U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter rewarded 11 players with their senior debuts on Saturday in San Antonio, but that proved to be the only bright spot of the afternoon.
Slovenia used a first-half goal from Nejc Gradisar to claim a 1-0 road victory over the Americans at Toyota Field. Bernard Kamungo and Timothy Tillman created the best offensive chances for the USMNT, but Slovenian goalkeeper Igor Vekic registered a three-save clean sheet.
Matjaz Kek’s squad broke the deadlock in the 27th minute after Danijel Sturm stole possession from Kamungo. Sturm’s upfield pass was slotted home by Gradisar for a 1-0 Slovenia advantage.
It marked the 21-year-old’s first senior international goal.
Kamungo came close to making amends for his error, forcing Igor Vekic into a kick save just moments after Slovenia took the lead. Josh Atencio’s follow-up effort eventually deflected wide of the Slovenian net.
Kamungo continued to cause issues for the Slovenian backline, getting to the end line before halftime and once again forcing Vekic to clear his lines.
Berhalter made multiple substitutions at the hour mark with Duncan McGuire, Jack McGlynn, and Esmir Bajraktarevic all coming on for their senior debuts.
Tillman created room for a low shot in the 67th minute, but Vekic dove to his left to deny the LAFC midfielder a debut international goal.
Schulte denied Slovenia an insurance goal later in the half, punching away Sturm’s free kick in the 75th minute.
Bajraktarevic also created space for a left-footed drive in the 77th minute, but watched his shot fly over Vekic’s crossbar. John Tolkin’s pair of opportunities late in the match failed to hit the target, summing up a frustrating afternoon for the USMNT.
The USMNT will resume competitive action in March when it faces Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals.
Johnny razor, I’m kind of thinking you’re the delusional one. It’s been almost 15 years since 2010, and before that, it was 20 years back to 1990. That’s 35 years and MLS will be 30 years old by the next World Cup. I get it, your next excuse will be European leagues are much older. The point is, you’re subscribing to some system, which I’m not sure you can explain, and suggesting that 35 years later, we are now employing a method that will have long term benefits, and in the end, your suggesting , MLS should be a feeder league and little Johnny should dream of bigger and better leagues. I mean, why watch a soccer league on our own country when we can watch European leagues? Forget about actually going to a game, the life blood of any professional team. I mean bro, whose the delusional one, seriously?
Dikranovich,
I second the notion that Johnnyrazor is delusional!
Johnnyrazor,
You’re last response to my post below, date and time stamped, January 22, 2024, at 11:50 pm, is a clear example of that. That post is you saying, “blah, blah blah…”. You’re talking in circles and saying nothing. That is a characteristic usually associated with others on this forum. Keep telling yourself whatever you want to hear. I’m sure that resonates in Johnnyrzaor’s world, but for the rest of us, that is just delusional.
Papi, you and Dik don’t speak for anybody but yourselves. You or anybody else on this site thinking they somehow speak on behalf of US soccer fans everywhere is delusional. Still waiting for Dik to tell us who the “right man for the job” is.
You guys think Gregg was looking at this roster trying to find backups to Pulisic, McKennie and Weah? The January camp is really past its sell by date and probably should be scrapped anyway. The idea is these guys will go to Olympics and gain a form of international experience. Then ideally will transition from MLS to Europe and when they’re 25-30 be contributing members to the NT. That’s the long game. The path that most guys will follow. Yes there will always be special talents like Pulisic and Reyna who skip levels from U17 straight to NT. And there will be late bloomers who have their first experience as NT players, but the idea is you play U15-17s, then U20s, then U23s, all while progressing from league to league. Look at other NTs their average ages are in the mid to late twenties. Our average age got messed up because virtually no one in the 26-30 age group amounted to anything so so many young players got promoted early.
Papi,
You listed paragraphs explaining your issues.
Paragraph 1, your belief this was a regular NT camp.
