Hey if you want the USMNT coach to look like he coaches a travel team of 6th graders, that's your prerogative. I personally prefer coaches to look the part.
USA soccer
- Thread starter gobigbluebell
- Start date
4-2-3-1 in both nations league games. Don’t have time to explain it to you it can look like a 4-3-3 on the attack but it’s not. It’s a defensive formation and is why we gave up zero goals in two games.
Yes he’s been retained. It seemed to be on the DL. He didn’t coach nations league and he may not coach in gold cup.
The way I see berhalter returning is a mixed bag based on his coaching experience in the World Cup. The other candidates weren’t world beaters and maybe berhalter is maleable let’s hope so.
It’s pretty disappointing though to see the impact on the game Reyna has. He is definitely immature but berhalter not playing him in WC was some ego driven garbage and us soccer has no room for it. Then there are others who were snubbed notably Pepi.
The problem with berhalter though is his tactical philosophy based on his roster. He is too concerned with how other teams do it instead of building and playing a formation to USMNT strengths. I’m afraid with berhalter we will see more hell or high water 4-3-3. US soccer isn’t ready for that. Not many are tbh. Sure we can glide through concacaf but the top 10-15 in the world 4-3-3- isn’t going to work. 4-2-3-1 is much better because it develops the mindset of defending and winning midfield first, then getting numbers forward while compressing the game with the back line. 4-3-3 in berhalters system is to get it to the front runners and go. We defended very well no goals to mexico and Canada who has owned us lately. All without Adams and mckennie and dest yesterday. Someone needs to teach berhalter to run a full time 4-2-3-1, settle in and feel out the opponent, ensure organization from the back line to the front runner with no gaps. Can you imagine if we had played the Dutch like that? This is how US soccer makes a run in 26. We have a team. Guys have already matured we have a complete team with balogun joining. I’d put us about 8-9 in fifa rankings now but berhalter really needs to fix somethings and yeah showing up to his reintroduction presser wearing a button down shirt is a good start because success begins with him and no player wants to look to their coach wearing a tee shirt. I know people don’t buy it but that lackadaisical attitude is why Reyna specifically challenged berhalter. You have to command respect as a coach. Wear a button down and some slacks. Wear your tee shirt for closer scrimmage. Not only are our players watching the world is watching too.
I never agree with @Wildcats1st but he is correct here. We found our formation and getting Balogun is key here, caie now we have the proper striker to play the 4-2-3-1, that's what we ran against Mexico and Canada and you can't argue the results
I'm pissed they brought Berhalter back. We looked much better lately without him. And him not playing Reyna was a crime. He doesn't deserve to brought back and it's disappointing they chose to do so. I hope he doesn't hinder the progress we've made with him gone
I'm pissed they brought Berhalter back. We looked much better lately without him. And him not playing Reyna was a crime. He doesn't deserve to brought back and it's disappointing they chose to do so. I hope he doesn't hinder the progress we've made with him gone
You don't need to explain it to me.
But we definitely did not play with two 6s in a 4-2-3-1 to start either game. Musah was our lone holding CDM. And it was probably more of a holding 2 when LdlT came on to replace Reyna in the Canada game. But it was a holding 4-3-3 with an inverted MF.
I think that's our best formation with Tyler Adams and either Musah or McKinnie playing deep with Reyna centrally as a 10.
“But it was a holding 4-3-3 with an inverted MF.”
How about you diagram it. You’ll see it’s a 4-2-3-1.
I don’t recall Aaronson and musah making to many runs to join the attack. They both held hence 4 backs 2 HOLDING mids, Reyna attack mid, pulisic and weah didn’t play very high either unless we got the ball in the final 1/3
How about you diagram it. You’ll see it’s a 4-2-3-1.
I don’t recall Aaronson and musah making to many runs to join the attack. They both held hence 4 backs 2 HOLDING mids, Reyna attack mid, pulisic and weah didn’t play very high either unless we got the ball in the final 1/3
Going forward, the training staff needs to tape Miles Robinson's arms to his torso. Also would be nice see Vazquez and Ferreira on the field together for longer amounts of time. No reason they both can't start. Not sure if the current roster is capable of winning this thing, though.
