), Algeria (1550), Wales (1790), etc. We've had tougher groups, but we've also had easier opponents than we had this cycle. None of the teams in our group stage were newbies.

 

Yeah I assume Pochettino lets us know one way or another soon. But two year option with an option for two more might work for both sides.

But you can still back channel with Pep or other coaches while you’re waiting.

 

there’s an AutoCorrect problem in my post. I meant “unresolvable,“ not “unreasonable.“

 

No kidding.

Incredibly specialized talent isn't needed to be successful in a low block. That's why plenty of teams use it and succeed with it

Can you follow the reasoning in your own statement?

 

It is absolutely true. Turkiye and Bosnia entered through the Euro playoffs. Would not have even made UEFA playoff in previous WCs. Paraguay finished 6th in CONMEBOL qualifying. Would not have made the intercontinental playoff last year. I didn't count Australia, where the Asian qualifying went from 4.5 slots to 8.5 slots, but the qualifying process changed so much it's harder to tell what would have happened.

And yes...we were hosts. Plus have the best talent we've ever had. Our 4 games prior to Belgium represented collectively the greatest (positive) talent gap we've ever had, and we were playing at home (real home games, not Mexico in Dallas home games). All that is context for our performance, along with the egg we laid vs Belgium.

 

After extensive, and looking at who is likely to be available I've come up with:

Pochettino, Frank, Deschamps, Southgate, Pereira, Koeman.

If you wait a few months some of Howe, Nuno, De Zerbi, Glasner and Lampard might be available.

If you want to get ridiculous there's Rooney and Gerard.

 

Also Xavi, Nagglesman, Roberto Martinez, Low, Hjulmand, Conte, Biesla, Pioli, Valverde, Van Persie, McKenna, and Van Gaal among others.

 

LvG would be interesting

 

Yeah he’s probably staying retired but you never know with these older coaches like him. Speaks English pretty well also.

 

He'll be 78 in 2030.

 

If we played exclussively teams ranked below 100 we would have looked even better. The team, unfortunately had a style required to beat minnows, and we were succesful at that. Whenever we were playing teams that were settling the ball without 3 extra touches we were instantly in trouble. And there was no plan B.

 

Whose option?

 

Both sides. Because you want to judge the Copa performance being adequate and Pochettino will want to decide if he wants to have been away from the club game for a full 6 years.

I think the preference for US Soccer should be to lock him up for the full 4 years but he may not be ready to sign up for that. Whereas two years is more realistic given no club job is available right now that makes sense for him.

 

Hey Dick Advocaat did it at 78 now for this World Cup. Regardless, LvG would be amusing in his pressers. But yeah you’re right, it’s not that serious of a candidate realistically.

 

So Paraguay who beat Germany (1-1) penalties and lost to France 1-0 is now a minnow? Australia who lost to Egypt (1-1) penalties is now a minnow?

 

Horrible deal for us.

 

I mean it gives you two years for some of the better domestic options to get more seasoning and for us to get more data on them (and I’m thinking specifically of BJ, Varas, and Michael Bradley). Because I’m not seeing an obvious domestic option available and it’s impossible to know which foreign coaches are available who’d be a fit. And unless Pep is interested none of whom are better coaches than Pochettino most likely.