Paragraph 1 (part B) Cincy would want Miles in their camp.
Paragraph 2 Attack on the term shout out (I don’t know what term to give calling White when everyone knows he’s not good enough for regular team minutes).
Paragraph. 3 You thought I meant the Olympics were the end of the long game
Paragraph 4 Your beliefs that camps should all be about putting the best on the field
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-I reiterated this was not a regular camp. Explained MLS didn’t start until Monday so Miles didn’t miss anything with Cincy (Paragraph 1 response)
-skipped over your shout out comment
-explained it was in deed about Olympics since vets like Sands didn’t play. Then provided examples that these guys are all obviously years away from being called to a full team NT camp. Then asked you what available MLS players would have made the team better. (Paragraph 3 response)
-I didn’t respond to Paragraph 4 because clearly your belief about NT camps differs from USSF.
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Obviously I hurt your feelings by saying your ideas were delusional for that I apologize.
Tele57,
I will re-write the last sentence of my last post…just for you.
I’m sure that resonates in JohnnyRazor’s world, but that is the clear definition of delusional.
There, I’m only speaking for myself now…is that better?
JohnnyRazor,
Hurt my feelings??? Ha!…I’m not that sensitive.
Tele57,
I’m going to re-write the last sentence of my last post…just for you.
I’m sure that resonates in Johnnyrazor’s world, but that is the clear definition of delusional.
There, I’m only speaking for myself…do you feel better now?
Johnnyrazor,
Hurt my feelings??? Ha!…I’m not that sensitive.
Papi: Well I’m glad that you are ok. Who should have been in this camp then? I don’t need a 23 but give me an all MLS starting 11. A lineup that could beat Slovenia and that you think each could step in and play in NL semi vs Jamaica. I’m not trying to play gotcha, I’ve thought about and it’s really hard to come up with guys that anyone would really want to see.
i don’t know what to do with that. the lively guys were tolkin, bajratkevic, and kamungo. none are ready for senior ball and kamungo cost us the result the other way as well.
personnelwise that was so watered down towards U23 i don’t get the point as a senior game. january games usually tend to separate potential helpers from the pretenders, among the margins. i remember some of this bunch from U20. i don’t remember telling myself they needed fast tracking. this was a U23 lineup, give or take some. for that purpose as well. so schedule a U23 game, dude.
anyone know what the deal was with sands?
“PANIC”! …it’s 1998 again!
we usually do better in january when the senior team is more competitive. first team is better, the Bs become better too. the selection with a half dozen or so exceptions was odd. the system doesn’t make this hum. we didn’t look that hot last winter either.
sports isn’t magic. if this is going to take off there is usually a sign. it looks good before it wins good. you can’t just expect a switch to flip.
I would imagine it’s tv contracts. They’ve agreed to a certain number of matches so they have to put out a NT match even though it’s mostly youth. Also, if you make it just U23s you can’t get a look at Tim Tillman (who got hurt right before GC). Might be in their agreement with the players union too as to the number of matches.
JR: i’m not saying no match. i’m saying run a proper senior match and a proper U23 game (separately) and sort the selections accordingly. and nothing says the 2 can’t be cross-pollinated. “oh, wow, he’s good, give him a day with the seniors.” or, “meh, i don’t see senior value, we’re sending you to U23 practice on the other field.”
and then they play U23 opposition and can be evaluated in the right context.
was the idea if you call folks as olympic candidates some MLS teams might say no, i want them in camp?
to be fair, it wasn’t a complete waste, i thought miles needed a test, i wanted to see The Other Tillman (who i pushed for for years), they did call if not play celentano. my deal is those choices are more appropriate senior team speed.
it also feels a little arrogant how much we call the usual suspects for the first team schedule then burning a rare B camp game on age groupers instead. we aren’t producing A team results such that we can just throw away B team experiment time. we act like we won the world cup sometimes. this was an ugly round of 16 exit. the back end of the roster should be pressurized looking for any upgrades we can find.