I like me some Vasquez but I think Ferreira might be a small game player. Scores 3 goals against St. Kitts and Trinidad but not sure he touched the ball yesterday. Usually doesn't touch it against Mexico either.
I could be wrong, but he doesn't show me much.
Semi-final vs Panama on FS1 now.
Vazquez and Ferreira both starting
Cade Cowell making his statement. He's been awesome
Vazquez and Ferreira both starting
Cade Cowell making his statement. He's been awesome
Ferreira can only score when the country has AND in it's name
Gregg Berhalter's "Ace in the Hole" everybody, Christian Roldan!
Can't wait for 30% of these clownshow players to be on the 2026 roster because "MLS QUOTA"
What a joke.
Can't wait for 30% of these clownshow players to be on the 2026 roster because "MLS QUOTA"
What a joke.
Ferriera and Roldan, 2 of the biggest benefits of USMNT Nepotism both choke. MLS QUOTA!!!!
Nah, we couldn't use Ricardo Pepi on the WC Roster, gotta get Jesus Ferreira in there!
Gio Reyna's attitude rubbed me the wrong way, time to get our "Ace in the Hole" Cristian Roldan in there!
Gio Reyna's attitude rubbed me the wrong way, time to get our "Ace in the Hole" Cristian Roldan in there!
4 more years of USMNT Nepotism. Way to think outside the box. BUT WE HIRED A SEARCH COMMITTEE!!
Non-MLS Player Pool:
Balogun
Pepi
Sargeant
Pulisic
Weah
Reyna
Aaronson
McKennie
Musah
Adams
De La Torre
Sands
Tillman
Dest
Antonee Robinson
Ream
Richards
Cannon
Scally
McKenzie
Carter-Vickers
Turner
Steffen
Horvath
There's 24 and then there's fringe guys that could get a look
De La Fuente
Hoppe
Dike
Pefok
Wright
Busio
Paredes
Balogun
Pepi
Sargeant
Pulisic
Weah
Reyna
Aaronson
McKennie
Musah
Adams
De La Torre
Sands
Tillman
Dest
Antonee Robinson
Ream
Richards
Cannon
Scally
McKenzie
Carter-Vickers
Turner
Steffen
Horvath
There's 24 and then there's fringe guys that could get a look
De La Fuente
Hoppe
Dike
Pefok
Wright
Busio
Paredes
Little game player Ferreira does nothing most of the game and then chokes the penalty kick.
Scored a nice goal to tie it, but mostly non existent again in a big game.
If he is an important piece of the puzzle, we are doomed.
Scored a nice goal to tie it, but mostly non existent again in a big game.
If he is an important piece of the puzzle, we are doomed.
He’s right. The whole berhalter fiasco should have immediately disqualified him. And it was all related to nepotism.
1. Sort of disagree with the 4-2-3-1 argument because when it's all said and done that carves into one of the real stalwarts of the World Cup until the Dutch sat us down and that's Adams' range as a 6 in a 4-3-3. In Group I thought he was fantastic, but the extended effort of the Wales game as well as Iran doomed his legs to be jelly against the Dutch and it showed early. People can talk about luck or pressure or the English choking until the cows come home, but the fact remains England's entire midfield was subbed off because it was getting whipped like a rented mule against the US. Whether Adams will have those legs as a 27 year old in what certainly will be a hot summer day wherever we play is an open question.
...by the World Cup maybe some things change, but having dual holding mids with some combination of Adams with a McKennie or Musah sitting deep seems to ill suit their skill sets.
2. If I were a betting man I would say it is as likely as not that Berhalter won't be coaching World Cup 2026 as the US coach. He will Copa America, but something about this rehiring gives me the sense he isn't the anchor leg for this remaining three years of cycle; I think he's to get us through next summer. That isn't an informed opinion. I just get the sense that there will be some higher quality international coaches who aren't necessarily available three and a half years from the World Cup.
...by the World Cup maybe some things change, but having dual holding mids with some combination of Adams with a McKennie or Musah sitting deep seems to ill suit their skill sets.
