Top Stories

Sunil Gulati: U.S. Soccer doesn’t need wholesale changes after missing World Cup

Changes are certainly coming to U.S. Soccer and the U.S. Men’s National Team. After Tuesday’s loss, it’s going to be a long wait for a World Cup and, throughout that wait, there’s no doubt that plenty will be analyzed and addressed from top to bottom.

Just how and what changes, though, remains to be seen.

Speaking shortly after the USMNT’s defeat to Trinidad & Tobago, U.S. Soccer president said he doesn’t believe that wholesale changes will be necessary for the program going forward. Rather, Gulati sees Tuesday’s setback as a moment where the U.S. needs to continue plugging away at the positive developments made throughout past years.

“You don’t make wholesale changes based on the ball being two inches wide or two inches in,” Gulati said, referring to a potential Clint Dempsey equalizer that hit the post late in Tuesday’s match. “We will look at everything, obviously, with all of our programs from the national team to development. We have a lot of pieces in place that we think are very good and have been coming along. Tonight wasn’t what we hoped for.”

Head coach Bruce Arena had a similar opinion to the U.S. Soccer president. In his view, everything was there for the U.S. to seal a World Cup berth, but the program as a whole did not take that chance despite the obvious talent on the team.

However, he did admit that the USMNT roster is certainly due for a generational shift.

“What we’re doing, there’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing,” Arena said. “As our league continues to grow, it benefits the national team. We have some good young players coming up. Nothing has to change. To make an kind of crazy changes, I think, would be foolish. We’re building a good system with our professional league. We have players playing abroad of some quality. There’s enough there. There are no excuses for us not qualifying for the World Cup.

“I’d say that if we had qualified for the World Cup, there need to be a number of changes for a World Cup roster,” he added. “We have some young promising players that would perhaps have made a bid to be part of a World Cup in 2018. Is this the most talented? I don’t know how you come up with that. The only way you evaluate your program and the quality is in the World Cup.”

The U.S. won’t get that chance, and Gulati admitted that the program is “in shock” following Tuesday’s result. He added that, in some ways, Wednesday starts the process of preparing for 2022, the next World Cup that the U.S. can hope to play in.

The road to 2022 will be a long one and there will be turnover from top to bottom following a dark day for the USMNT and U.S. Soccer as a whole.

“We certainly expected to qualify throughout the process and especially after Friday night,” Gulati said, “so it’s a huge disappointment for everybody, for the players, the staff, the coaches, the federation. It’s not good enough.”

Comments

  1. Its down to player selection and coaching. Bob Bradley is a better coach than Bruce Arena has ever been, he was one of the worst coaches the premier league has ever seen. We have not ever had a top level coach ever. Its your job to train and motivate the players so they do not lose to T and T, honestly should not be that hard considering there was one player in the starting line up that had any time in a top divison. There was no heart, no passion, no organization, bad tactics. The players have been sleep walking all through qualifying, theyve been doing this all through qualifying. Even the 4-0 Panama game, it could have been very different if Panama takes a few chances early on. Thats coaching and player selection.

    Reply
  2. I agree that changes should be made ASAP to the coach and the administration, but none of their weaknesses excuse us losing this game. This was another, in a long line of uninspired performances buy many of the same players. Lineups and tactics aside, explain to me how MLS, or worse, quality players can routinely beat us in away games. Yes, we need to replace the coach and admin, but most of these players need to go. Altidore, Bradley et all need to be gone. They routinely bristle at any criticism, get fired up and play hard, win a game and then return to mediocrity. Don’t agree, prove it with history. No more sacred cows. Get a coach that will bring in youth with an eye towards the next WC, not just winning the next game.

    Reply
  3. It goes much deeper than these posts say, down to the youth soccer level. Club soccer is focused only on winning. The coaches in club soccer only survive and get paid if they win games. The cost for kids toi play soccer continues to increase. Only AYSO has kept the costs low. Playing for a club costs in excess of $1000 per season. This is driving out thousands of young players. Player development has suffered becuase of the win at all costs mentality that infects these clubs. Our youth players today have less soccer skills tham they did just 5 years ago.
    The US is the only country in the world where soccer is a game only for the children of upper middle class parents, and it’s hurting development of the game in our country.

