I am ambivalent about step ups in comp. Does no good to be on a heavyweight roster and have a hard time seeing the field. Better to be a bigger man on a smaller team in a big league.
OT: We may win the World Cup in 2026
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The players are reportedly happy about it, and, also reportedly, were a factor in the decision to rehire GB.
Why should any fan think they are better qualified to judge the coaching than the players? Neither players nor fans are ideal judges of coaching, but I’d trust the team’s consensus over us fans.
Other similarly experienced coaches are in a better position to judge, especially those who have had access to the internal operation of the team. And they most likely will have been consulted as well. If GB was so bad, he wouldn’t have been rehired.
I totally get arguments that say that there are always better coaches. I agree with that in principle. But I have to hear a valid argument for what GB has done badly to warrant any strong disappointment.
The argument against Berhalter that has repeatedly been raised, is that he "coaches to his system". The concern is that a national team coach doesn't have enough time to install and perfect a system. Better to select talented players whom you believe will mesh well together, and let them play.
How valid that criticism is, I do not know.
they're not really steps up. they're just moving around.
Weah is stepping up from Ligue 1 to Serie A.
Pepi is moving within the same league.
Musah is going from La Liga to Serie A - could be seen as a lateral move.
Adams going from Leeds to Villa would be just staying in the PL.
I would argue the teams are better so to me it's a step up. The competition on your team is just as important.
IMO, that's not a valid criticism. It's the kind of vague commentary I see sports-writers or bloggers or fans say. But all those people lack the visibility into the team's inner workings, and often the experience or education required to be accurate about such things.
I have never heard a coach I respect actually say, privately or in a coach training session or seminar, that they don't have a system and just let the players play. If they ever do say anything like that, it's 100% pure coach-speak said in a press conferences where the coach wants to say something without actually saying anything. Fodder for the public without giving away anything to opponents.
Also, my observations of the USMNT under GB do not support the idea that GB isn't letting the player's play. He's obviously encouraging creativity (which is an example of letting players play), and his comments along with some player comments in interviews have supported that he's doing that. And I think he's doing a good job of putting players in a good position to win, although again, this is always speculative from the outside and even, to a degree, from the inside.
It's ALWAYS possible for people to state a hypothetical in which they claim that player X and player Y, not currently on the team or in the game, would mesh better than the current players. It's a highly subjective statement that is realistically near-impossible to prove either way. And what fan or journalist is better positioned than the coaching staff (or than the experienced and informed folks who run US Soccer) to make such determinations? None, right?
I would never say that GB or any coach is perfect. Would never say we couldn't find a better coach. Would never say he or any coach coached the perfect game. There are always things that can be done better.
I would also never say that we've got just the right players or that the players are always placed in the best possible position to achieve success. It's always going to be possible to speculate about how the team could do better, or be coached better.
But overall, I think GB is doing quite well with this group of players. I can clearly see the team improving over time, it looks very much like the players have buy-in to what he wants from them. I also think GB's coaching of this group is improving over time, as he gets to understand them better, although that's more subtle and speculative.
Right now, the team is missing some quality depth. And more critically, it's missing a couple key components to be able to reliably compete at the very top of the sport. But I also see some newer players being evaluated to hopefully address those key weaknesses.
We're pretty obviously trying hard to find defenders who can more quickly facilitate counter-attacks and more accurately create scoring chances for forwards and mids from midfield. And we're still trying to find that killer striker who can quickly score, from anywhere in or around the box, with very little time or space .
That's much harder to find than to say, so GB also needs to continue to develop the attack so it's more efficient and doesn't require wing defenders overlap continuously. That approach, for which he had little choice, is problematic as it leads the sort of fatigue that hinders strong defending as we saw in the last WC.
I'm very enthusiastic about the state of the USMNT right now. More so than at any point in the past.
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my criticism of GB.
- overreliance on "favorite" players - not in the games that don't really matter, but when back is against the wall, he goes to his old favorites, even if they are in bad form, too old, or whatever it might be. but this happens with a lot of coaches/managers, including Gareth Southgate for England, Jose Mourinho, and other top guys.
- in game adjustments - when things aren't going right in-game, it does not appear as though his changes, whatever they may be, make appreciable difference in the 2nd half or even on the fly changes during the game.
i don't think it's fair to criticize him for the available talent pool. in all honesty, MLS is a good incubator for identifying talent, but it's even more clear now than ever that, for us to compete at a nat'l team level, our top talent needs to make the journey across the pond and further develop their game by competing against the talent they will be competing against in competitions like the WC, and the combined confederation Copa America. If we hold ourselves to the standards of CONCACAF, we won't ever get past a final 16 team at the WC.