IV: ok I understand, I’m just not sure by the time you get to that level of MLsers there’s a lot of value left. I mean then we’re getting into the Corey Bairds, Justin Glads, Tim Parkers. I don’t know why Keaton Parks can’t get a call but we did just see a lot of average MLSers at GC and El Cashico in April.
Once again the USA fails to grasp the fundamental rule of soccer. At every level it is far easier to gift goals than to earn them. Slovenia was tight at the back and forced us to prove that we could score. We couldn’t. We were sloppy and paid the price.
one reason i have advocated drop back, defend, and counter is it firmly founds the team on what wins championships.
the whole premise with possession and moving all the bodies up, pressing high when we lose the ball, sending wingbacks up, is risking bodies forward and asking to be countered. you bring up sloppy, i don’t see us as technical enough to pretend we’re barca or inter miami and can pass teams to death. the world cup, games like this, we are more likely to cause our own demise with mistakes. so to me go with what the personnel actually are suited to. an athletic game elevating chances over possession. i don’t mind if we’re a little sloppy pumping balls in danger areas. i do mind if we’re not dominating and depending on passing we aren’t superior at, losing the ball in midfield, taking dumb risks pressing, and setting ourselves up for counters.
i get folks want pretty passing soccer but there was maybe one pretty bing bing bing combo ball that resulted in a dangerous wing opportunity behind the backline that dejuan then skied over to the other sideline. if the reality is you’re a little sloppy but athletic let’s do quantity over quality.
on the finishing, we have for some reason not grasped the value of dempsey to the team in the past decade, of basic effective sniping — it’s a goals game — have 2-3 people out there who are good at shooting and finish chances. i can’t believe with youth national teams down below U15 holding camps we can’t come up with some kids age 23 who can place a shot and not either spray it over or whack it real hard but at the keeper like a college player.
or is all the practice passing and keepaway and pressing?
i also personally like footspeed and it annoys me watching some CB unable to even get a timely tackle in on that goal. i think GB wants this to go in the direction of luna and attencio but we were not actually that much better the skills side. we either need to get significantly more technical or we need to go back to being taller, faster, and better team defenders.
to me this works the opposite how it should. a team with a useful system people get intuitively, you could run out the B or C team like today, and it flatters them. the system makes everyone better. has that ever been true of this? it never looks gorgeous. nor does it seem like a grind it out force multiplier.
i also don’t see how this perimeter passing stuff plays to pool strengths. normally you set a system to the attributes of the pool to win games now. not to try and change how this looks in 10 years. this is like a cult. if we just keep doing it the system maybe pays off later on. no, later than that. give it time.
Playing to the pool’s strength is sooooooo 20th century. The goal of modern coaching is to win in such a manner that the coach can take all of the credit and con people into paying them way more than they are worth. Merely winning by playing to the strength of your players just lets the world believe that it was the players that one the game rather than THE SYSTEM. There isn’t any money in that anymore.
While I don’t disagree with you main premise, one thing I notice is that when we don’t have our A team out there, our B and C players make too many mistakes. European teams, even their reserves, are so much cleaner on the ball and that was the difference in this game. While MLS, the league, has gotten better, sometimes it seems like US players in MLS still have a lot of improving to do when playing with one another.
do they work on shooting with the YNT anymore? how many were actually on cage. how many were just slammed right at the keeper. it’s a sport decided on scoring goals. maybe elevate a few with a knack for it? maybe look like you ever practiced it?
related point but one thing i dislike about this offense is how much it seems designed to emphasize wingback offense, and so at the end two key shots and misses were tolkin. if you want actual goals you pump the ball repeatedly on the ground to the area between the top of the D and the 6 line.
i mean, isn’t the idea to feed the 9? when i was a kid winger my job was feed the strikers. if they start sitting on the strikers then someone else is open, 10, other wing, someone. you don’t want all the offense wide. even luna it’s like i wanted him once in a while to just go to goal a la reyna and quit just hitting diagonals outside to get crossed in.
why can’t we go direct to goal?
