Should Pia Sundhage be fired if the U.S. now does not make World Cup?

I don't know if you can say "uncharacteristically bad". Seems to me that it has never been particularly good, especially when Lloyd has been in. I am admittedly not a big fan of hers.

I guess it should be noted though. She was named player of the match.

 

I'm under the impression that he was a big supporter of Sundhage's getting the job. They seem to have great respect for one another's coaching opinions.

I've got to add though, that listening to DiCicco on the sidelines can be very annoying. He coached the U20 team like they are U12s that need to be told what to do and when to do it.

 

The problem is the elephant in the room. WUSA struggled with it, and WPS struggles with it.

NCAA Division I is the big daddy of women's soccer in this country. Coaching jobs - if you don't screw them up - are lifetime appointments. If you work for a state school, you get government benefits and pensions.

By comparison, coaching the national team or professional teams are all short term gigs. And if you're not sitting in a chair when the music stops, it's hard to find another job.

Ellis isn't going to leave UCLA for a full-time WNT job.

Tom Stone - well some of us were calling for him after the Greg Ryan debacle. But unless real reforms are going to take place within the WNT program, I don't see USSF hiring Stone.

On the other hand, Mark Krikorian may soon be available. (but, yeah, Krikorian has the same problems that Stone does - independence).

I almost think that it's time to look to the men's game for a professional coach with the chops willing to take on a different challenge.

Because of the problems the NCAA presents, I just don't see a lot of options coming from the coaching development side in the women's game - until after a fully professional women's league fully establishes itself.

 

My feeling on the midfield was this....Rapinoe really had an awful game and she usually plays reasonably well for the national team. Boxy just didn't even have much of an impact at all, which is almost stunning considering we've seen her control games at times. Lloyd was typical. She has her occasional moments, but has not shown that she can distribute well, nor that she can get her shots on target with any consistency. O'Reilly wasn't bad, but she had precious few chances. Lilly didn't have a lot of time to have an impact.

It's rare when you can say of five US midfielders that the best was maybe an average game and most were well below average or inconsequential. To me, given the problems the US was having with keeping possession and the lack of a good passing game, Lindsey should have been the first choice to come in. I wouldn't have had a problem with Averbuch, as long as they played her in the middle and not outside. It was almost as if Pia thought that something would magically change with the lineup that showed so very little for most of the game.

I'm totally with kool-aide (I'd rep her except I still need to spread more around before I can), how can you have a team playing that badly, not make the 2nd substitution until it could have almost no effect and not make a 3rd substitution at all. That would be my biggest question of how Pia managed the match.

 

Your point about the NCAA coaching musical chairs game being difficult to get back into once a coach leaves is a good one. And even more "damaging" to WPS (knock on wood) player development & quality than the national team programs. You're right that Stone is sort of the case study for it, too. He left a club team (Rush) for the WUSA. It then took him several years after the WUSA folded to get an NCAA gig--and an assistant gig at that. He's only been an NCAA head coach since 2007.

I don't see a successful men's pro coach (with any of the experience I'd want) making a move to the women's game. Doesn't mean it wouldn't happen but I don't see it. And I think the tenure of said coach would always face some version of "he's just using this job to get X or Y (men's) job he really wants" regardless of how committed to the women's game the said coach actually is.

I think Ellis would leave UCLA for the USWNT job--I just don't want her to do that. In some ways, it seemed to me like Ellis was the coach being "groomed" despite the shortcomings of her resume (no NCAA championships). Then she fell on her face in this past summer's U20 cup in both preparation (eg admitted failure to scout Ghana at all) and tactics/roster management. While I think some of the criticism throw at her w/ respect to NCAA play are not necessarily based solely on her actual coaching ability, she's failed the bigger tests enough that I don't want her on a USWNT staff.

While in general I'm a fan of Hege Riise the player, Pia's choice of top assistant made things even worse in terms of getting American coaches international experience. I'm beginning to think that in some ways, Riise as Pia's top assistant doubles down on Pia's strengths and doesn't counterbalance her weaknesses.