I agree about MLS versus overseas clubs.
IMO, almost all coaches everywhere, including me when I was coaching, can sometimes be guilty of getting tunnel vision with respect to certain players. Happens for the same reasons some of the types of biases we develop occur, that is, some of the same cognitive processes are at work and cause blind spots where we fail to recognize how a player has improved. I would have assistants check me on it, but I think it can be a collective thing with an entire staff sometimes.
I actually think GB made some good in-game strategic adjustments, and for sure saw tactical adjustments at times (although tactical adjustments can be made by players on the field too and it's sometimes hard to determine if it was players or coaching or even, sometimes, just the flow of the game, that results in what appears like a tactical adjustment). Like you, I found myself wanting to see more adjustments here and there while watching on TV. But the coaching staff at that level will always understand the team far better than any of us watching. And the staff will be far more aware of what's possible and likely to work versus what isn't. So I think we have to give them the benefit of the doubt here.
Anyone give a crap about the Gold Cup? Last match in group play now vs. T&T on Fox. 1-0 USA about 17 minutes in.
Mild interest. US up 3-0 with Ferreira getting his 2nd straight hat trick with some nifty moves/quick feet. We're just too much for T&T though.
That was a great goal by Cowell, admittedly aided by terrible defense, but once he was in alone, he played it perfectly, eluding the keeper and a defender.
Holy crap, wasn't familiar with Cowell, but just looked him up and saw he's the fastest player in MLS and he just made a great move and hit the post. Dude is fast.
Holy crap, wasn't familiar with Cowell, but just looked him up and saw he's the fastest player in MLS and he just made a great move and hit the post. Dude is fast.
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I am very interested. Why wouldn't I be? It is the championship of our region.
Cade Cowell was the star of the US team in the U-20 World Cup earlier this year.
Didn't realize - don't really follow the U-20 team, but maybe I'll start, lol. Kid has speed and moves - really like his potential down the road. That perfectly weighted pass to Vazquez for the last goal was also a thing of beauty,
I'm trying to figure out when Qatar moved to North America, Central America, or the Caribbean.
Right now they're up 1-0 at halftime vs. Mexico. What exactly are they doing in this tournament ?
Teams from outside regions get invited to tournies. Next year USA will not only play but will host the 2024 Copa America run by CONMEBOL.
I suspect they bought their way in. In 2021, they needed competitive matches to prepare for the 2022 WC which they were hosting. Suddenly it was announced that they would be "invited" to both the 2021 and 2023 Gold Cups, with Qatar Airways a primary sponsor.
And they ended up beating an unimpressive Mexican team 1-0.
Believe the hype. I'm an Earthquakes fan, so I've gotten a chance to see him a lot. Yes, I do pay for the Apple TV MLS package. He's still really young but has been playing professionally for four years. Definitely going to Europe soon.
Here's a sweet goal he scored while only 17. Skip to the :0:50 mark. Edit: Watch the entire clip - his assist in the beginning is sublime.
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He's def not on the edge. He's going to the 1st off the bench for attacking reinforcements at either wing or as a #10
That's as good of a pass as you'll ever see at any level - wow!
The defending team never established a first defender giving way too much time and space to the first attacker (Cowell) to make that entry pass. But for sure it was really good recognition and an even better pass by Cowell.
But I have a hard time getting past the really poor defending in the midfield that permitted it. Violated one of the first principles of defending, to quickly establish a first defender to contain and delay and prevent easy penetration. It's stuff you can start coaching in middle school and fully expect HS players to do reliably.
Even before the shot was taken I'd be talking to an assistant to make a note to write up a short practice session to review it. I mean, for sure the players know it. But running that session would send a not very subtle message 'cause it'd be pretty insulting to the players to be run through a session on such a basic thing at the pro level.
I've always felt MLS intentionally overindexed on offense (and were probably right to do so). But to your point even if the players on d are less talented that doesn't excuse poor fundamentals. Still - I think this guy could be something. Highlights look like Jack Grealish-lite.
