Top Stories

Struggling Berhalter is down to his last chance to show some real USMNT progress

Trying to integrate a new and complicated system into a national team setup is difficult enough given the time constraints that come with leading a national team. Trying to do that in your first international job is a task that Gregg Berhalter and U.S. Soccer are learning is brutally difficult.

Earnie Stewart surely knew this when he made Berhalter his hire as U.S. Men’s National Team head coach. He knew Berhalter had never coached a national team before, and he also knew Berhalter would be trying to install a completely new playing style into a program that was already destined for a transition period due to the generational shift taking place in the USMNT player pool.

What Stewart probably didn’t account for was just how much trouble Berhalter would have with the task. Berhalter is heading toward the completion of his first year in charge having had his team endure some woeful results, and there is little evidence to suggest things are going to get better.

Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to Canada, the first USMNT loss to Canada in 34 years, wasn’t Berhalter’s first loss as USMNT coach, but it was the most damning.

Taken by itself, you could write off the loss to Canada as a case of a bad game on the road against an improving and inspired opponent. The problem for Berhalter is his team has already registered a handful of ugly losses in his first year in charge. From the two pre-Gold Cup losses to Jamaica and Venezuela, to the 3-0 loss to Mexico in September, the Americans have had some stinkers under Berhalter, performances so bad that they couldn’t be perfumed over by blowing out Cuba or manhandling a Panamanian B team in Berhalter’s debut.

Tuesday’s loss was especially alarming because the USMNT looked like a team that has regressed rather than grown under Berhalter, and a team that isn’t responding to its coaches tactics or man-management style.

On Tuesday the Americans came out flat, and they weren’t just outfought and outplayed, but also bested by Canada’s tactics.

Berhalter all but admitted as much in his post-match press conference on Tuesday when he described what he saw Canada’s gameplan being, which was to congest the middle of the field and force everything wide. The Americans attempted to adapt to that, but as Berhalter noted, that approach wasn’t something the USMNT had trained in the lead-up to the match, which suggests the Americans weren’t expecting the 4-4-2 diamond setup Canada deployed.

Berhalter’s in-game adjustments didn’t yield much either, as evidenced by a second half that was just as lackluster as the first half for the USMNT. The players deserve their share of the blame for showing so little fight and sharpness, but it is Berhalter’s job to set the tone for his team and on a night when his counterpart, Canada coach John Herdman, hit every perfect note both in terms of tactics, personnel and motivation, Berhalter whiffed on all counts.

Based on results, you would assume Berhalter is on shaky footing, but Stewart knew he was hiring an inexperienced coach. He also made it clear prior to hiring Berhalter that if he wound up hiring a coach without international experience that coach would have time to develop on the job.

“That’s the brilliant part that we have right now is that we have a very good runway towards those moments that it becomes very, very important and critical that we have to qualify for 2022,” Stewart said in September of 2018, shortly after he took over as U.S. Soccer general manager and months before he ultimately hired Berhalter. “But there’s a runway there where you can gain experience. That’s a plus if it’s there, but I don’t see that as a negative because we have a pathway to go.”

That once-long runway is now 14 months shorter, and Berhalter heads towards November needing desperately to have his team respond with some significantly better performances. The USMNT is staring at the very real possibility of failing to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Nations League, which would mean the loss of more golden opportunities for the team to gain experience.

If that happens, and the Americans don’t beat Canada in November, Stewart will need to seriously reconsider his choice of USMNT head coach. Giving Berhalter just one year might seem like a short leash, but there’s a difference between giving a coach time to adapt and allowing a coach to run an already-struggling program further into the ground.

Nobody should have expected Berhalter to transform the United States into a world power in less than a year, but the bare minimum expected of him was clear signs of progress and growth, and signs that the team is responding positively to its coach.

We saw none of that on Tuesday in Toronto, and instead we watched the Americans be thoroughly outplayed by a Canadian team that boasted all the qualities USMNT fans were hoping to see from their team. The result was a historic victory for Canada that could spark its program into a new period of success, and a loss that felt like rock bottom for the Berhalter era, and a new low for a program that has basically been stagnating since that disastrous World Cup qualifying loss to Trinidad and Tobago two years ago.