 

I think there are opportunities out there. Omid Namazi is one that keeps flitting back and forth between indoor soccer and the women's game.

David Dir, former MLS coach and current USMNT U20 assistant was rumored to be in the running for the Carolina Courage job in 2003 after McDermott quit after winning Founders Cup 2002.

There are coaches out there, not all of them would necessarily be interested, but we're not going to get a top college coach to leave their job for a full-time WNT gig.

We still have to go part-time for most of the assistants.

 

Where are those who wanted Greg Ryan run out on a rail after WWC 2007? These are the same posters who did a song and a jig when Pia was hired.

If the USWNT does not make it to the WWC, yes, Pia should be fired.

And...if they make it but do poorly in the WWC (not come in 1 or 2), she should be fired.

 

Just b/c this version of the USWNT lost to Mexico on Friday that does not alter the fact that Ryan choked/lost bowel control/lost his mind in 2007. The two events are unrelated even if there are similarities. Ryan made his own non-Solo related ridiculous coaching decisions that negatively impacted the outcome of games.

I was one of those that was happy with the choice of Pia for coach. I thought she would not make some obvious coaching mistakes (I'm still having trouble w/ the whole didn't make the 2nd sub til the 84th minute thing). When coaching upper echelon teams in any sport, the margin btwn teams is small. Coaches are paid to (at worst) not hurt their team's chances and (at best) be the difference & win when it *really* matters.

 

Yes.

 

Award for "straightforward post of the year"

 

Yes and deported, too.

 

Harsh

 

get that assistant outta here too. hege no thanks.

 

I would not go that far...I think Coach Pia should be allowed to finish her contract as long as the team does no worse than the 3rd place...

 

...now they could call that the "ryan clause" on their contracts

 

As long as they don't get humiliated on the field. A 4-0 beating or worse in non-friendly, should initself be casue to review her position.

 

I disagree. I think, given the same resources in terms of pick of assistants & fitness folks, many of us here could get this team to a 3rd place finish.

I'd say even a close loss w/ significant coaching mistakes (eg poor substitutions when down 2-1 an entire half of a do or die game) is cause for non-renewal. The failure to rebuild the defense (and then stick with that rebuild) could also be grounds for non-renewal, imo.

 

It's commonplace in the professional soccer world that a coach resigns or gets fired after the World Cup unless the team performs well. For the U.S., in my opinion, that's reaching the finals. No finals, fire Pia.

 

3rd place finish...Both Coach April H and Coach Ryan achieved that goal...But, only one of them continued on as the coach of USWNT...

 

since the 2008 Olympics I haven't, unfortunately, liked most of the decisions Pia has made. I didn't like her rosters, managment of games, development of players, lack of experimenting with formations and rolls, etc. The list is actually rather long. I truly haven't enjoyed being a fan as much as I should/want to over the last two years.

I'd be fine, maybe even happy to see her leave. Before the WC? That might not work. I don't know.

 

But again, the trouble is a dearth of highly qualified options as a replacement. Who would you interview?

 

I'd appoint Rampone as captain and head coach. natch.
I don't know. this is the would u fire pia thread! don't ask such tough questions.
There are talented coaches out there and WNT team head coach must be close to the highest paid out of all women national team coaches...? I know the men's team isn't even close, sorry bob. but the wnt head coach must be close to the highest paid.

 

She'll be even richer if they fire her too. U.S.Soccer would have to pay some form of compensation if they fire her before her contract is close to ending. So she may well be around till Olympics is over any way.

If U.S.Soccer got pissed off and fired her before or post WWC they could have two big problems. Finding a decent replacement, and paying Sundhage the required compensation leave quickly and quietly.

 

The list of qualified coaches is now much bigger then it was 10 or even 5 years ago.

Mark Krikorian
Charlie Naimo
Tony D
Jillian Ellis
Brian Pensky
and so on...

 

pass. no thanks.