    Reply
  4. Before the “FAILURE”, I been point out that Gulati is problem but some people defended Gulati mediocre results: missing two Olympics in a row, losing Gold Cup 2015 looking worse than Panama, keeping Klinsmann after the failure in the Gold Cup 2015, mexico more games in U.S. soil, & now still.

    Reply
  5. I see numerous comments about some supposed conspiracy of the MLS to force Arena to play MLS players. I read a lot of history, minored in it in college, read it for fun , etc. When there is a situation that can be explained by a vast conspiracy or stupidity, 9 times out of 10, it’s stupidity that is the reason. In this case, it is the stupidity and stubbornness of Bruce Arena. A lot of people seem to forget that the hiring of Arena was pretty much universally applauded here and elsewhere. At the time I wrote that he was likely the best soccer coach in US history, but in recent years at the Galaxy he had made some bad personnel decisions (he was GM, too) and the Galaxy were on a downward trend the last couple of years under his leadership. I think this World Cup failure lives at his doorstep far more than anywhere else. He repeatedly chose to rely on older MLS players when better players were available. His decision to start OG over Cameron was inexcusable and arguably cost us the World Cup. He was like a stubborn old man who refused to bend to reality when it conflicted with his biases. So, it was not some MLS conspiracy, but bad decisions by Arena.

    Reply
  6. Sunil, be a man, releasing NOW! You are the problem! As to the glorified gym coach, Arena is such a massive misunderstanding…clueless…

    Reply
  7. Not sure what people think the Federation president does? He shouldn’t have any say in the daily on-field operations. If you think that should be the case, you might as well forget about any established successful manager accepting that. As I said yesterday Gulati will likely be re-elected (not saying he should just preparing some for the day it happens) and Arena will likely see out his contract or at least until the end of the European season. He won’t be fired with no competitive matches before his contract runs out. I could see him resign after the MLS season in hopes they would hire an American. The idea of a sporting director that would have any say over the decisions of the manager would also be a non-starter for any accomplished manager. They are not going to want to be micromanaged.
    ————————————————————————————————————————-
    Here’s why I think the idea of an MLS conspiracy to force MLS players on to the US roster is false. When the US is winning it makes money for MLS, both through interest in MLS itself and through its SUM deals with USSF. MLS is the biggest loser by the USMNT not making the WC.
    ————————————————————————————————————————-
    MLS needs to make two changes
    1. It needs to be willing to sell young American players at the market rate, MLS rosters do not have the depth nor do teams have training staff necessary to develop enough international quality players
    2. Remove TAM, TAM has increased the number of international players on MLS rosters thus instead of playing young Americans and developing them MLS simply buys International players using TAM.
    ————————————————————————————————————————
    The changes have been made we just need to give them time to work. National teams for all youth ages not just U17 and U20 and increased footprint of development academies is paying dividends. The roster needs an overhaul, and the system for hiring new managers needs to be looked at, but to gut the entire federation isn’t necessary.

    Reply
  8. Gulati needs to go. We need a footballer in his role, like Bocanegra at Atlanta FC. A person with soccer experience can hire someone like Gulati to handle the USSF business side of things.

    Reply
  9. This is a copy of what I wrote last night about what needs to be done in the near future to rescue the very weak USMNT and its organization. I am repeating it here to make sure that BA and Gulati get my message. The USNMT and last 2 coaches have demonstrated their level of soccer competence in their last 10 WC qualification games. By ending up in FIFTH PLACE and loosing so toothlessly against the six place team (T &T), it certainly demonstrates that the US needs – NEW US Federation leader, NEW National coach and mainly newer/younger US players except our 19 year-old star. These total USMNT changes can’t be any worse than what has been DEMONSTRATED!!! Just look how successfully the younger German players are being used in the German national team. Although, the German U17 team just lost 4:0 to Iran in the India U17 WC and so nothing is guaranteed in the very challenging game of soccer. By the way, the U17 USNMT has won its first 2 WC games with the last one against a very tough Ghana team. So, hopefully there is better US soccer quality (players & coaches) to come, especially if we have the courage & smarts to use new & better players & coaches!!

