USMNT - Greg Berhalter Takes Over

[NailstheCusefan12]

Not directly USMNT related but they did send Weah on loan to Celtic because they brought this scrub in.

 

[DeGrozz]

Jozy is playing about as well as I've ever seen him play.

Would have loved to see this form about 18 months ago.

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

Justin Butler, Chris Richards, and the nascent US stars earning their stripes at Bayern Munich

 

[DeGrozz]

I'm not gonna pretend I know a ton about this kid, but I think Ben Olsen is a pretty good coach and has a good feel for the game. Anyway, he played a 16 year-old forward today name Griffin Yow. It's not very often a 16 year-old makes a first team debut. When they do, you usually can bet they'll make a run at the USMNT. If you like turning on random MLS games, it might be fun to start checking out this kid on DCU.

 

[DeGrozz]

Ramos names U.S. U20 World Cup roster | Club Soccer | Youth Soccer

Head coach Tab Ramos has named his 21-man roster for this year's Under-20 World Cup in Poland. Check out who earned the call.

www.topdrawersoccer.com

U20 WC, here we go. Nice split of domestic/international players. Not a lot of recognizable names domestically. I think only Pomykal has been really playing well for FC Dallas in MLS.

Surprised that Busio and Sands didn't get a call. They would be on the younger side of the team, but certainly are having a bigger impact at a higher level than some of the older players who were selected ahead of them.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Ramos names U.S. U20 World Cup roster | Club Soccer | Youth Soccer

Head coach Tab Ramos has named his 21-man roster for this year's Under-20 World Cup in Poland. Check out who earned the call.

www.topdrawersoccer.com

U20 WC, here we go. Nice split of domestic/international players. Not a lot of recognizable names domestically. I think only Pomykal has been really playing well for FC Dallas in MLS.

Surprised that Busio and Sands didn't get a call. They would be on the younger side of the team, but certainly are having a bigger impact at a higher level than some of the older players who were selected ahead of them.

Yeah, Tim Weah was the only name I recognized. It'll be a good experience for these young guys. I hope they do well.

 

[cusefan88]

Ramos names U.S. U20 World Cup roster | Club Soccer | Youth Soccer

Head coach Tab Ramos has named his 21-man roster for this year's Under-20 World Cup in Poland. Check out who earned the call.

www.topdrawersoccer.com

U20 WC, here we go. Nice split of domestic/international players. Not a lot of recognizable names domestically. I think only Pomykal has been really playing well for FC Dallas in MLS.

Surprised that Busio and Sands didn't get a call. They would be on the younger side of the team, but certainly are having a bigger impact at a higher level than some of the older players who were selected ahead of them.

Busio is playing with U17's. Sands may be hurt. Mendez/Llanez are with German teams now. Very impressive group. I've been following YNT for about 10 years now and i think this is the best U20 group they've had when it comes to this particular stage of their careers.
Durkin/Mendez/Pomykal is an awesome MF

 

[DeGrozz]

I wish we could get those two hours back.

I think Steffan showed what close followers have seen with him the last 2 years -- he is terrible with the ball at his feet and in distribution. I think that really holds him back in Europe.

Worst game of GGG's tenure so far. Never know if these are one-offs or gonna be a long-term issue. I liked us his first games, so let's see.

Lots to like about Duane Holmes. Haven't seen him before but he distributed excellently, tackled strong, was good in tight spaces, all around a great, great game from him -- awesome debut.

 

[Alsacs]

I never liked the Berhalter hire as it just reeked of the status quo.
This loss to Jamaica isn’t a problem it’s how the team looked. They don’t keep the ball and the passing is just weak.
The u-20 team is mainly prospects who will play overseas. I like that. I get people like the MLS but I don’t like the National team featuring a majority MLS team lineup.
Pulisic will help this team.
Mizaga looked like solid in defense.

The forwards we have need to improve.

 

[cusefan88]

Everything about MLS is mediocre. The intensity, the environment etc. The smart MLS Academies want to get their guys into the first team and then sell to europe (FC Dallas, NYRB)

 

[storange]

Everything about MLS is mediocre. The intensity, the environment etc. The smart MLS Academies want to get their guys into the first team and then sell to europe (FC Dallas, NYRB)

Guess you have not watched a game from Portland , Seattle, Kansas City, LAFC, ect... say what you want about the level of talent but your absolutely wrong about Intensity and environment.

 

[Alsacs]

Guess you have not watched a game from Portland , Seattle, Kansas City, LAFC, ect... say what you want about the level of talent but your absolutely wrong about Intensity and environment.

The product of MLS has improved greatly.
The Portland, Atlanta and Seattle crowds are European like in intensity.

The Galaxy, Toronto and LAFC ownerships are committed to spending.
The problem is because their is no pro/reg system ownerships like New England and Philadelphia don’t have to worry about losing their spots and don’t care that much to spend.
The other major sports in America survive because drafts give the worst teams the ability to get game changing talent. The soccer draft does no such thing as any truly elite soccer talent isn’t even playing college soccer.

