2021 USMNT Thread

[Orangezoo]

Need to have a bit more creativity in the final third. Uninspiring tonight, to say the least.

70 pct possession and a 1-1 draw. Depressing.

 

[Alsacs]

I haven’t hammered this manager for no reason.
We hired a nice guy for a job we need to actually pay for a good coach.

We could have hired David Moyes. We could have hired other managers.

It sucks we are stuck with low energy Gregg.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Geez, allowing that equalizer was tough. They had a few moments after that, but not really enough threat.

I would like to have seen Berhalter make some move with 25 minutes left, not just 10. Very little chance to impact a game in only 10 minutes.

One persistent criticism from me (pretty much the only one ...) is that he consistently waits too long to make substitutions in games.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I haven’t hammered this manager for no reason.
We hired a nice guy for a job we need to actually pay for a good coach.

We could have hired David Moyes. We could have hired other managers.

It sucks we are stuck with low energy Gregg.

I suspect that the quality of the next coach we could attract (which would be the cycle for us hosting WC 2026) would be a lot better than David Moyes, great job that he has done at West Ham in his second go-round.

At Qatar 2022, let's just say this group makes it to the Quarterfinals (which is getting out of the Group Stage plus 1 head-to-head win). Not an impossible goal.

The kind of coach I would be looking for is Antonio Conte (who can never get along with club owners, but who wouldn't be looking for transfers as the coach). He is about as technically proficient as you will find. His teams play air tight defense, and he drills the movements on offense over and over.

For a national team, this technical level of repetition, scripting their movements in situations, or positions on the pitch, might be super effective. I also liker Max Allegri or Carlo Ancelotti (more offensive than the others, and also easiest to get along with ...). Any of those guys and I would be over the moon. I like Tata Martinez, too, if he finds himself unemployed after the conclusion of Qatar 2022.

Pep Guardiola is too technical, too detailed oriented. He will be frustrated by his limited time to get his ideas across in training. He will probably drive his players nuts with too much information.

I could see Mourinho only managing Portugal. He might finally mellow a bit in that job.

How about Jurgen Klopp taking over the USMNT in 2023? He's already 7 years into his Liverpool project. He might be looking for something new in 18 months.

Jurgen Conquers America!

 

[IthacaMatt]

We aren't qualifying

Piss off with that attitude.

We needed 5 points from these 3 games. We can still win on Wednesday, in what is statistically our easiest game of the first 3.

We wanted 7, if we get 5, with 2 of our first 3 being road games, it's like we won back our "home court".

 

[OrangeFoo]

They need to call in Eryk Williamson… he is the only attacking midfielder I saw from the us across both tournaments all summer. This team has way too much talent to be this poor going forward. Berhalter has had over two years to construct a roster and a strategy and torch results aren’t great. It’s time to make a move before the next set of qualifiers in October.

 

[ForCuseSake]

Missed the game and wondering what prevented the W.

 

[crv1728]

They need to call in Eryk Williamson… he is the only attacking midfielder I saw from the us across both tournaments all summer. This team has way too much talent to be this poor going forward. Berhalter has had over two years to construct a roster and a strategy and torch results aren’t great. It’s time to make a move before the next set of qualifiers in October.

Williamson tore his ACL a few weeks ago . Out for the season. Very unfortunate as he was playing very well.

 

[SUalldway]

Missed the game and wondering what prevented the W.

IMO, USA passing was not accurate & crisp enough - allowed Canada to make too many steals or just fall back to play solid defense.

 

[LPOrange]

The veteran guys who actually played in a world cup cost us a goal. Yedlin got skinned by Davies, and Brooks was either too slow or didn't hustle (it could be both) to cover Cyle Laren at the far post.

Still we should have scored more than 1 goal. He knew the guy that got fired from a middling Danish club because he couldn't figure out how to get his team to score would have trouble figuring out how to score with the national team.

 

[cusefan88]

Honduras is a must win. 2 or 3 points is not good enough from three matches.

I don't know when to hit the panic switch but if they do, they'll have to call Bob Bradley and see if he'll leave LAFC to take over. I'm quite serious about Bradley if they need to make a manager change.

 

[Alsacs]

This is Berhalter ball to a tee.


Klinsman got fired for getting 0 points in our second toughest match and third toughest matches last cycle.
Mexico-H and Costa Rica-A.

Berhalter sucks. Rip the band aid off now if we don’t get 3 points at Honduras.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

I think people grossly underrate the impact of all this travel. I can't imagine performing at peak with a schedule like some of these guys are trying to keep. They lack intensity, and they lack precision. You can still win if you only struggle in one of those areas, not both.

I don't put those things on Berhalter. They played hard for him all summer.

I do put on Berhalter not having a scheme for attacking Canada's back four, which was super sus, particularly in the center.

 

[OrangeFoo]

I think people grossly underrate the impact of all this travel. I can't imagine performing at peak with a schedule like some of these guys are trying to keep. They lack intensity, and they lack precision. You can still win if you only struggle in one of those areas, not both.

I don't put those things on Berhalter. They played hard for him all summer.

I do put on Berhalter not having a scheme for attacking Canada's back four, which was super sus, particularly in the center.