    Reply
  10. It’s a pretty “out of touch” comment from Gulati. The comment itself is pretty good proof that he doesn’t realize how much the game has changed. The US fanbase has grown in numbers and in soccer IQ. The rest of CONCACAF has improved. Meanwhile the USSF still thinks Sam’s Army will always march and the couple of journalists that cover soccer will write kind articles for E**N that disguise the questionable economics of the USSF.

    It’s time for USSF 2.0. Start by finding 2 separate people to be Technical Director and Head Coach. Both need to have extensive resumes and experience. And both need to be outside the former Arena/Bradley circle. Nothing against them, I am thankful for their service, but we need fresh eyes to evaluate the player pool. That has been needed for years. I will also echo an above post about needing to find a home stadium. It’s a big disadvantage to give up our home qualifier homefield advantage. And the USSF is doing it to themselves! If the idea was to make more money by putting more butts in seats, then let me ask, how much money are you going to make next summer now?! Pick a stadium with the best US fan crowd and stick with it! And lastly USSF, and for me most infuriating, STAND UP FOR OUR TEAM when we get screwed by the other CONCACAF teams and referees. I’m sick of it. DO SOMETHING to level the playing field.

    Reply
  11. Big changes need to happen and it starts at the federation level. Besides the fact that Gulati hired two coaches who both failed in World Cup qualifying, a failure of this magnitude requires broad changes across soccer in the United States. It is not about this one game but it is about four losses and three draws in qualifying and losing to Jamaica in a gold cup and being dominated by Belgium in the world cup and in general not even being close–not even close to a top 10 team with a chance to win a world cup. MLS is accountable for the quality of the MLS players on the team and clearly being an MLS star is not good enough for World Cup qualifying. So I want changes. Big big changes.

    Reply
  12. Says the part-timer who is an economics professor. His response is the perfect example of complete denial as he doesn’t want to admit his mistakes.

    Reply
  13. Come on what kind of a silly article is this? Gee the two people who have jobs to loose don’t see a reason to loose their jobs. Really? What a shock. Thank you both for your years of effort and the progress you’ve made. You both did an amazing job and should be proud of your service. But, it’s time for you to go now. Arena – make it simple and resign. Gulati – Don’t seek re-election, just be done.

    New perspective, fresh eyes. We’ve got 6 years until our next truly meaningful match. I think the next president can implement meaningful youth to senior system changes to further our growth. The next coach can tweek their system to match players and identify players that meet needs in that amount of time and come into the next cycle strong rather than sad and pathetic like we did this qualifying.

    I hope the new president and coach will not feel tied to aged stars. Without naming names and having that discussion , (former euro based star) has in past years been, at times, a world beater. There are games you took us on your shoulders and carried us to victory. Those days are in the rear-view mirror. Hang up your international boots. If you can’t, we need a coach with the strength of character to hang them up for you. Maybe you can still bring that level on occasion, but what young potential star sits as a result? What current player in their prime sits and doesn’t gain experience?

    Reply
  14. Without Bradley’s fluke goal in Mexico and Wood putting away a lucky bounce in Honduras the final day of qualifying isn’t even close. Two can play at this game Sunil

    Reply
  15. “Two inches”? US finished 5th of 6 teams and lost to the 6th place team. Honestly, the “nothing has to change” attitude will be more infuriating than not qualifying if it persists. Arena and Gulati both should have resigned last night.

    Reply
  16. How come we don’t have any quotes from the players? I’m especially anxious to hear what leadery coach speak garbage Michael Bradley has to say.

    Reply
  17. I think Joe Dirt makes a good observation re: an outside consulting firm. I think we are seeing the problem with having one guy who makes both !) the business decisions of the federation (by most accounts, Gulati is highly competent here and has done a good job with things like Copa America and WC bid) and 2) hiring decisions that affect the product on the field and the development of the talent pool in general. How many people on the planet can really do both of these things at a high level?

    Reply
    • @Ali, exactly and considering Gulati is a part time president and full time econ professor at Columbia means he does NOT have the time to do all of this.

      Reply
  18. That Gulati and Arena haven’t resigned already, makes pretty clear the machine expects this to blow over and the money keeps flowing…time will tell I guess.