If Berhalter really wants to show that he has the team making progress, and he is growing as an international coach, then he will need to get the tactics, player selections and game management right in November against Canada. If he can’t do that, and if his team lays another egg, then it will clear that it is time for a coaching change.

In other words, Berhalter and his team need to beat Canada in Orlando on November 15th. No, beating Canada won’t magically mean that Berhalter’s project is destined to succeed, but if Berhalter can’t get his team up for that game, and can’t show an ability to lead the USMNT to an important victory after a year filled with disappointments, then it will be time for Stewart to admit he hired the wrong coach, and it will be time for U.S. Soccer to make a coaching change.

Comments

  1. Nightmare scenario: USMNT misses out on 2nd world cup in a row. This nations league tournament has no steam. nobody cares about it (yet) because there are no powerhouse teams competing. I wouldn’t even call the USA a good team now. They’ve regressed into a mediocre CONCACAF team instead of a teams that’s ‘above’ CONCACAF and competes with the big european/SA sides. Really, the USMNT has gotten so much worse in recent years. It’s time to stop being in denial. Their FIFA ranking is 21, but they aren’t even close to this. They probably aren’t even in the top 50 right now in terms of talent.

    Reply
  2. The “good ole boy” network In US Soccer is alive and well.
    The USA has the player pool to compete but the federation has no leadership or understanding of the players And their abilities. Easiest way to get the Federations attention – have Pulisic, Sargent, Steffen, McKinney, Weah, etc all pass on the next call ups. I’ll bet my paycheck that motivates a change.

    Reply
  3. I thought Earnie would have done a better job selecting a manager that had a little bit of European experience but I was wrong, this guy is awful. Player selection and starting squad is some of the worse I have seen in 30 years I have watched. I haven’t liked GGG from the beginning but I didn’t think it could get this bad. Fire him now and start over, and get rid of Jan camp so whoever the next manager is can’t fall in love with someone’s work rate and hustle. Fit the system around the players.

    Reply
      • Ummm my point was that someone with his experience in Europe would have made him deviate from calling in mostly based MLS players but that’s where I was wrong. Thought he might try looking outside the box and call best players available.

  4. sorry but in a fair world someone whose last 5 games are LLDWL (w against cuba), and whose record this year against the top 7 regional teams we probably would have to qualify against is 1-4-0 (with a canada game remaining), would be looooooong gone.

    Reply
  5. Nate Scott wrote an article on why Berhalter won’t be successful. To summarize, he violates the first rule of managing a national side. He doesn’t use the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle, establish a defense and play out of it. It makes for some ugly games but it works.

    Reply
  6. Jesse Marsch should be in line. I agree though that he should NOT jeopardize his career trajectory right now. He’s doing well. But the American player is, at present, best served by an American coach. That won’t always be the case.

    Reply
  7. 1. New coach right away.
    2. New midfield right away. Five players if necessary.
    Because right now we can say we are a possession side, but if that possession is only in our third, that’s not possession.

    Reply
  8. A question and a comment… how much difference would a healthy Brooks and Adams in the lineups have made a difference, if any? I don’t have the rosters for all of Berhalter’s games in charge in front of me, but it seems like these two are starting XI locks no matter the formation.
    The comment I have is what was up with playing Nick Lima a bunch early in his tenure and then turning to Cannon and Lovitz more recently? His player selections seem inconsistent, at best. Aren’t we supposed to have phased Bradley out by now? Aren’t we supposed to have phased Weah in by now?
    I almost feel like Dave Sarachin did as much to move the program forward as Berhalter has.

    Reply
    • I agree. I think If Sarachan had the backing of US Soccer, our team would be in a better position. Not that they’d be perfect but much better than this.

      Reply
      • I liked Sarachan. I think he should have been given an opportunity to succeed with the national team. However, USSF is a delusional organization and one that wants “top-level” coaches to lead the USMNT. The Fed thinks that the Men’s National Team job is a coveted position, but in actuality, it is not. Until you remove the fanboys who run the USSF, the organization will continue to be a dumpster fire.