A darn good question. As to Luna, it seems clear to me that Luna is our most skilled player in this group. He was the most skilled in the U-21 World Cup team. Seems like you would want to put your most skillful player in the middle where he can navigate in tight spaces, not put him outside.
Gary,
I do wonder about that. We’ve seen Malick and Gio play at least as quasi 10. I wonder if Cowell leaving camp forced Luna wide?
At least one of those times Wiley was in that space between the D and the 6, maybe both. Part of that problem is that was to be Cowell in that space not Wiley (who got shoved around pretty easily). The whole tactics are designed around Pulisic, Reyna (18 yr old Gio not current Gio), Jedi and Dest. Gio and CP wanted to be in the channel where in late 2020 they were excelling for Chelsea and Dortmund (Pulisic again shining there for Milan). Jedi and Dest were then pushed up to have a wide presence. We got roasted by the Swiss and then lucky not to be by Honduras because the CBs had to cover half a field. So the CMs were pushed wide to cover behind. Now there was literally no one in the middle of the pitch except Adams who defends but can’t break a line so he’s got to cycle it out wide and we only play up the wings. It also leaves the CMs way too far away to fill that space at the top of the box when the FBs try to cut it back. It’s not possession based football or even the 4-3-3 it’s Berhalter chasing his own tail trying to make his first idea of getting the Pulisic in the channel.
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As for finishing these guys have been off for two months, many in their first camp or have under 5 caps. Out of form and nervous makes for poor finishing. That being said this is largely the age group from the last U20 WC who also struggled to finish. Seems to be as much an MLS development problem as a NT training deficit.
i’ve made a comment before where i see the offense as highly “personalized.” it’s one thing with weah. it’s another thing with reyna. that’s not a design system. that’s a platform. i think the way i put it before is it’s just possession possession and then have the big few improvise. depending who is healthy they don’t improvise the same.
the normal way to handle this is play to what you have more of in the pool. to me that’s speed and athletes. you then see if you can shoehorn the odd ones like reyna in someplace.
sorry but the pattern is too consistent on what emerges from the YNT. i wouldn’t be surprised if they were almost all around 5′ 10″, mediocre speed, ok technique.
it’s like we’re producing high energy cowells who can’t shoot in bulk. i’m watching us cross the ball in and am like where are the tall folks? limited amount of kamungos who could do something athletic.
you want freaks, skilled, fast, tall, snipers. we looked very average and like we expected the system to do it for us.
“sorry but the pattern is too consistent on what emerges from the YNT. i wouldn’t be surprised if they were almost all around 5′ 10″, mediocre speed, ok technique.”
Mr. Voice,
Some of these guys may develop into something down the line but the best, or rather the most accomplished, of the YNT system probably weren’t at this game. What you saw was mostly what was left over.
And in any event it was just one game. What mattered about this cupcake wasn’t the game. It was the camp.
V-
i thoroughly believe there are gamers and there are mere practice players, and the world cup isn’t a competition based on how good you are at training camp. can’t do it in a game, didn’t happen.
for that mater, we looked better at the end of the game than the beginning suggesting the lineup was mis-chosen. bajraktaravic was supposedly one of the more attractive practice players, rewarded for it with the bench and a cameo, then probably one of the closer players to a chance to tie it late.
this is why i beef about this supposed “but i am sure this unit played well in practice” stuff. i have heard it more than once said of someone who then sits. i think it’s a smokescreen for GB likes who he likes. some fanboy making excuses then pretends he must have been the better practice player. the game dynamic then suggests otherwise.
conversely i have beefed about guys like aidan morris or roldan who get called no matter how indifferent their caps are.
IV: I’m not sure Esmir getting 30 minutes qualifies as only a cameo. I’ll also add when he came on they brought Jones, his Revs teammate, over to the right side. I think that definitely helped him feel comfortable as the combination play between those two were really leading just about every bit of threat we created the last 30 minutes.
