USMNT - ‘23 and beyond (1 Viewer)

Just read Luna declined an alternate spot. Not a good look. He probably capped out as a January camp body either way. I’m guessing Djordje being one of the over age players bumped him to alternate.
 
Any day now.

My gut tells me this has all been tactically bought time by USSF for temperatures to lower so they can keep their paper soldier in place. Weve just seen it too many times. I dont think they fire him. USSF wont find anyone who they can puppeteer like him.

And with that, a wasted generation. And a wasted home World Cup. And more stunted growth of the sport in the US. All to appease the egos and undeserved jobs at the top of USSF.

At this point, I feel like I felt there was a better chance they hired someone else last year than they are going to fire him this week. I was shocked they brought him back (I dont know how), but Id be more shocked if they actually fire him. It just feels like the time is for a purpose.

Most nations fire their coaches after a disappointing major tournament before they get on the plane. This, is a set up.
 
Ha.

Dont know how reputable this is, but I think this is how it goes. &*#@ USSF.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/so...-2026-world-cup/ar-BB1pFIg5?ocid=BingNewsSerp


old PR tactic- delay delay for the initial "furor" to wane, and public to lose its "ire" to the point that any announcement that goes against the grain will be met with muted fight.

Yep- if they dont pull the trigger on firing Berhlater, there is a much deeper issue than just coaching.

And as i continue to watch the quarters and knockout rounds of Euro, there is a theme - great defending/goalkeeping. And Matt Turner aint it any longer. He is now past his sell-by date. Unless he finds himself in 2024 a starting keeper with a top level club, we need to move on. His inability to play with ball at his feet puts additional pressures on defenders ESPECIALLY when BERHALTERS TACTIC IS TO PLAY OUT THE BACK. Its not going to get better at this point.

ugh.
 
Any day now.

My gut tells me this has all been tactically bought time by USSF for temperatures to lower so they can keep their paper soldier in place. Weve just seen it too many times. I dont think they fire him. USSF wont find anyone who they can puppeteer like him.

And with that, a wasted generation. And a wasted home World Cup. And more stunted growth of the sport in the US. All to appease the egos and undeserved jobs at the top of USSF.

At this point, I feel like I felt there was a better chance they hired someone else last year than they are going to fire him this week. I was shocked they brought him back (I dont know how), but Id be more shocked if they actually fire him. It just feels like the time is for a purpose.

Most nations fire their coaches after a disappointing major tournament before they get on the plane. This, is a set up.

To your point....

 
USSF press release this am. Has the entire Twitterverse piling on. lol




"....elevate US Soccers BRAND..."

thats all you need to know at this point. Its not about winning. Its about keeping just enough interest thru marketing to keep the youth soccer fields packed with paying parents for travel teams.

Im so cynical at this point that i dont care what happens any longer. The ONLY sport i played growing up - at the ridicule of so many in the mid/late 80s into 90s. Played select, ODP - and never ONCE had to pay a DIME. ( other than travel expenses )

other than pay to play, nothing has changed in 40 years. nothing. 5th rung of the sports ladder and it could have been so much more. But once USSF figured out how to monetize, it was all over.

!@$@# em all.
 
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USSF press release this am. Has the entire Twitterverse piling on. lol




"....elevate US Soccers BRAND..."

thats all you need to know at this point. Its not about winning. Its about keeping just enough interest thru marketing to keep the youth soccer fields packed with paying parents for travel teams.

Im so cynical at this point that i dont care what happens any longer. The ONLY sport i played growing up - at the ridicule of so many in the mid/late 80s into 90s. Played select, ODP - and never ONCE had to pay a DIME. ( other than travel expenses )

other than pay to play, nothing has changed in 40 years. nothing. 5th rung of the sports ladder and it could have been so much more. But once USSF figured out how to monetize, it was all over.

!@$@# em all.


The press release is pathetic. "Industry leading organization". "Brand".

Is this Nike or a national team federation?

I dont want to make this overly wrought with hyperbole...

But I think this decision on Berhalter is an inflection point of soccer in this country. We are either choosing to push things forwards on the field or this is just a glorified MLS business venture. Its not even to be taken seriously anymore if they continue down this road. Just call in strictly MLS players and be done with it.