  9. We need an independent organization completely separate from the USSf to be in charge of all of our international teams.None of the USSF leadership would be permitted to be part of this new organization.

    Reply
    • that would be great, but it would also be impossible unless FIFA removes USSF’s accreditation.
      FIFA only allows one federation per nation.
      it’s the same reason the MNT and WNT can’t have seperate federations.

      Reply
      • The MNT and WNT cannot have separate federations, but my idea was to break the USSF into two divisions, Men’s and Women’s. Each would be a separate cost center under the USSF umbrella and would be permitted to operate on their own accord, with budgets and CBAs approved by the USSF Board. The General Managers would be able to act as deputy CEOs of the federation and have the power to hire and fire NT coaches and develop talent as they see fit. However, the USSF will not do this because it is a very provincial organization, and prefers the status quo rather than a better future for both national teams.

  10. I understand that most of the guys from the U20s aren’t quite ready. They’d likely lose some games they should win and lose by more than they should. However, if the place holder guys with experience lose games to teams they should beat Jamaica, Canada, and Venezuela what’s the point. Either change the formation and tactics to meet the less skilled veterans or bring the young skilled guys and let them learn on the job.
    ———————
    Slide Holmes into Roldan’s spot and tell me there isn’t a difference. Bring Mendez or Ledesma off the bench. Yueill is going turn the ball over making over ambitious passes but those passes are usually being hit 30 yards down field instead of 5 yards, the deep turnover in the opponents end doesn’t hurt as bad as Roldan and Bradley turning it over in our half.

    Reply
  11. IMO, At this point just beating Canada in November isn’t sufficient. The Coach and Team must beat them in a convincing manner. They have to win by more than 2 goals, have greater than 60% possession, and make significant improvements in both style of play and chances created (shots on goal). If they can’t do this than there isn’t enough to wright off this loss and the other lackluster performances as growing pains.
    Personally, unless Berhalter makes some serious changes to both his tactics and player selections I see us losing to Canada again. At which point GB has to be fired….and Ernie’s should be put on notice as well.
    I honestly don’t thing GB has the balls to make the changes necessary. So I expect another disappointing game…..with the hopeful silver lining of a New Coach by January.

    Reply
  12. I just looked at our stats for the game. 3 shots on target, 1 shot off target. You are not going to win many games if you can’t even get the ball on net and this is not Sargent’s fault. Our midfield was terrible. GB has had a year to show something and has failed. His player selection has been mostly terrible and his system stinks. Beating up on easy teams shows nothing. We were never in the Canada game. Players will not play hard for a clueless coach and a system they dont believe in.

    So now what? If we give him another year and nothing changes… we’ll be in a major mess. It will be too late to change and we will not qualify again.

    I would say GB has one more chance in his next game against Canada in a month. If we dont see a total improvement in every area, then GB has to go. If he rolls out basically the the same team again and we still dont produce… GB has to go. This next game has to be his last chance. I just hope they gave him a contract that can be ended cheaply

    Reply
  13. The problem lies within the player pool. Anyone can argue a case between a player here or a player there (roldan for holmes example) but the truth is that the pool is what it is and we need a coach that can get the most of what we have. The possession based soccer doesn’t work with our pool, especially with the CB’s we have they just don’t have the passing abilities needed to break down a team from the back. We need to get wins. Either Gregg changes the system or he has to go. Gregg may have been better served trying to stay In the MLS for a few more yrs and then try to get a gig back in Europe and see if the system works well in another league. The Federation screwed up the process royally by not interviewing anyone else but Gregg and waited 14 months for just him. I am sure Frank De Boers, who stated he was interested in the US job after Jurgen, took the MLS job because he was told he needed to know the league to get the interview. So the long of it is we can all argue about player selection and how long the player pool has been weak but we need someone who can get the best out of what have now. I have read many posts about players making too much money or not caring about the crest. That is all BS ask McKennie, Pulisic, Long, Adams, and Sargent what it means to wear the crest and they will tell you money doesn’t matter it’s the honor. What many have mistakenly call lack of heart is a lack of connected play and playing in a system the players already know doesn’t work.