JR:
what it boils down to is often in games like this we look better when the subs come on. which always suggested to me the coach doesn’t select smart/misevaluated talent/misread practice/scouted wrong and missed the right lineup choice. to be fair, klinsi would sometimes start bench and finish with starters, but if he’s doing the equivalent of bringing on pulisic and weah at the end, i don’t think he’s confused or wrong, i think he’s carrying out a plan and has most of the players properly pegged. this guy i don’t know how many times it’s indifferent first 60 fun last 30,
i mean, if i want to get real punchy, the way reyna got handled. i realize that turned into some cause celebre about coaching power vs. player discipline BUT THE DECISION ITSELF HAS BEEN PROVEN VERY VERY WRONG. even by the holland elimination game it’s oh crap we’re losing this let’s put on reyna a half.
Pathetic! Everyone and their mother, except for Johnny razor, knows very well that our national team coach is not the right man for this job. He wasn’t the first time around, and it’s only looking worse in the second go.
Go back and check what I’ve consistently commented since 2021, Berhalter shouldn’t be given a second term. But he was, and no one is getting fired because a poor January camp performance. Bradley, Arena, Klinsmann, and Hudson all managed lackluster January camp matches. It’s just the way it goes these guys are in preseason and in Olympic years like this one they’re often not ready for full NT matches. With better finishing we win 3 or 4 to 1. And do you know what that would have signified? Absolutely nothing it’s a January camp match!
Johnny, losers make excuses, winners go home and bang the prom queen. Can Beerholder get fired for losing to Jamaica, or do we really have to wait for this summers copa America? This damn coach of ours is so influenced by his time on holland, and it’s even rubbing off on our fans, as I can see from reading these comments. Yeah, we’re gonna be good, and keep possession, whatever that’s good for, but we ain’t winning squat with this guy at the helm. Whose in our group again this summer?
Dikranovich,
“…losers make excuses, winners go home and bang the prom queen.” Word, and love it!
Dik-
My deal is I don’t think we have the identified/existing skill level talent to pass teams off the pitch a la 2010 era Spain. We don’t seem to get to play that way it needs to be like men against boys. We aren’t superior at skill soccer to the competition. A lot of our best players are indeed creative but fairly sloppy at it. Reyna types are far and few between. So do something that actually fits our player type.
If you remember when this debate first got started it was an aesthetic response to BradleyBall. The thing being it was like an ideal and not an evaluation of the pool. When JK wanted to play technical ball he brought in Gringo, Mixx, Kljestan, and a few others of the type. He at least tried to play skill soccer with skill types. He then gave up on it because he had the nous to grasp it wasn’t a winning recipe with those players. So we went banger for Brazil instead.
At some point we need to get the idea is sort out your best 15 or so guys and what scheme would fit them. The past 5 years have been an abundantly over-done exercise in showing we can try to play tiki taka all we want but without the pool to do it, so what? To me it’s the riposte to the 2010 Bradley haters. You can’t just snap your fingers. Barca trains up kids from age 5 and up to play the way they want to……you can’t just take Weston age 20 and force it……
D: this is the long game, that winner that went home with the prom queen when he’s 43 on his second marriage and selling used cars won’t feel like he won 25 yrs ago. The guys that gained experience and learned how to be successful by challenging themselves and adjusting from mistakes are 43 have the lake house, the convertible, and married the valedictorian that everyone realized was gorgeous when she got contacts and took out her ponytail and could actually hold a conversation. If a player yesterday decided they’ve made it because they got a cap it’s downhill. If they said hey it’s an honor but now I have to work twice as hard so I can get more caps and get out of MLS and keep improving they might make something of themselves.
JR response to Dik: best post of the month!
Johnnyrazor,
The USMNT is for the best available players, here and now. The long game is for the USYNT.
