USMNT thread - 2018

[IthacaMatt]

If USSF has taken all this time to name a manager and it ends up being Gregg Berhalter then what a joke.
Sorry but US soccer deserves better.
We have a ton of revenue spend it on a world class manager. There are candidates who would take the job for Klinsmann money who are good.

You know what, let him have his shot. I hadn't watch enough MLS to really have an opinion, but the first game vs. Panama was very promising.

I think if Berhalter doesn't work out though, the next time we need to go after an Italian coach. They are the most tactically astute, and they teach the most effective defense, but they still know how to score goals.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The biggest negative:

We know Bradley isn't the answer as the pivot in Berhalter's system this cycle. I think he currently distributes better than Adams, McKennie, or Trapp, but one or two of those three is gonna have to step up soon to make a one-for-one replacement.

I still contend that John Brooks is the best distributor in USMNT history outside of JOB or Reyna, hopefully he picks up some of the slack when Bradley proves to be the liability he's becoming.

That's your first 45 minute hot take. Take it with a grain of salt.

It's funny, but I like Bradley passing the ball 30+ yards from a deep lying midfield position a lot better than I liked seeing him try to thread shorter passes through congested midfields. He was always turning the ball over. I think using him this way really extends his useful life to the team and will avoid him getting exposed quite so badly.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I’ve done some reading on Berhalter since you brought him up.

He is clearly a system guy and it works but it also requires time to implement and it takes players time to learn it: can be half a season to pick it up.

Her e is my concern. A national team coach just doesn’t get that much time to implement a system.

Can Berhalter simplify it for the national team enough that they can pick it up in the limited amount of time they spend together and, if so, will a simplified version still be effective?

I just wanted to bump this to get people's thoughts...this was my concern going in...give Berhalter a club team with tons of practice time and he can implement his system..with the limited time he gets with the national team, can he do the same thing? And will he be able to gt it done by the time the Hex starts?

 

[IthacaMatt]

I just wanted to bump this to get people's thoughts...this was my concern going in...give Berhalter a club team with tons of practice time and he can implement his system..with the limited time he gets with the national team, can he do the same thing? And will he be able to gt it done by the time the Hex starts?

So far, it's a disaster. No getting around that. Our players aren't good enough on the ball to ONLY play from the back. You see it in the Premier League every week - everyone thinks that this is the only way to play football now, and that's just dumb.

Sometimes you need to relieve the pressure on your back line. You need a striker who is a competent hold-up man, and you need guys who can win the ball in midfield, and get the ball upfield with less predictability.