    Reply
  14. I would take this article more seriously if I believed the individuals at the top of the Fed felt a sense of accountability. Has anyone seen a quote from Earnie Stewart after the loss? Or Carlos Cordeiro? I just did a google news search an could not find anything. All I’ve seen is opinion pieces like this. Is there a reason to believe anyone is actually feeling any outside pressure to change/improve?

    Reply
  15. Again this IS GB team. He had plenty of other players at his disposal he just didn’t think they had value. Whatever the outcome in November I think GB is safe, he has strong connections.

    Reply
    • Disagree.. I think he just lost the players.. i don’t care how connected you are upstairs if you lose the backing of the players you won’t stay long

      Reply
  16. Stewart’s appointment is a hidden problem and the cabal in place are rigid and insular, responsible to no one. Stewart’s rigidity in Phila was a problem ,his player selection was poor, and people were happy to see him go. His perception of what is needed in a player dovetails with GB. In fact, it is possible Stewart dictates who plays and who is on the roster. He does not like Latino style and prefers Dutch/British. That may be the reason why Ramos left. Solving the coaching problem is easy. Pep loves NYC, was here for a year sabatical. His wife loved NYC also. He used to go to Central Park to watch pickup games. He has mentioned that his time at MC is not open ended and he might be tiring of that grind. Just give him the money . whatever he wants, and tell him to have some fun.Lets open up our narrow little minds, and think bigger than usual. Tell him he will love the challenge. He said himself he liked the spirit of the American players.

    Reply
    • Pep Guardiola has no reason to do that. Being a National team coach is a retirement job and he is probably not finished with his club career. Plus we don’t have the talent to play the way he would like to. The USMNT is not Barcelona or Manchester City, not even remotely close.

      Reply
      • The USA has the best athletes in the world. You don’t think there is a coach that is arrogant enough that thinks he could get the most out of the USMNT? For the right price, no one is unavailable.

  17. I think his problems can be simply put into two categories.
    1. Player selection. I don’t think he has any idea the value of an up-n-coming player versus and over the hill player with a long resume.
    2. Playing style. Because of not having a full top 11 squad because of injuries, he should go with a style of play that would get him a win/draw rather than try to go tick-tack with players that don’t belong in the field see #1

    Reply
  18. Berhalter probably will never admit that the players at his disposal, or rather HIS SELECTIONS, just aren’t suited for his type of system. Besides the lack of intensity, their play and movement were slow. To many players were moving parallel or weren’t moving into space to receive passes like possession soccer is played. Possession soccer requires constant movement even if just a few feet at a time…It was awful to watch what the team was doing as it wasn’t even a system but just bodies on a field not contributing

    Reply
  19. “[W]e have a very good runway towards those moments.” It sounds great to say we have “years” or “many months” to develop the System (TM) but this simply is not true. You can’t measure the runway in international soccer in terms of months or years. You have to do it in days, because the reality is that since Berhalter has taken over, he’s had maybe 30-40 days with our top players (I’m not including January camp). He’ll have another 15-20 days with them before World Cup qualifying starts. So this concept of a runway is a myth. There isn’t much of a runway at all, and you’re relying on players to develop at their clubs outside of that time.

    The arrogance to think that you’re going to install an intricate new System (TM)–when (1) no one else is doing that or has ever successfully done it in the international game, save maybe Spain with their greatest generation and at times Mexico (Osorio loved his prescripted patterns and while that got them past Germany, it didn’t make them World beaters in 2018 and it gave up the greatest goal we ever scored at the Azteca); (2) you have no international coaching experience; (3) your staff has no international coaching experience; (4) you don’t have the player pool yet to do it; and (5) you have a fan base that is completely dejected and looking for results, not “pretty soccer”–is stunning and completely lacking in situational awareness. In international soccer, you play with the hand your dealt and as the chips lie, not the way you’d like them to be in some fantasy world. GGG is a living example of the Peter Principle at play.