MLS will never be like the top 5 leagues in Europe but it should be as good as Liga MX and it’s not.
The Mexican clubs dominate the CONCACAF champions league wins.

Our national team players get these paychecks from MLS clubs and instead of challenging themselves play here. Jordan Morris has potential to be a lot better for the national team. He took the Seattle money and it’s not his fault he got hurt but before he got hurt he wasn’t developing into a Dempsey like talent which he could have if he went overseas.
The technical coaching and skills learned overseas are miles better than in the MLS.
It’s like the NBA our coaches like Hubie Brown and PJ Carlesimo in the 1980s and 1990s went overseas and taught clinics and developed coaches for basketball.

The coaches in MLS are not even close to those of Europe. That is just the truth. It’s why I wasn’t a fan of hiring Berhalter.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I never liked the Berhalter hire as it just reeked of the status quo.
This loss to Jamaica isn’t a problem it’s how the team looked. They don’t keep the ball and the passing is just weak.
The u-20 team is mainly prospects who will play overseas. I like that. I get people like the MLS but I don’t like the National team featuring a majority MLS team lineup.
Pulisic will help this team.
Mizaga looked like solid in defense.

The forwards we have need to improve.

I disagree with that. I thought in their first couple games, they passed well, retained the ball well and overall looked pretty good until the final third.

But regardless, it was a huge mistake to wait so damn long to hire him, keeping Saracen in charge well past his 'sell by' date. We wasted 8 months of people getting to know the coach and the system.

Here we are with only one friendly left before the Gold Cup and a number of our "first team" players haven't yet played for the coach. That's "Sub-Optimal", as the Men is Blazers would put it.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Guess you have not watched a game from Portland , Seattle, Kansas City, LAFC, ect... say what you want about the level of talent but your absolutely wrong about Intensity and environment.

Unfortunately, that's why TV coverage always seems to show the same 4 or 5 teams.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The product of MLS has improved greatly.
The Portland, Atlanta and Seattle crowds are European like in intensity.

The Galaxy, Toronto and LAFC ownerships are committed to spending.
The problem is because their is no pro/reg system ownerships like New England and Philadelphia don’t have to worry about losing their spots and don’t care that much to spend.
The other major sports in America survive because drafts give the worst teams the ability to get game changing talent. The soccer draft does no such thing as any truly elite soccer talent isn’t even playing college soccer.

MLS will never be like the top 5 leagues in Europe but it should be as good as Liga MX and it’s not.
The Mexican clubs dominate the CONCACAF champions league wins.

Our national team players get these paychecks from MLS clubs and instead of challenging themselves play here. Jordan Morris has potential to be a lot better for the national team. He took the Seattle money and it’s not his fault he got hurt but before he got hurt he wasn’t developing into a Dempsey like talent which he could have if he went overseas.
The technical coaching and skills learned overseas are miles better than in the MLS.
It’s like the NBA our coaches like Hubie Brown and PJ Carlesimo in the 1980s and 1990s went overseas and taught clinics and developed coaches for basketball.

The coaches in MLS are not even close to those of Europe. That is just the truth. It’s why I wasn’t a fan of hiring Berhalter.

I think the fact that there are still artificial turf surfaces in MLS is a big drawback. I hate that.

 

[DeGrozz]

The problem is because their is no pro/reg system ownerships like New England and Philadelphia don’t have to worry about losing their spots and don’t care that much to spend.
The other major sports in America survive because drafts give the worst teams the ability to get game changing talent. The soccer draft does no such thing as any truly elite soccer talent isn’t even playing college soccer.

I’m not sure where you are getting your Philadelphia opinion from. They have a live-in academy and are producing talent for their first team, who sit first place in the East midway through the season.

They are actually a team that you can point to and say “they are developing a soccer infrastructure and giving teams a chance to develop its program instead of relegating them to the USL may be worthwhile.” They’ve made huge strides on the field recently from organic player development.

Their biggest mistake was gambling on Chester for a stadium, but they are trying to remediate that partnering with local development and transportation options.

 

[cusefan88]

Guess you have not watched a game from Portland , Seattle, Kansas City, LAFC, ect... say what you want about the level of talent but your absolutely wrong about Intensity and environment.

I just want more and better US soccer players in the world and I feel MLS currently is coming up woefully short based on the amount of money invested in the sport here and the amount of players.

I understand I'm the minority by far here but I have higher expectations for a country our size with our resources and potential. It's not good enough.

 

[Alsacs]

I’m not sure where you are getting your Philadelphia opinion from. They have a live-in academy and are producing talent for their first team, who sit first place in the East midway through the season.

They are actually a team that you can point to and say “they are developing a soccer infrastructure and giving teams a chance to develop its program instead of relegating them to the USL may be worthwhile.” They’ve made huge strides on the field recently from organic player development.

Their biggest mistake was gambling on Chester for a stadium, but they are trying to remediate that partnering with local development and transportation options.

I used them based on the fact they haven’t won anything just like NE.
They are more invested than NE no doubt though.