Papi: exactly this wasn’t the full national team, this was the YT with a few vets to help get in shape in case we need them in March. Plus a shout to a career journeyman Brian White who had a career year last year. This camp was to get those U23s going so they step into MLS camps this week in form to get minutes to prepare for Olympics. If this was a FIFA window and you bypassed the big names for this then yeah that’s dumb but it wasn’t a window so it was a training exercise.
Johnnyrzaor,
By YNT, I meant u20 or younger.
If this was a YNT, with an eye towards the Olympics, and a few vet exceptions to help get them in shape, then it should be a YNT camp with Mitrovich in charge. If Berhalter wants visibility, he can sit in on the camp. Also, the vet exceptions can get in shape with their MLS sides during their respective preseasons. I’m positive that Cincy would prefer to have Miles in their preseason instead of any January USMNT / USYNT camp that is not on the FIFA international calendar.
Shout outs are not for the USMNT / YNT…there for high schoolers and rapper want-to-be’s. Each spot is coveted and should be filled accordingly.
Additionally, if it was a u23 camp with an eye towards the Olympics, it is not truly an exercise focused on the long game, as the Olympics are in 6 months, and there are no other opportunities for this group to get together for 10 days straight. Additionally, the 10 days leading up to the game were the training exercise. The game vs Slovenia is about performance and the players proving themselves.
This was a USMNT camp, as it always has been, with a roster of players that could be in Paris this summer, but as you said, also a look at potential players that can round out the squad for this March, assuming they show in this camp that they can help…so USMNT camp….so best players available now.
Papi, you’re being delusional. This was USMNT in name only. The only guys even with a slight shot at NL are Miles and Shaq. Maybe one of the keepers will get the third spot. That was known before this camp started. Most MLS teams began camp on Monday. A few like FC Dallas and Miami started around the same time as this camp because of preseason tours. This was about the U23 guys. Need proof? All subs were U23. As for long game, how many of those 15 (18 on the roster including 3 overage) would position themselves for minutes with full NT? 1 or 2? These guys are two or three years away from pushing for NT spots. Aiden Morris won two MLS cups, MLS All Star is he anywhere near the quality of Musah or McKennie? He’s not even close to Luca or Brendan. If Gio and Malick are playing the 10, now there is just no space. Luna is fighting to maybe be the 4th or 5th winger. Esmir can’t even get on the field for Revs, he’s not beating out Weah and Aaronson. He’s two years behind even pushing Paredes. Who in MLS should have been called that legitimately has a shot at making the NL roster? The Olympics is just a step in the long game.
Dik,
“Everyone and their mother, except for Johnny razor, knows very well that our
national team coach is not the right man for this job. ”
You don’t know anything about my mother.
What is “this job” exactly?
Define your expectations before you start talking about “right man for the job”. What do you expect out of the the manager of the USMNT that you aren’t getting out of this guy?
Win the World Cup? Make Louie VG look like a fool?
Gregg is a limited manager whose limited accomplishments with these guys in beating up on CONCACAF weaklings could probably have been achieved by any of the usual affordable suspects that the USSF periodically finds under rocks for pennies on the dollar.
Do you think anyone could have had these guys beat the Netherlands at Qatar?
And if so, could they then have beaten Argentina at Qatar ?
The accomplishments of the USMNT are limited and modest but so is the talent pool.
Gregg is mediocre, if not worse. But he’s not really the problem.
The players, while promising , at this point, are mostly modestly talented, compared to their competition ( real programs that are serious World Cup contenders) and so is the entire USSF “program” when it comes to the men’s side of things.
Best as I can determine the USMNT has morphed into a promotional tool for MLS, so the bar isn’t that high.
