The U.S. men’s national team had its World Cup run ended by the Netherlands in the Round of 16 and Episode 363 of The SBI Show breaks it all down.
Host Ives Galarcep digs into the USMNT’s 3-1 loss to the Netherlands, including where the blame should go for the team’s elimination, and what can be made of the team’s overall tournament performance.
Episode 363 also brings you post-game interview clips from Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Tim Ream and DeAndre Yedlin.
You can listen to The SBI Show on Spotify, Soundclound and the Apple Podcast App, and you can listen to Episode 363 here:
What did you think of episode 363? What did you think of the interview clips? Who would you like to see the USMNT head coach be heading toward 2026?
Share your thoughts below.
Anti-Berhlater Argument: So much of the obvious, which we’ve all stated, myself included, for months on end. Ives adds to some of that here.
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Pro-Berhalter Argument: He qualified. He has won local tournaments. He outperformed the region at the World Cup. He’s already gone through the bottom of the barrel in our talent pool and now knows who is for real. Hopefully, he has learned from his mistakes. Based on the difference between his qualifying rosters and (most of) his World Cup personnel decisions, I think he has. He has these kids playing hard for him… AAAAaaaaaand…
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GGG is apparently a top-tier international recruiter. Short of hiring Pep for our national team, it could be that GGG is the best choice for winning the Florian Balogun (and others) sweepstakes.
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I don’t want the USSF to re-hire GGG. But if they do, there are reasons to be at least “OK” with it. Ultimately, the USSF can also fire GGG if the wheels fall off.
Mr. Otis,
“GGG is apparently a top-tier international recruiter. Short of hiring Pep for our national team, it could be that GGG is the best choice for winning the Florian Balogun (and others) sweepstakes.”
You’re not being fair to the others involved. Dest was certainly coming here regardless. He had been heavily influenced by the youth teams where he played for, I believe, Tab and Curtin(?)
And Musah was “discovered” and recruited by Nico Estevez who relied on his contacts at Valencia, where he used to play, to start the ball rolling with Yunus.
Gregg did well with the duals but he does not do it alone. There’s a guy named Brian McBride who has a lot to with this.
Besides duals sign on for the program and the team not for the manager. All managers have an uncertain future.
If you commit to the USMNT that’s it for life. Pefok can’t play for France or Cameroon anymore, no matter who the USMNT manager is.
The USMNT has historically had one of the least rigorous paths to the World Cup in world football. And they are automatic for 2026. and they have a nice group of players who seem very welcoming to newcomers.
Bottom line, no matter who the manager is, Gregg or not, the USMNT is a real good opportunity for a certain type of player (like Balogun for example). And if I’m a Mexican dual the USMNT is seems certainly much more attractive right now than the cluster that is El Tri.
“He has these kids playing hard for him… ”
You don’t think they would play that hard for someone else? That’s strange.
“But if they do, there are reasons to be at least “OK” with it. Ultimately, the USSF can also fire GGG if the wheels fall off.”
Sure but then you flush away a couple of years with developing young talent that those kids will never have again. Granted that national teams don’t really develop players it’s still a shame to not provide them with a manager, a leader who can help develop their football IQ. Gregg can’t do that, not like Van Gaal could.
The USMNT wouldn’t suit Van Gaal but it would be great if we could get someone like him.
Re-signing Gregg after this performance is a powerful vote of confidence. It means Gregg may well continue to keep doing what he’s been doing, the good and the bad. It means he can bring Roldan, Ariolla and Long back for 2026. No clean slate for Gregg.
Part of why they might want to re-sign him is letting him go now is an admission that maybe they didn’t do the best job when they hired him back in 2018. The USSF hates to admit to making mistakes. And they remain a good ole boys club. You can see it in the faces of the ex USMNT pundits who really struggle to criticise Gregg ( Except Deuce).
And every game between now and the start of the 2026 WC is a friendly or more CONCACAF garbage. Gregg can easily claim he’s working on something.
In other words, it’s groundhog day, more of the same, a team that won’t really be tested until the actual three group games in the 2026 World Cup.
Unless they do Copa America 2024. And if we get blasted there( a distinct possibility) and axe him, now you’ve got a year and a half with a new manager to get ready.
“but it wasn’t easy as you have implied by saying ‘cruise control’. The Dutch made some really poor mistakes as well that could have costs them, 3 to be exact. The US had several chances to score. ”
“This game was closer than it seemed. The US had some great opportunities but just could not capitalize.”
” Yes, the Dutch, on paper is the better team, but not by much. This was a very winnable game. ”
“With better coaching, with better tactics and good rotation thru the tournament, the US’s chances would have been better; it’s not a guarantee, but they would have been better.”
Great post. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read close variations of your post about another USMNT missed opportunity. Just change the names. “They did well but they lost”. Moral victories are the only kind the USMNT gets.
I’m as USMNT fan because I’m an American not because I love soccer. If I want to see great soccer I look elsewhere and have done so for years. I would never watch the Gold Cup or the Nations League if the USMNT wasn’t in it.
But as a fan , it’s my duty to watch these tournaments.
I never expect/expected them to be them to be serious WC contenders or even play well because it quickly became apparent to me that they aren’t a professional, well run, focused federation. It helps to keep my expectations realistic. The USSF are not serious about winning. The players may be but the Federation haven’t a clue.
But they are the only game in town so I support them.
If they had been in charge of the military in World War two we’d all be speaking German or Japanese now.
To be clear, the post was not an excuse for not winning. I did not imply anything about a moral vitory . It was response to what was said on the episode and that was it.
victory
Mr. P,
“I did not imply anything about a moral vitory .”
Yes, but you don’t have to.
The World Cup is a knockout tournament like NCAA basketball. There’s only one winner.
A moral victory is the only kind of victory the USMNT gets.
I’m tired of the USSF not really ever making any serious effort to try to even become contenders. And then trying to placate the fans with moral victories. Re-signing Gregg would be an endorsement of his unalloyed mediocrity and proof of what I just wrote that they aren’t really that serious about trying to be contenders.
Look at Morocco and Japan two countries with less resources than we have.
At least they are making an effort to look like they care about winning.
I think a lot of people are tired of the USSF and with good reason.
Nice job and thanks for these episodes. I do agree with much of what you say here. One thing that I am not in total agreement with is that the Netherlands were on cruise control after that first early goal? I saw the game twice and just did not see this. I am not saying that they had to fight for their lives, but it wasn’t easy as you have implied by saying ‘cruise control’. The Dutch made some really poor mistakes as well that could have costs them, 3 to be exact. The US had several chances to score. The most notable one was the Pulisic chance and the giveaway that Wright should have put away, but his bad touch cost him; then, Wright again, but could not get around he goalkeeper; also, Ream had a great change to score but cleared off the line. This game was closer than it seemed. The US had some great opportunities but just could not capitalize. Yes, the Dutch, on paper is the better team, but not by much. This was a very winnable game. With better coaching, with better tactics and good rotation thru the tournament, the US’s chances would have been better; it’s not a guarantee, but they would have been better. Listen, GB gets blamed because he is not a very good coach and that’s all there is to it.
When USSF first hired GB, they already knew he was the guy for them. I remember Lopetegui who approached US soccer because he wanted to coach the US and the federation told him to beat it. At least give the guy of this caliber an interview. Who the heck picks GB over Lopetegui? It’s like GB choosing Ferreira, who should have never been on the team, over a world class striker. As Taylor Twellmen would say, “What are we doing? ….. What are we doing? There are about 3 top tier coaches available now. Will US soccer approach them? No.