    Reply
  19. Why would any of us supporters care what this guy thinks anymore? He is one of the main reasons we are in this place today. The fact that he even answered the question is insulting, and his words are double that! He has sold us out for money and power for years, and now he thinks he can talk his way out of this, absurd. If he is not gone, there is no fixing anything.

    Reply
  20. Well said, Beto. These comments are insulting.

    “You don’t make wholesale changes based on the ball being two inches wide or two inches in.” No, you make wholesale changes because out of 10 games, we lost 4 that we had no business losing, with CR and @T&T being particularly egregious. Lose 1? Ok, 2 inches here, a call there, stuff happens. But FOUR? That’s inexcusable.

    I respect the hell out of what Arena did in 2002, but he should have resigned before the sun came up this morning.

    Reply
  21. I am very agnostic about Gulati, but can someone explain to me why are we rushing to hold hiim responsible before players or the coach? What structural change do people think nees to be made?

    Reply
    • See my post above. Gulati has overlooks the soccer and solely focus on the business. We need to switch the focus. If the soccer is good the business takes care of itself. Also straight up we need to create a culture of accountability. If you under preform their are consequences and that goes for everyone in the program.

      Reply
  22. Actually there are a lot of things you should do differently. Establish a US fortress for qualifiers. Figure out the place that give the US the best chance to win every match and never move the games to any other location. US fans have passion and means, they will travel. Play friendlies and Gold cup games in other cities but no more qualifiers in places where the home crowd has any chance of being less then 90/10 US. Make the climate miserable for players from the Caribbeans and central america. Columbus Kansas City Minnesota Denver or Salt lake al make sense Establish a training facility near the fortress so the US players have instant comfort and familiarity before every home qualifier.

    Start using our economic muscle to effect Concacaf’s atrocious refereeing. If the refs don’t protect our players getting punched repeatedly off the ball, threaten to pull hosting the gold cup. Make sure the federations understand they will get no access to the US market without treating our players with basic decency. You think Panama can fund their soccer program if they don’t get their coffers filled by the gold cup? The refs and other federations should be slammed directly and repeatedly in every press conference with video of the behavior instead of the “that’s just concacaf”. That was the most absurd shameful behavior I have ever seen by the Panamanian players and no one cares because we don’t even care.

    The US has to work with the NCAA to get rid of amateurism in the 16-21 range. That is where as players our kids start falling behind unless they take the risk of going to Europe or signing with a Us professional team. Allow a 20 who played professionally to enter the NCAA on scholarship even if they have played professionally before. Limit these scholarships to US players. Make the games 90 minutes 3 subs and allow year round training/competition.

    MLS needs to have stricter rules about allowing Concacaf players. In England you can’t get a work permit to play in their top league unless you increase the level of the league. MLS should have an even tighter rule. No more than 2 players on any roster from a Concacaf nation. Gloves off. It’s about the US winning games not Panama, or T&T or anyone else. MLS can have plenty of quality with south Americans Europeans and us players with a few concacaf players sprinkled in.

    Reply
  23. Sunil Gulati needs to go. He hired Arena fully knowing that he was a xenophobe with no vision. In the end, Arena’s stubbornness and tactical ineptitude cost the USMNT dearly.

    Reply
  24. I can’t say I didn’t see this coming and I hate this hate this hate this, not calling in Chandler when Yedlin was hurt was fireable, scrambling for a point in Honduras being bailed out by a lucky goal in the 85′ I said was when we should have fired Bruce. Everyone on here called me crazy.

    I’ve consistently called out MB for not being a CDM/true#6, he doesn’t fit a diamond midfield and that’s why he always works better with a partner. I’ve said this one over and over again and get flamed most of the time for it.

    After last window I said we need a real journalist to investigate the influence that MLS/SUM has on USSF and the autonomy of the US manager. JK mentioned autonomy was the sticking point why him and Sunil never got a deal done after the 2006 WC after his stint with BM in 2007. People here thought I was wearing a tin foil hat.

    We had a manager who either was being controlled in his callups to favor MLS players and was complicit in it, or we had a manager who legitimately rated MLS veterans over players starting in the EPL, Bundesliga, and other euro leagues. I believe it is both combined with an anti German American bias that slowly built the fire JK movement and eventually got their man in charge in BA. Way to go fellas. Still rocking my tin foil hat.