    If the goal is to switch to possession oriented soccer–which believe me, I would love to see one day–let the U20 and U23 teams play that way (as they have been) and then phase in those players over the next two to three years until such time as you have 11 players that can certifiably do it. Or alternatively, call those players in now and let them learn from their mistakes but at least strive towards accomplishing what Berhalter wants with the talent to do it.

    But as long as you’re going to consistently be playing Zardes, Roldan, Lovitz, Ream, Long, McKennie, Bradley, etc., all of whom have their strengths but none of whom have the ability to consistently play possession soccer, then play a counter-pressing style that lends to Pulisic’s, Morris’s, and hopefully soon, Weah’s strengths and then begin to shift over time.

    This is so f*@#$%g obvious to me that it makes my mind hurt as to why Berhalter wouldn’t recognize it and adapt accordingly.

    Reply
  20. It’s funny how all you have to do is look at GB’s player selection and you knew, without a doubt, that he will fail. In his defense tho, not even Josep “Pep” Guardiola can do anything with that group lol

    Reply
    • I disagree, I think that Pep is smart enough to realize that the current team COULD NEVER play like his usual teams. I would imagine that he is tactically aware enough to change the system to match the current pool.
      Great managers get the best out of the players available to them, in a system that sets them up to be the most successful.
      Pep could easily do that

      Reply
      • Xan,
        Lol, you make my point. Yes, with our current pool (as a lot of the starter will never even be consideres!!!) but not with the players we have in camp now with GB

  21. Who’s available to replace Berhalter?

    1) Matias Almeyda
    2) Jesse Marsch
    3) Frank de Boer
    4) Tab Ramos (he’s been in the USSF too long and may be a USSF puppet)
    5) ?

    Reply
  22. you don’t get to blame the players if maybe 20 of the 23 are consistent and several of them stink or wouldn’t make the team under anyone else. an individual player has a bad game. a coach over time makes poor selections. at the point you repeat the mistake ad absurdum, it’s your fault, not the player’s. roldan sucks. it’s not roldan’s fault the umpteenth time GB runs him out to do the same thing. ditto bradley lovitz ream trapp and a long list.

    Reply
    • we need to decide what our midfield identity is — offense, team defense, whatever — and select to that. what i am looking at right now is a team that claims to want to pass selecting the ones who can barely complete one, and selecting people who are more defensive when it sounds like they want to be more offensive. that’s a basic selection problem, IMO shows the coach is clueless.

      Reply
  23. re arguments blaming the players, he has a very consistent squad and at a point the only blame for that can fall on the coach. there are some disappointing or bad players but ordinarily a coach weeds them out over time. if you keep picking them, after long enough, that’s not their fault, they are what they are, it’s yours for perseverating. this is the most stubborn and favorite-favoring coach in 30 years, reality sunshine doesn’t get down to his planet.

    Reply
    • Greg deserves the lions share of the blame for sure but the players aren’t blameless…they stunk in terms of showing any passion, grit, determination or whatever other adjective you want to use to depict “a lack of heart”

      Reply
  24. we have a basic identity problem, he says he wants to possess and play dutch 433 ball but he isn’t starting technical mids to do it. if you start hard hat mids in a technical formation this is roughly what it looks like. again, you cannot change a team with TACTICS alone, they must match to PEOPLE. when JK tried this same basic thing he brought in gringo, kljestan, and other technical players. this starts to get at whether GB even has the slightest snap to select the right people — no proof yet — or match them to his tactics. the one thing one can say about canada is their tactics matched their XI. they weren’t trying to be something they were not, or even something that is mismatched to the players. they were precisely what they were trying to be.

    Reply
  25. i had to look this up to remind myself, but how has no one brought up that he’s not bothering to try to find our “Higuain?” i have seen endless parrots touting system and claiming what he did there was deep lying playmaking. that is, to put it politely, horsesh*t. he had a high class 10 sitting right behind a solid kamara striker and two alright wings. just like last time the crew were decent they had schelotto. without that he is pimping playmaking from the 6, which is not the same.

    this is not even really The System. let’s be clear on that. it is two different things to go out there with both a good 10 and a 6 that can hit longballs, than to just go out there with a 6 who isnt even very good at that.

    it tells me what i need to know that 6 bradley was the one who looked even any offensive while the 10 roldan generally scrapped and lost the ball. it’s not even that we have a CAM but they are merely ok. we’re starting people up there who are trip over the ball types.