2. If I were a betting man I would say it is as likely as not that Berhalter won't be coaching World Cup 2026 as the US coach. He will Copa America, but something about this rehiring gives me the sense he isn't the anchor leg for this remaining three years of cycle; I think he's to get us through next summer. That isn't an informed opinion. I just get the sense that there will be some higher quality international coaches who aren't necessarily available three and a half years from the World Cup.
Yeah you’re right it doesn’t play to musahs skill set, so play someone else at the holding spot with adams. I don’t know if you noticed this but we have a team of midfielders. USA soccer has mf for days. If you force a 4-3-3 with this team it sends a signal that we are to get forward and put a ton of pressure up top. We can do that in concacaf, against top tier teams though? No! Emphatically. We cannot run with the fifa top ten. The formation you play sends the message to your team of how you want to play the game. Against the Dutch when we ran with them they killed us on the counter. Adams wasn’t getting killed because of fitness it was because he was covering for Robinson who was getting getting caught high and adams had to rotate with zero support in behind. The result were massive gaps the Dutch exploited over and over. Or had we played a heavy 4-2-3-1 we would have generated the counter opportunities and kill the Dutch in the mf. This really isn’t brain surgery and the fact we ran the 4-3-3 and got smashed well hell why advocate for it again? I mean if adams fitness is an issue as we advance then first round of knock out stage is our ceiling.
Second on berhalter. I don’t like it but he is the coach for 26. There’s no secret for this cycle within USA soccer. Unless he massively loses there’s no justification to remove him now. They had their chance. The players really like berhalter it seems and to change coaches during qualifying before the USA WC well that’s not going to happen. It is what we see it is. And you know what? The players love him because they like to run and gun. These guys don’t know how to win. They think scoring alot equates to winning, soccer is chess not padding offensive stats. It’s winning the 50-50s, staying tight and organized, and most importantly from my u12 days keeping your shape (which we are awful at at times) tactically. Berhalter will play that formation and we can look good but it’s not winning soccer to advance in the WC. To take the jump we have to learn to play as a single unit with no real drop off at any spot.
When is soccer ever going to arrive big-time here?
nymag.com
America Has Never Seen a Spectacle Like Messi
If he stays in Miami long enough, he could supercharge a sport that’s already having its moment.
nymag.com
I'm an Inter Miami season ticket holder. These last two games with Messi and Busquets have been a ton of fun. The free kick goal last Friday was one of the cooler things I have ever seen in person.
And what do Americans want out of their sports if not a great story punctuated by acts of superhuman athleticism? The entertainment we now have on our shores — the glamour and the celebrity and the show — may feel a bit valedictory, a bit too into itself. (As his second game started, DJ Khaled made sure Messi walked out onto the pitch with the producer’s young son at his side, while P. Diddy, Camila Cabello, and Rauw Alejandro watched.) But there’s no doubting all the eyeballs. There, as Messi lined up that final kick on Friday in front of a crowd two-thirds dressed in the team’s pink and one-third in Argentina’s signature sky blue and white, was LeBron James, not far from Kim Kardashian, gaping and filming on his iPhone. As the ball nestled into the upper corner of the net, there was Serena Williams, looking nothing short of astonished. And as the final whistle blew, there was Beckham himself, trying hard not to tear up as Messi beamed.
Wish they didn’t worry so much about politics and worried more about their lackluster play
Usually live and die with the world cup mens/womens teams, but find myself thinking the next loss will be the end of the Rapinoe era, and I find myself kinda good with that.
Is it really asking too much to have American players that actually love America representing us?
It blows my mind why so many high level women athletes go out of their way to be unlikeable and obnoxious. They could have a near 100% approval rating if they would just play and look like they enjoy being American.
Rapinoe looks like Andy Dick in a green wig.
I always thought it started with Hope Solo actually and not politically, but in an unlikability sense. With her looks, she could have been the face of US soccer for a long time and she would probably be a billionaire right now. Would have been a darling in the world of advertising.
Instead, with all the crap she got in, who even knows what she is doing nowadays.
I will always put her on the list of one of the dumbest athletes of all time. Was 35 when she played her last game. Had many more years in the tank.
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