Rob Stone: US Manager shortlist is Ramos, Tata Martino, Marsch, Berhalter, Friedel, Osorio & Vermes.

I mean, he can't be worse than Maradonna, can he?

 

Why not stopping fiddling around the edges and go after Arsene Wegner? Talk about a coup. He's going to take a job with somebody, why not USSF? He's older, of course--but his teams play a beautiful brand of soccer even if the shine has been off him at Arsenal for a few years. He is excellent at working with young talent. He'd be good for the next WC cycle. He might be enticed....

 

Well, if you really want to be fair Maradonna's resume was far far superior to Freidel's.

I for one rather we not put your question to the test.

 

You are making too much sense, we don't like people like you. If you would have come out and said let's hire Tony Meola, then now we can talk about it!

 

Tata has said several times he has no intention to coach the USA, but who knows. For the right price we may pry Bunker Dave away from the Terriers though.

 

I'd be glad to put Maradonna's managerial history/ability against Freidel's.

 

Well done to Wagner. Unfortunate he will not be available

 

Now yes, Friedel has not had the opportunity to embarass himself... yet. But I am specifically talking about their resumes prior to be considered for jobs neither of them were the least bit prepared for.

I am simply saying that 1. Maradonna had a FAR superior resume to Friedel before being hired by his national team, considering the only thing going for either of them were their playing careers and as you said the coaches they played under that may hopefully have rubbed off on them, you really going to argue that? and 2. We don't need to put the question "He couldn't be worse?" to the test, do we? Because yeah, as low a bar as that is, yes he very well may be the worst coach ever, we have no idea because he has zero fing experience.

Or, if you actually do think so little of the US manager position that you think Friedel as a viable candidate isn't pathetically laughable, then just go ahead and say that.

 

He actually washed out as a manager at an Argentinian club and a club in UAE.

I don't think he's worthy of it, but I don't think its as a crazy idea as some do. If he does get the job, I'd be more pissed at the selectors.

 

Leaked footage of the USSF debating our next head coach.



It's true, they live in a bubble.

Dude on the left below is the unfortunate chap who suggested hiring a non-SUM puppet.

 

I really think they ought to give David Wagner some consideration. He's done a hell of a job at Huddersfield Town, he's American, and he played for the National Team.

 

Vermes side has given up 3 goals over the last 7 matches. Comical.

Is the talent of his defense that good or is he a really good defensive coach?

 

FWIW Wagner only overlapped with Pulisic for a matter of months at BD. Wagner was there 2011-2015 but in 2015 -- and this blows the mind -- Pulisic began the year in US youth club ball and was only signed by Dortmund in February, was with youth teams most of the year, only brought into the first team that following winter. Wagner was with the II team and by November was gone after Klopp left.

Peak BD was c. 2011 when Wagner was just getting started at the II team, not at the tail end of his tenure which would more scientifically show his impact.

Wagner then goes to Huddersfield, does get them promoted -- but from 5th through the playoff, not 1st or 2nd automatically -- and is currently 16th barely surviving the drop. To me the quality of the international game is more akin to a first division league or regional championship league ("Champions League"), and so I am less interested if you can muscle a tightly knit squad through the Championship in 5th place, and more concerned with how you would deal with star players, egos, needing a result against the best teams. One thing about coaches from 5th place down and particularly relegation fighters is no one expects you to win much. Or to beat good teams. A tie against Chelsea is cause for celebration. And against that background are you a genius for keeping them up, or no better than the parts assembled since you finished behind most of the league and barely stayed up? Hard to say. Not exactly where I'd point my national team search.

I'd say his CV shows promise but go get an overdog job and show me you can win with the tools. Then I will give you the keys to the Porsche. Go get the Leicester job and get them in Europe or top of the pile again, for example.

Otherwise when we're talking about these people if we're going to make subjective judgments regardless of finish then you can probably make a case many of these people are "great" and "just held back by their team." Where I think if you're that great you should pull a Leicester or Aberdeen and win in spite of payroll or whatever constraints. I think we're making excuses or engaging in a trend-driven beauty contest. I think where we've gone -- out of the running -- we need a proven winner. On paper we should be 1 or 2 in CONCACAF, get that back regular before you fart with tactics and cute ideas.