    Reply
    • the offense also just generally feels slapped together and “get it wide and hope.” the two best players basically improvise.

      i mean, basic thought exercise here. The US wins the ball in midfield. what is the plan to score. what is plan B if that doesn’t work.

      no credit for bs about “playing between the lines, imbalancing,” etc. who is playmaking. who is ball winning. how are we getting goals. what if they get back and a wide cross isn’t on. are we really going to pass back to the keeper and try and come back wide AGAIN??? what is the non-cross strategy for getting the striker involved??

      Reply
      • it’s pretty simple, switch the attack with the diagonal ball, striker makes near post run to draw the CBs, the 10 makes the back post run into that empty space, other CM goes to the top of the box, opposite wing top of box on backside, the 6 fills higher ball side to recycle the ball, ball side FB comes up in support. Just watch Cuba for how it’s supposed to work. The issue was when you pressure the 8 or the 6 and they don’t have time to make that pass between or behind lines the build is so slow the defense is set and there is no space for the near and far post runs. By playing Pulisic as a wing you have no one centrally that can come to the ball get it and drive into the center, Morris’s one move is to try to get past people so if the defense is set there’s no why we can score besides draw a corner and hope. Pulisic has to play the 10, McKennie as the 8.

  26. Berhalter and his brand of possession soccer produce backwards and sideways passing, without any real product of a penetrating pass into the opposing end. To successfully implement this brand of football, you need players who have above average technical ability and also have individual skill to beat players to create space for themselves because the ball is usually played to their feet instead of open space.

    Only two players (Pulisic & Lleget) have these qualities in the midfield. Where are you going to get the other players to play this brand? With the players in our pool ,we need to play more direct to leverage the physical traits of our players (strong, fast and able to finish).

    That means playing balls into space and guys running instead of walking into space and expecting the ball at their feet while the opposing team has time to re-organize their shape.

    South American and other Latin countries can play this way because they have superior technical ability and don’t need to run as fast as our players to score.

    Reply
  27. The time to fire him is now we need a coach that knows about pressuring teams in the midfield. Josh Wolf as an interim coach for the next two matches would be better if he understood that the formation and style needs to change with no more 4 3 3 formations it didn’t work with klinsman and doesn’t work with berhalter. We are better with a 4 4 2 or 4 5 1 or 5 4 1 but for my preference 4 4 2. With pulisic in the center of the midfield behind two fowards. Our players have been focused too much on wing play which imo is for players who arent good technically. We need to be dangerous creating through the midfield and wings and on counter attacks and set pieces we have not had a free kick near goal in a while why do you think that is?.We are wasting time if we don’t fire berhalter now there should be no more chances he has shown he bad tactically and has not been able to motivate his team and make them understand his view of style of play he was overrated by the media he plainly stinks as a coach. USSF should be conducting serious interviews with Tab Ramos Matias Almeyda Jessie Marsh( Heading towards 2026 though they should talk to Jessie Marsh he almost was tying Liverpool 3-3 in champions League not only is he a great tactician he is also a great motivator).

    Reply
    • You’re very confusing, sometimes Judge. All three managers, you suggested don’t play in a 4-4-2 or any variation! Tab Ramos def doesn’t use that formation. San Jose doesn’t have the player’s for the Argentinian’s ideal formation. Numero Viente, Pizzaro played for Guadalajara, in a 4-3-3. I remember, no one expected them to compete, let alone win the CONCACAF Champions League. Did you ever watch Marsh w/ the Red Bull’s? Tyler Adams starred in the 6, in a 4-2-3-1. A 3-5-2 is the formation of the future! Tata won an MLS cup, after trading for Nagbe, and switching from a 4-2-3-1. ‘MLS is a mediocre league!’ I see your mediocre, and raise Southgate and England, & Martinez with Belgium ‘18 WC. 3 center backs, in turn, your fullbacks, become wingers.