The point of soccer is to put that round thing in the back of the net. Even this summer the nats struggled to create chances from run of play and those struggles continue. The network diagram Alsacs posted above is the problem with Berhalter ball… almost all passes are sideways or backwards, no overlaps, no movement up the middle because it’s too clogged, no switch of play. These are all strategies that these players execute quite well with their club teams… but mysteriously they all forget how to play with USMNT?

It’s too easy to contain the US… clog the middle and let the back line pass sideways and backwards until the inevitable turn over happens and then take advantage of whichever side of the field Dest is on. Lather, wash, rinse, repeat.

This team needs to have someone who can break lines with a pass and to find some width. The reason our number 9s suck so hard is they never get the ball in a position to do something with it.

 

[jncuse]

Watching Canadian Sports News last night, there is a feeling of satisfaction with the one point but some mild disappointment because there was a few chances where they could have won and taken 3 points which would be huge for us (of course that goes for both sides).

I can't say I follow soccer but from what I hear from analysts this may be Canada's best team in a while and our best chance at making the World Cup although it will be tough.. (We made it once in 1986!)

I seem to remember winning a major tournament around 2000 (the Gold Cup?) and the team floundered after that.

As I said I am not a soccer fan. I have never been engaged in the tactics of the sport which is needed to enjoy it. But I did watch most of the game last night while I did some work, and will try to watch the game Wednesday against El Salvador.

 

[IthacaMatt]

They need to call in Eryk Williamson… he is the only attacking midfielder I saw from the us across both tournaments all summer. This team has way too much talent to be this poor going forward. Berhalter has had over two years to construct a roster and a strategy and torch results aren’t great. It’s time to make a move before the next set of qualifiers in October.

Williamson is hurt right now.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Missed the game and wondering what prevented the W.

Defensively they hurt us down the wings on the counter.

We had a second half lead, but then gave it back about 10 minutes later.

 

[cusefan88]

Bypassing midfield all game. Nobody to push the ball forward. Musah will be good at that eventually. Besides Williamson I'm not sure who else in the pool could have filled the role last night with mckennie out.

 

[ForCuseSake]

Defensively they hurt us down the wings on the counter.

We had a second half lead, but then gave it back about 10 minutes later.

IMO, USA passing was not accurate & crisp enough - allowed Canada to make too many steals or just fall back to play solid defense.

Thanks for answering. Guess it's good we struck first and played (briefly) with a lead.

Hope the program ends this week on a big positive with a win at Honduras (fingers crossed).

 

[Alsacs]

We have only scored more than 1 goal in one match in our last 8 matches.
1-1 Canada
0-0 El Salvador
1-0 Mexico
1-0 Qatar
1-0 Jamaica
1-0 Canada
6-1 Martinique
1-0 Haiti

Our talent is way better than this. I know Bradley is a MLS coach but I will even take that over Berhalter even though I wouldn’t want him beyond this cycle.
Berhalter’s brother is in the USSF management.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

Bypassing midfield all game. Nobody to push the ball forward. Musah will be good at that eventually. Besides Williamson I'm not sure who else in the pool could have filled the role last night with mckennie out.

Reyna. But Berhalter would need to play him as an 8/10 and not out on the wing. In the next four years. Reyna will be one of the best in the world at this. Like Kaka, De Bruyne good.

I wish there was a way to get Nagbe back into the team. Maybe he's taken a step back as I don't track him that closely in MLS, but as of last year, I would say he was still US's best ball retention player.

Edit: I think Pomykol can also play that position, and I think Ferreira deserves a look on the wing.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Reyna. But Berhalter would need to play him as an 8/10 and not out on the wing. In the next four years. Reyna will be one of the best in the world at this. Like Kaka, De Bruyne good.

I wish there was a way to get Nagbe back into the team. Maybe he's taken a step back as I don't track him that closely in MLS, but as of last year, I would say he was still US's best ball retention player.

I agree. Nagbe was our only box-to-box guy for a couple years.

 

[OrangeFoo]

We have only scored more than 1 goal in one match in our last 8 matches.
1-1 Canada
0-0 El Salvador
1-0 Mexico
1-0 Qatar
1-0 Jamaica
1-0 Canada
6-1 Martinique
1-0 Haiti

Our talent is way better than this. I know Bradley is a MLS coach but I will even take that over Berhalter even though I wouldn’t want him beyond this cycle.
Berhalter’s brother is in the USSF management.

Berhalter’s brother used to be ussf management. He left 18 months ago, in large part because of the terrible office culture he created under him.

To be fair, the real problem is not having a player like Michael Bradley in his prime on this team. Not sure bringing Bob back without Michael really solves anything. At some point players make the plays on the field.

What we really need is someone like Tata who has zero affiliations, loyalties or sacred cows to come in and objectively evaluate the players and come up with the right system for the talent. We should have done this right after 2017, but instead we have wasted 4 years because of organizational incompetence

 

[SUalldway]

Thanks for answering. Guess it's good we struck first and played (briefly) with a lead.

Hope the program ends this week on a big positive with a win at Honduras (fingers crossed).

Even though it's a long qualifier series, seems like a "must win" vs. Honduras

 

[cusefan88]

Even though it's a long qualifier series, seems like a "must win" vs. Honduras

Hate to be alarmist but a draw is not good enough here. They need 5pts and I don't think USSF has the guts to fire GGG before it's too late to qualify.