    Your going to hear and lot about we didn’t have the players and some of that is true, we have a talent gap in birth years 1990-1994, but even with that gap we had a more talented pool this cycle than any other cycle with the possible exception of 2002. A lot of out best talent (FJ, Chandler, Miazaga, Williams, Gooch, McKennie, Gonzolez, Hyndman, Green, etc) were overlooked for MLS veterans. Any competent soccer professional scout overseas will laugh at you if you say MLS is a higher level than English Championship or 2.Bundesliga or Eredivisie. You will get laughed at.

    As for the 90-94 birth years those kids where going thru their most formative years at the exact time we made the switch from using ODP to using the DA to develop talent. It was transitional and we had kids fall thru the cracks but DA is worlds better than ODP as seen by the number of kids pushing thru at the 17-21 year age now. As DA builds we need to find a way to remove the pay to play system to expand the scouting field, this is the true next level.

    Its the managers job to get the most talented players to work together to be the best team. Both JK and BA failed to do this in the hex, but JK has done it before with more or less the same pool at the Copa.


    Say all this for one reason fellas, so that you listen to me now. Here is what we need to do:

    1. USSF board asks for (because he has to be voted out not fired, vote is next Feb) Sunil to resign immediately. Find an interim placeholder president and fire BA and hire interim placeholder manager with no chance to become full time manager.

    2. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL I SAY HERE, board and interim ussf president need to hire an outside (preferably non US) firm like Deloitte or something like that to investigate and give USSF a clear view and evidence of the cronyism going on between MLS/SUM and USSF and what type of old boys network hierarchy are we dealing. This investigative firm needs to interview all the actors involved in the debacle, from JK to BA to Gulati to the players to the scouts to assistants, everybody. I would recommend a committee of former USSF actors be formed to act as a liason during the investigation but they would not have authority over the investigating body, could include persons like JK, Bocanegra, Reyna, Freidal, Wynalda, Rongen.

    3. Once investigative firm makes their findings and recommendations on how to restructure USSF those need to be followed and not brushed aside. Its about removing the cronyism and rooting it out. The old boys network has to go and needs to be outed for the public to see what type of favoritism and corruption was taking place and for who’s benefit so we know in the future what certain actors motives will be.

    4. Development. Need to keep progressing with DA and eventually find a way to make the money work where we can remove the pay to play system and thereby expand the scouting pool. Also need to invest in local soccer fields for kids in urban areas to play. Atl United has done this in downtown Atlanta with a few spots and inner city kids are playing pickup now. This could be revolutionary long term if expanded to other inner cities.

    5. We need a full time USSF president not a part time president who teaches economics at university with no footballing experience. This should be obvious to any other footballing nation and kind of reinforces the cronyism/boys network that USSF has, in no other nation would a person with Sunil lack of footballing experience make it that high in the federation, same goes for Chuck Blazer in the past too.

    6. We need a full time Technical Director separate and autonomous from the US manager. The Technical Director needs to determine style of play, long term vision,and coaching emphasis at developmental levels thru senior team and hire the various managers at different age levels up to including senior team to implement the greater vision.

    7. Remember fellas it sucks now, but the future is bright. We’ve got a lot of talent coming thru at the 15-21 year old age range that will be primed for 2022. Heads up fu-k the haters.

    Reply
  25. Gulati sucks he needs to go. I will never pay money go to another mens national game again until he is replaced. Boycott and fire Gulati!

    Reply
  26. Sunil needs to go USSoccer only goes as far as the companies that are investing in them, and this is a huge blow to Nike, Fox et al. Making the World Cup is not optional for us. Yes, we are in the midst of a generational change in our player pool, we suffered through some shitty coaching, Dempsey hit the post, Panama phantom goal, blah blah blah. The way the US came out in the first half is absolutely unforgiveable. Heads need to roll, and Sunil’s should be the first.

    Reply
  27. This must be the Green Mile because he is a dead man walking and doesn’t even know it yet.If he is not replaced, I cannot support this team from here forward as it would be an exercise in futility.

    Reply
    • I can promise he wont be replaced. The decent thing to do would have been to step down. In no country in the world that expects to make a World Cup can the President of the Federation stay in power after failing to qualify. This is the problem.

      Reply

Leave a Comment