      Reply
  28. When a team not only shows no signs of progress but is actively regressing it’s time to make the hard call and reboot. We wasted a year waiting to hire the guy we all knew we were going to hire, and we’ve now wasted almost another year making zero progress as we head towards qualifying.

    Cut your losses now and find a manager willing to adapt to the talent pool and make this team competitive.

    Reply
  29. what are the odds that Stewart or Berhalter’s brother actually makes the decision to fire Berhalter? id bet they never even consider it unless its the day after they fail to qualify again – long odds even considering how bad they are now. unfortunately Berhalter is the HC until he is promoted to some other position, that’s how corrupt USSF is currently.

    the correct move would be to give him November to turn it around. beat Canada and cover the goal diff. if he can’t do that then he is out. going forward his teams needs to show confidence and some fighting spirit again. drop a home qualifier and its back to the hot seat.

    Tab Ramos is the ideal candidate to take over at any moment. then again a more competent federation would have hired him (or at least interviewed him) in the Fall of 2017.

    Reply
    • one concern i had with the structure is the GM made this choice, and is responsible largely for making it. he will resist admitting it was a mistake. furthermore, the fed is bought into this missionary bunk so they will resist stopping the project. the problem is that the longer this goes the closer this will get to a JK scenario where you’re firing the coach at a point when qualifying is underway and change is risky.

      Reply
  30. Just another article that sadly ignores the fact that this debacle didn’t start with Berhalter. This team has been sucking since way before he came onboard.
    There’s a lot more to this story than simply bad coaching.

    Reply
  31. This article is spot one. Grant Wahl basically hit many of the same notes. If GB cannot adjust his tactics to the squad he has and keeps laying more eggs then he needs to be out of a job. Will Behalter be fired if the US fails to qualify for Nations League? I seriously doubt it. USSF seems way too insular with the stench of nepotism floating all around it.

    Reply
    • IF in 2015, Landon Donovan thought JK should have been fired for not beating MEXICO, then four years later, NOT BEATING Canada should be grounds for a dismissal too. Not beating Mexico with the talent they have was one thing, but not beating Canada and playing lethargically and without any fighting spirit is a black mark on the program. It’s downright embarrassing. Then when you factor in the LOST YEAR of 2018 where the federation jerked around and wasted time NOT INTERVIEWING qualified candidates, what we have is criminal neglect. GGG out. Gulati Out. Stewart Out. GB’s brother out. Clean house or go through a Lost Decade with complacent mediocrity running the ship.

      Reply
  32. They wasted a whole year to hire HIM to begin with! What did he ever win as a coach? Was his Columbus team blowing teams out in MLS with some extraordinary style and dominance? Dont think so. So what exactly did anyone expect he will do with the Nat. team other than keep riding it downhill?

    Reply
  33. You can have the most brilliant “System” in the world and if the players don’t play, you are going nowhere.
    On the other hand, if you have players who really want to play, any system will work.
    This is a FACT that Berhalter and other coaches should humbly remind themselves of.

    Reply
  34. It is hard to disagree with this assessment. Some may argue that firing Berhalter now is what is needed, but replacing him with whom in a few weeks, even a tempoirary hire, Josh Wolfe maybe? So GB will get one more chance and if the US does not shine,Bye Bye Greg.

    Reply
    • If the obvious move is to give up on Berhalter’s system and become adaptable to various approaches that match the strength of our player pool and depend on our opponents… then is Berhalter the guy to do that? He wasn’t hired to do that and he doesn’t have the experience and he doesn’t seem like a particularly strong leader/player’s coach. So the logical conclusion is to fire him when you can find a replacement. So start interviewing coaches RIGHT NOW. It could take awhile to find the right guy.

      Reply
  35. Let’s be honest – Berhalter’s “system” is a farce and his “I’m the smartest guy in the room” attitude isn’t helping his cause either.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to I scored three goals in one game Cancel reply