VQ, my expectations don’t mean anything. I’m just a fan, like everyone else here. I do hate excuses. The Americans had Moore and Robinson in the lineup. And I’m reading how youthful the team was, and how good they looked, except for the goal, and bla bla bla. Think about it VQ, how many January camp games have you witnessed over the years. This isn’t your first rodeo, right? US fans expect a mediocre showing in January. Europe’s. In the middle of their season, and MLS is in the off season. We’ve built up a strong level of excuses over the years. I never saw a 0-0 score line against Canada in January as anything to write home about. Now, nil-1 to Slovenia. I’m suppose to feel good about that? Because that’s what I’m hearing fron the fans, and from the coach.
D: what fans are telling you to feel good about it? Were there a couple individuals that showed promise in the immediate future? I said one, Luna. I mean I said Tim Tillman could perform a Kellyn Acosta like 6th CM role. I didn’t consider that a glowing recommendation when I wrote it. I literally told you to feel nothing saying win or lose it means nothing. I guess if you want you can feel less enthusiastic about the Olympics because this was largely about those. Barring multiple injuries only MRob has a realistic chance at NL or Copa America. Do baseball fans throw a giant hissy fit because they don’t win every preseason game? Did the Ravens or Niners 1-2 records in NFL preseason signify a poor season or did they still finish first in their respective conference. Did Washington march to a title after their 3-0 preseason? January is preseason, that’s not an excuse it’s reality.
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Coaches don’t give you the whole truth in a post game interview. What’s Gregg supposed to do trash a bunch of guys in their first camp for not finishing chances? Blast Kamungo for giving the ball away? How does that help? What a manager would do that?
Vacqui,
What is “this job” exactly?
Define your expectations before you start talking about “right man for the job”. What do you expect out of the the manager of the USMNT that you aren’t getting out of this guy?
We are expecting W’s from Berhalter on a regular and consistent basis. He, and his staff, had 11 days with this roster, which is as close to a club team environment that can be had with the USMNT, yet a W was not produced. #NoExcusesForBerhalter
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Do you think anyone could have had these guys beat the Netherlands at Qatar?
And if so, could they then have beaten Argentina at Qatar ?
I’m not sure, but I sure would like to find out. One thing we are sure of, Berhalter could not beat Netherlands, or Argentina, in Qatar. #NoMoreExcusesForBerhalter
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The accomplishments of the USMNT are limited and modest but so is the talent pool.
Gregg is mediocre, if not worse. But he’s not really the problem.
The Federation is the real problem, and while that is at the crux of the issue, Berhalter is part of the problem, and most certainly, not the solution. Since, he is not the solution, he hampering the path to a viable solution. #NoMoreExcusesForBerhalter
V-
you’re overrating his ability to beat up on concacaf. we have superior talent to the whole region right now and yet haven’t looked like it except summer 21 when we swept. we made that NL final on a tiebreak after losing bad at canada. by fall 22-spring 23 we finished 3rd in region behind even old as dirt mexico, tiebreaker on old as dirt CR. this cycle we struggled to a tie at ES in NL group, and bombed out of GC early. we did well at NL but it wasn’t even this coach nor have we returned to that play style and selection eg locked reyna in as 10.
at this point his glorious sweep of 21 is 3 years old. our dominance should be picking up pace as the goldens age into prime years.
IMO if anything this has come back to the pack a little. i think that fact will be hidden from here forward – except for maybe GC next year — as we have no quali to endure this time, nor will quali next cycle be very serious if it’s a 48 team show.
to me the hex is the most honest evaluation of where one sits there is. no luck of the draw. no hosting GC. you play everyone home and away and the results are what they are. and with all this talent GB was 3rd.
Who is the right man for the job?
TM has a list of out of job coaches, eg, potter, ole, low, flick, conte, luis fernandez, dunga, mourinho, blanc. we could see if wenger wanted to coach a couple years.
let’s be blunt, GB has the job because we hired saints’ GM crocker who has a fetish for the pressing playing style and coaches like GB and marsch. and because we wanted to keep the cost cheap and match the women’s salary. not because we went out and hired the world’s best like we have aspirations.
best MLS coach right now would be like nancy or dolo. and never was GB. GB was a one year 2015 flash in the pan who lost to porter in the final but i think some of the board wanted him and not arena in 2016. i think they got their payback next cycle. but by 2019 it was obvious GB wasn’t the moneyball value pick anymore if anyone was paying attention. i want out of USSF politics and let’s just hire someone who is a proven winner.
