Nice Berhalter article in CNNSI

Yahoo also has a link for the same article:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ap-berhaltersbreakthrough&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

From the article:
"Cottbus adopted the 2-4-2"

I think I know why Cottbus has had so much trouble this season!

 

Nice article. Interesting to read a mention of the adjustments his family faced by leaving London for the eastern part of Germany.

For USMNT, having a seasoned central defender to help through qualifying and into the next WC has to be useful. With all of the discussions on BS about whether Boca, Califf, etc., will take the spot alongside Pope, I think GB is the man to beat.

 

Can someone explain what a 2-4-2 system is?

 

Is that some sort of MISL formation?

 

I'm presuming that the writer meant a 4-4-2. (This still doesn't make a lot of sense as the US played a 3-5-2 several times in the WC, but it's the best that I can figure out.)

 

Enjoyed the piece. Nice to see Greg get some recognition, not only here on the YA boards, but in Germany as well. The front page of Bild!! Hopefully the last 3 or 4 games for Energie aren't an aberration, and they continue to play well, led by Greg.

Bravo.

 

The article quotes Berhalter:

Maybe the dude just misheard him, otherwise, maybe it is just some sort of tactical sub-formation?? You would have to think, if this AP writer knows enough about soccer to write about Gregg, and the state of his club in Germany (i.e. former East Germany), than he would know the basic formations of the game.

 

I saw this quote in the Soccer America daily and wondered if it's some play on words in German.

On the 2-4-2, maybe Greg's teams always expected to play two men down. I hope not; it's probably meant to be 4-4-2.

 

Wow! Pretty amazing stuff. And he is playing on the left. Funny how it says that they immediately thought that he sucked and benched him, only for him to suddenly become their best defender because of a formation change. Maybe it was really because they finally decided to actually play him? Berhalter has always seemed a little slow to me, but if he has beefed up a little, there is no reason that he can't also be running a little faster. Probably he was at Crystal Palace hitting the weights, seeing as how he didn't play. Berhalter is definitely still in the mix back there for the US, and a starting job in the Bundesliga would obviously help him out a lot as far as his ability goes. Let's hope he keeps it up for a while.

 

Makes Trevor Francis look like a moron!

 

I agree that it probably means a 4-4-2.

But last year wasn't St. Pauli reported to have played a 2-6-2 at least a couple of times, with Gibbs as one of the back two? Perhaps this type of formation is more popular in Germany. All I can think it means is that you have two dedicated (central) defenders and that your wing defenders (in the "4" or the "6") are somewhat def/mid hybrids who play far enough forward be grouped with the second (midfield) grouping of players. Maybe it looks something like this (based on Cottbus lineup last week).

---------------Lenz--------------
--------Rozgonyi--Berhalter------
Schröter--------------------Löw
--------Latoundji--T. Rost--------
Reghecampf--------------Gebhardt
-----------Topic---Vagner-------

Perhaps Olaf can shed some light on the player positions and/or responsibilities this seemingly German tactic.

 

The 2-4-2 is the formation Italy uses when the match has an Ecuadorian ref.

 

it's more effective if you say that the 2-4-2 is the formation italy uses when they dive like bitches

 

They play 4-4-2. The only team I remember playing with 2 defenders only was Bayer Leverkusen with Nowonty and Lucio (2-5-3 or 2-4-4)

 

I thought the 2 defender system was patented by St. Pauli last year.

 

Interesting. The Yahoo link's article said 2-4-4.

``The game is faster here than Crystal Palace. Besides, I had to adjust to a different system. In Holland, in England, on the U.S. team, I only played 2-4-4,'' Berhalter said.