Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="IthacaMatt, post: 5110575, member: 405"] My two cents: The USA under Berhalter just doesn't play good enough defense, especially in transition. That has been our consistent weakness. On top of that, our midfield, which was so good in 2022, has regressed a bit. Part of it is Adams coming off an injury, McKennie not playing up to his potential consistently, and Berhalter not giving enough time to Musah. It's also a mistake to play Reyna so deep. He's not Pirlo. He's better at one-two's and slip passes closer to the goal. Play him more forward. We need to bring in someone who is more tactically sophisticated than you what you find in MLS. The guy who embarrassed us the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup - [B]Louis Van Gaal[/B] - comes to mind. I remember his pre-game interview about the US: "Yes, they have a very good young midfield." So what did he do? He told us afterwards - "We decided to bypass the midfield, play the ball diagonally into the channels to get one-on-one's versus their defense." They beat us on the counter. The Netherlands played to beat the US on the counter? Yes, they did, and it worked. OK, so who should we look to? Beyond Van Gaal, [B]Rafa Benitez[/B] is a very good defensive coach, and has achieved a lot at the club level, although his heyday was 10-15 years ago. People say Benitez is too conservative offensively, but he coached Liverpool with Fernando Torres to a European championship. [B]Max Allegri [/B]is available, and is an incredible coach. Great defense, less intense than Antonio Conte, who he succeeded at Juventus, and won another handful of Italian championships. He would be a great choice, IMO. [B]Mauricio Pochettino[/B] is someone known for working well to develop young talent, and of course is available. His style could build on the foundation that Berhalter has installed, and he has good enough English to communicate what he wants to the players. His man management is second to none. How about [B]Jurgi Low[/B], former German national team coach? He was the tactical brains behind Jurgen Klinsmann, and did very well for Germany for a number of years with their national team. He would be a great choice. [B]Thomas Tuchel[/B] is probably one of the best tactical coaches out there, but is a bit difficult. He remains unemployed, though, and would be a world class choice. Any thoughts? Berhalter has to go, if this country has any real ambition in this sport. You get to host a World Cup maybe once every generation or two. We can't simply squander this unique opportunity like we just did with the Copa America. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?