 

That is how much USSF is full of bull sh!t. How in the world is there even a list? Wasn't the new GM going to select the new guy? So now he can select from the list Garber and Mickey League Soccer cult hand picked. We need a real soccer show with hosts that are interested in improving soccer in America and not improving their pockets.

 

Wenger would have the CV but he has tailed off lately and the question would be, has he, like Arena IMO, lost his edge.

I don't care about pretty at the senior level. Klinsmann's friendly vs. games that count tactical schizo underlines how a coach could want to introduce pretty but it either doesn't work or we don't yet have the personnel, and then we revert back to formations similar to what we'd do to get by before. To me if you want to hire a "pretty soccer" coach part of the interview process needs to be them demonstrating strong grasp of the pool and explaining how that pool can effectively do "pretty."

Because what I saw when we tried to do pretty was either favoritism or players like Kljestan seeing the field who were over their head but forced on the field to try and execute "pretty."

I want to see us get away from aspirational leadership at the senior level, and instead, ok, what does my pool look like, what can it play. Objective, practical.

If you want to evolve in the direction of "pretty," that needs to be unleashed in youth teams at U10.

FWIW some of the things few consider is whether we do "pretty" better than our regional competitors do "pretty," or whether "pretty" with our personnel works in the qualifiers and such where we need to play. I think we have drifted unnecessarily from the wheelhouse of being "organized defensively" and "bigger" and "stronger" and "faster" -- essentially better athletes drilled in team games -- as well as a decent technical team, effectively ceding that advantage to Panama. I am not sold we are better at skill soccer alone than Mexico, Costa Rica, or even some others. What we have historically been good at is mixing speed and athleticism and team concept in with a pretty high degree of technicality. I'd like to see a return to what we "are" and not so much what we "aspire to be." Leave that to the youth pipeline.

 

When we would kick Mexico's tail it was about height, wing speed, and defensive coherence and quality. I don't know if chasing "technical" as an isolated end does anything but make us the second best tricks and flicks squad in the region.

I mean, I want technical but I want an airtight team defense, a real target striker for the close games, some wings like Beasley and Donovan used to be, some players with attributes the region doesn't have in spades. Then, fine, work with them from kids on up at being as technical as you desire. But I don't get drifting from our core advantages of being good defenders, tall, fast.

Italy doesn't wring its hands over whether it should be so defensive. Japan doesn't try to muscle teams around. Northern Ireland doesn't bother trying to play pretty. I get we want to progress as a team but what we instead did is miss the first world cup in 32 years.

 

Brad Friedel might be suited to be USMNT GK coach. That plays to strengths. That is an area where we have slipped and fallen back to the pack. But him as senior head coach is hopeful trendy beauty contest nonsense. When we go down to Mexico and need a result I don't want this to be their first big job.

 

To underline how silly some of this is, Landon or Dempsey Or Holden would probably be better choices than them, be not just former team members but NT people who were successful and would know what that takes, and have roughly as many actual head coach trophies.

Honestly a lot of these CVs would be assistant coach NT CVs. When orchestras hire new members the auditions are blind and you're not supposed to know gender. They play behind a curtain and you pick the ones who sound best. Take the names of the list and just read the CV accomplishments they would offer. I think most of the list would sound much less exciting if it's not "Tata Martino" and maybe one or two options would stick around as worthy, one of whom just extended his MLS deal, and people would quickly be like, ok, who else, are you serious.

 

Obviously Friedel and Ramos should not be on the list.

But this is pretty much what bigsoccer realistically expected.

 

I think Ramos is included primarily as a courtesy, because he'd feel snubbed if he wasn't interviewed.

I'm surprised Sarachan isn't on there for the same reason. I'd have thought they'd have included him just to keep him happy.

 

You need to reread this thread in general and the original post in particular.

 

We've always been at heart a defensive NT. That's the only reason I'd push for Wagner: he can organize a defense well.

It's not happening though.

 

The obvious problems was that the US relied on them too much and once they got injured or retired the team just fell apart. absolute zero depth in their spots. Now I think it's starting to look better in that aspect at least.

 

He hasn't won anything in years, though.

 

If only he were actually a good choice.