Peeing away this generation of players to go into a WC on home soil knowing full well how its going to play out, is just insane. Forget about the elite teams. We cant play with the semi elite teams. We cant get out of groups at regional tournaments. Berhalter is not capable to elevating this team or its players.

We dont even play with the grit we used to play with. We had less talent on the field, and we won the same tournaments. This generation hasnt done anything that US Soccer hasnt done in 30 years. Hell some of those teams did more. Klinsmann, with any bit of composure from Wondo wouldve potentially made the quarters in 14. Arena made the quarters in 02.

What has Berhalter done with better talent? Less.

USSF is fine with winning Nations League and a Gold Cup every now and then. Enough to keep their jobs and build a brand.
 
But I think this decision on Berhalter is an inflection point of soccer in this country. We are either choosing to push things forwards on the field or this is just a glorified MLS business venture. Its not even to be taken seriously anymore if they continue down this road. Just call in strictly MLS players and be done with it.

at some point, players ( and their agents ) will come to the realization that their players BEST interest is to sit out USMNT duty. Injury is a real risk. Why would you want your client/player to risk his burgeoning career overseas, worth $$$$ milions to represent country where the federation is more interested in increasing revenues thru marketing the game than actual performance?

it wont happen overnight, but i have to believe that this is going to start to happen.

On flip side, clubs have to be looking at performances of players and thinking "they might be REGRESSING" when they are on USMNT roster. Be it out of position, wrong strategy- individual performance is watched.

And yes- just go with MLS guys and pay your Manager $1,000,000 a year just to show up at tournaments/qualifiers and "hope" you can pull off something great.

They sell hope.

Ive watched countless kids ( and parents ) sold "hope" on youth level. "your child has a gift- and for $3500, joining this club will nurture that gift" - while good, he has no gift. But that check cleared. And they will pony up whatever $$$ going fwd so long as the "hope" is there.

disgusted with all of it.
 
I know we are producing a lot of young talent at the youth level (even though there is politics and financially driven "put money in my pockets now" decisions being made often).

I still believe we are mostly headed in the right direction and that GB moved us in the right longtime direction (where we were going before was unwatchable).

We need massive improvements in formation and tactics and we still need a lot of improvement in US Soccer coach development (as I am not too keen on some of the things they emphasized in my last class - I havent gotten far at all in the program so I may back track that after I take the next course)

Nonetheless I figured I would do my part today....
I put my coaching resume into our local travel program (same program that helped develop Dani Pereira)
 
I know we are producing a lot of young talent at the youth level (even though there is politics and financially driven "put money in my pockets now" decisions being made often).

I still believe we are mostly headed in the right direction and that GB moved us in the right longtime direction (where we were going before was unwatchable).

We need massive improvements in formation and tactics and we still need a lot of improvement in US Soccer coach development (as I am not too keen on some of the things they emphasized in my last class - I havent gotten far at all in the program so I may back track that after I take the next course)

Nonetheless I figured I would do my part today....
I put my coaching resume into our local travel program (same program that helped develop Dani Pereira)

I wish you all the best and hope you get the position.
 
I still believe we are mostly headed in the right direction and that GB moved us in the right longtime direction (where we were going before was unwatchable).

Im not singling you out on here, but Ive heard this more than a few times, and I just dont get it. Concacaf is trending down right now outside of the US. Its easily the weakest region on earth outside of oceania. Hell even we are down after this copa disaster. Mexico is in transition, same with Costa Rica, Panama simply played classic Panama style at Copa and got the red card from Weah. Jamaica has some potential. But overall, we should be winning tournaments in this region. So Gold Cup, Nations League.....the talent on the pitch couldve won those with anyone. And did with an interim.

All he did was play usher with this generation of players. He just wants to play out of the back, and launch crosses. Its a simple style, and every time its met stiff comp, or a manager with any kind of tactical knowledge, he has no answers. There is a bit of shift happening with defense and possession on the intl level. But that doesnt suit Berhalters style either.

In tournaments outside of Concacaf, his teams scored 3 goals in 4 games at the WC, and 3 goals in 3 games at Copa. Thats just, a problem.
 

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