IV, naming a bunch of people that have no interest in coaching th US is hardly identifying who should be the coach. Within your list are two people that couldn’t get Germany out of group play at the world cup. You want a coach that can’t get a team with vastly superior talent out of group play? You want Dunga to coach the US? Why would he be a good coach for the US? Because he coached Brazil, probably the team with the most talent in the world? Maybe start with people that actually are interested in the job. There is Henry, Vieira, Marsch, and Berhalter. Who else? I haven’t heard of anyone else. Not a highly coveted position. And don’t say the guy that coached Canada because he is worse than Gregg.
Ha ha Arsene Wenger is going to come out of retirement for the US job! He hasn’t put out feelers for any high profile job but sure he wants to manage the USA.
Another loss vs. a (lowly) European opponent (at home) in the Berhalter era.
Get rid of Berhalter awful at evaluating talent. Shaq Moore was awful in the WC why call him up instead of Tayvon Gray or Jalen Neal?! Brian White spent the whole game on the ground 🤦♂️!
Neal is coming off injury. Tayvon Gray is cap tied to Jamaica, he could switch but would have to wait three years.
Pretty typical January game, probably made worse by the less than ideal conditions (Texas grass isn’t made for 40 degrees). Hey Inter Miami started Messi, Saurez, Busquets, and Alba and drew with El Salvador 0-0 last night. Tentative early, the Slovenia goal seemed to actually loosen up the US guys. Finally figured out to get the ball to Luna more in the 2nd half. Slovenia finished their best chance the US created more chances but couldn’t put them on frame for the most part. These guys for the most part aren’t in consideration for NL or Copa America, they’re mostly here for Olympics. Luna showed he could possibly play with the full group. Esmir looked ready to get big minutes for the Revs. Tillman certainly looked serviceable if guys are injured in midfield (Acosta-esque). Morris looked solid, grew into the game and got better as the game went. Hard to get mad at the LB for not finishing but Tolkin had two great chances in 2-3 minutes and missed both.
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Possible NT roster in March: Miles, Luna, TTillman
Olympics: any of the U23s no one ruled themselves out with this performance
See you next Jan: Jones, Zawadzki, White, Moore
No. 19 was good. He is young.
Esmir, only played 20 matches for the Revs over the last two seasons. 6g in 25 MLS Next Pro matches. If released he’ll definitely be at the Olympics. He’s shown well in the U23 camps so far.
Esmir.
Could care less about results in a C-team (as you mentioned actually an Olympic team) friendly though sure they’re nice.
I came away with the distinct notion we’ve got a lot of really good young players. Like you I was impressed with Aidan Morris and I’ve already made clear what I think of Diego Luna, who strikes me as the most Moneyball-type-underrated guy I might have ever seen in soccer.
A whole bunch of these guys have Europe in their futures, IMHO. Kamungo’s a live wire, just athletically a different kind of specimen. Ditto for Caleb Wiley. Really, really liked Bajraktarevic…dude is snaky, has La Liga or more likely Serie A written all over him. Liked Tillman too.
Aside from DeJaun Jones – who I continue to like a lot and who would be one of the first guys I’d target as one of those max-TAM players were I an MLS GM (the dude is making just $375K at the moment, which is insane) – the older guys were a lot more meh.
Of course, speaking of steals, I just looked – Bajraktarevic is making just $85K. Are we kidding?
Bajraktarevic won’t be making $85k much longer. I thought he looked exciting and creative. He was the biggest positive surprise for me. Tillman, Robinson, and Jones or Tolkin will probably be asked back in March. I prefer Jones due to his speed.