 

[cusefan88]

Silly of me to keep belaboring my point but if you're an Athletic subscriber this a good read.

Bottom Line: In 2019 the USMNT player pool is very weak.

Comparisons to past and present make it clear: This is the weakest U.S. national team pool in a long time

After a lost generation of players in their primes, the USMNT now must hope for a golden generation to follow

theathletic.com

 

[Alsacs]

Silly of me to keep belaboring my point but if you're an Athletic subscriber this a good read.

Bottom Line: In 2019 the USMNT player pool is very weak.

Comparisons to past and present make it clear: This is the weakest U.S. national team pool in a long time

After a lost generation of players in their primes, the USMNT now must hope for a golden generation to follow

theathletic.com

It’s sad that players like Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore are still part of the 23 man roster.
I can’t stand the forward selections for this Gold Cup.
Thank goodness we swiped Tyler Boyd from New Zealand as he is the only forward that intrigues me.
Guys like Jordan Morris, Gyasi Zardes, Jozy Altidore, Paul Arriola are not world class strikers. Altidore was good in his prime but that was 4-5 years ago.

This roster for the Gold Cup is disappointing. Hopefully Pulisic survives all the cheap fouls he will absorb and gets to Chelsea healthy.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

It’s sad that players like Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore are still part of the 23 man roster.
I can’t stand the forward selections for this Gold Cup.
Thank goodness we swiped Tyler Boyd from New Zealand as he is the only forward that intrigues me.
Guys like Jordan Morris, Gyasi Zardes, Jozy Altidore, Paul Arriola are not world class strikers. Altidore was good in his prime but that was 4-5 years ago.

This roster for the Gold Cup is disappointing. Hopefully Pulisic survives all the cheap fouls he will absorb and gets to Chelsea healthy.

At this point, we do not have better options at DM (the way GGG wants to play) or striker than Bradley or Altidore. While Bradley will ultimately be phased out, Altidore still has quite some time where he can be useful and i fully expect to see him in 2022.

Boyd certainly is interesting. I don't mind Arriola on the wing, but he should really be converted to WB or that position Adams is supposed to play. His attacking quality is not there. Zardes is meh, but seems to be useful enough. Amon should have got a call up - his exclusion is strange given he could be playing with the U-20s right now.

My two major quips with GGG are that it is counterintuitive to want to play a system predicated on possession and then not use a player who has shown the capacity to become maybe the best ball winner in US history as an outside back, and to utilize someone with basically no range as a ball-winner instead. You need to have the ball to then "possess it."

For me, Pulisic is a pure second striker (ala Griezmann) or an inverted winger on the left (like Hazard) or one who stays wider on the right then tucks in (like Sterling). As you note, he takes way too much abuse playing that hybrid 8/10 roll, and we do not have a Jermaine Jones at the moment who can help cut out the abuse.

And with that, i leave you with ...


I seem to recall that was a product of Marcelo hacking away at Landon Donovan.

 

[Alsacs]

Berthalter is maddening with his logic.
Jordan Morris, Gyasi Zardes ahead of Josh Sargent is dumb.
I concede Altidore deserves the respect of being on the roster as long as he is healthy. He is an alltimer even if he is a player that has dipped.
Arriola is a wider player so I get that.
Sargent over Morris all day long for me.

This Gold Cup has to be a win or a final against Mexico. Anything less and Berthalter will be what I thought..

 

[IthacaMatt]

Berthalter is maddening with his logic.
Jordan Morris, Gyasi Zardes ahead of Josh Sargent is dumb.
I concede Altidore deserves the respect of being on the roster as long as he is healthy. He is an alltimer even if he is a player that has dipped.
Arriola is a wider player so I get that.
Sargent over Morris all day long for me.

This Gold Cup has to be a win or a final against Mexico. Anything less and Berthalter will be what I thought..

He hasn't been in place long enough to judge him on this first tournament.
The national program erred in taking so damn long to hire him and get the process started.
To me, it's almost like this Gold Cup is his dress rehearsal.
He will have had his full squad (or almost full squad) for less than 10 days before the tournament starts. That is "sub-optimal".

 

[Alsacs]

He hasn't been in place long enough to judge him on this first tournament.
The national program erred in taking so damn long to hire him and get the process started.
To me, it's almost like this Gold Cup is his dress rehearsal.
He will have had his full squad (or almost full squad) for less than 10 days before the tournament starts. That is "sub-optimal".

I am not expecting this team to win the Gold Cup.
We aren’t as you said organized under Berhalter.
We should have though as this tournament could have locked up a Confederations Cup berth. Mexico could have been beaten with an in form roster but the USSF didn’t care.
They had high profile friendlies booked and just had the money coming in.

I just don’t like the roster selections.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I am not expecting this team to win the Gold Cup.
We aren’t as you said organized under Berhalter.
We should have though as this tournament could have locked up a Confederations Cup berth. Mexico could have been beaten with an in form roster but the USSF didn’t care.
They had high profile friendlies booked and just had the money coming in.

I just don’t like the roster selections.

There are a few head scratchers there.