On a related note, It has been a pleasure for me to see MLS continuing to grow in popularity. Largest attendance ever for an MLS match is expected tonight. This is just a regular season match (though it has turned into a good rivalry), no double-headers, no Beckham or Messi. Start contrast to the NY/NJ area where the MLS clubs don't get much attention. On for free - AppleTV+.
www.espn.com
Rose Bowl El Tráfico to set MLS attendance mark
The LA Galaxy's Fourth of July matchup against city rivals LAFC at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, is set to break the MLS single-game attendance record after being confirmed as a sellout, with more than 80,000 fans expected.
Dallas was out of position because San Jose's former coach played a strict man-on-man defense. It made for a lot crazy plays and a lot of goals. We would need to the see the build=up, but it was more than likely one or more San Jose defenders was out of position and Dallas got overcommitted/un-balanced. And then when Cowell gets the ball, the defenders are in big trouble - he's too fast to be closed down with that much space.
Did the Dallas coach actually say he was playing team-wide man on man? I ask because I've never heard of such a thing in soccer except when defending corner kicks or free kicks in the defensive third, and even then a zone is normally quickly re-established as quickly as possible after the kick.
In all my coach training and licensing courses and continuing education, all soccer defending revolves around variations on small-group tactics involving the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defenders plus broader team defending tactics and strategies. All of which are different facets of a zone defense.
In some cases, where you have a standout player on the other team and some other conditions are met, I've seen coaches designate one player to mark a specific opposing player all over the field and have the rest of the team effectively defend down a man. I've done that myself, although not often because an experienced coach can defeat it pretty easily. Is that what you meant?
It's probably more common to just have the entire team remain alert to, and prioritize, marking a known dangerous attacking player (e.g. Messi) at all times. But to do so through shared responsibility (the players communicate to ensure someone is takes over marking the dangerous player as he moves about, typically trying to deny/limit that player's possession time).
For sure the rapidity of the transition to defending and Cowell's pace were factors. Totally agree with that. But the defense still failed to establish a first defender and, from memory, there were at least two players in position to do that and prevent, or at least hinder, Cowell from so easily making such a nice long entry pass on the ground.
It's a very fundamental concept and one of the few that can be efficiently coached at pretty young ages. We saw another very fundamental concept adhered to very well by Dallas (in transition to defense, first recover backwards on an angle towards the goal you're defending). But the very next thing is to establish a first defender. And they blew that. If they did it, the pass would need to go over the top which is easier to defend.
I don't know about this MLS coach, but Marcelo Bielsa runs a man marking system. If you don't win the back back quickly high up the pitch, you can easily ship goals in bunches. See: Leeds when they first made it back into the premier league. His last full season at Leeds saw them give up >2 goals per game for the season. It's exciting to watch, but it's hard to win at the top level that way.
The Principles of Leeds United’s Defensive System under Marcelo Bielsa: A Primer
In this article, Jon Mackenzie covers the four basic principles of Marcelo Bielsa’s defensive system as it has appeared at Leeds United…
Other coaches will selectively man mark in the counterpress, just to choke off options for the player with the ball, but it's not necessarily all over the pitch.
Momentarily marking player to player during a press is common. But it's about momentary pressure in the final third, taking away options and usually involves a desire to channel the ball to one side of the field or the other, for one or more of a variety of reasons.I don't know about this MLS coach, but Marcelo Bielsa runs a man marking system. If you don't win the back back quickly high up the pitch, you can easily ship goals in bunches. See: Leeds when they first made it back into the premier league. His last full season at Leeds saw them give up >2 goals per game for the season. It's exciting to watch, but it's hard to win at the top level that way.
The Principles of Leeds United’s Defensive System under Marcelo Bielsa: A Primer
In this article, Jon Mackenzie covers the four basic principles of Marcelo Bielsa’s defensive system as it has appeared at Leeds United…allstatsarentwe.medium.com
Other coaches will selectively man mark in the counterpress, just to choke off options for the player with the ball, but it's not necessarily all over the pitch.
But I've never seen it continued as the ball crosses from the final third into midfield. And never see it done as a 10 v 10 thing. Not saying it doesn't happen, that's impossible for anyone to know. I've just never witnessed it in action.
I gotta run, but I'll read the linked article later. But I'll say now that I'll be very surprised to learn there's a professional coach that ever marks 10 v 10 full time all over the field for 90 minutes. As a coach, I would be overjoyed to see another coach do that to my team. It'd be like Christmas.
I said (or meant to say) that San Jose employed the man-on-man tactics when Matias Almeyda was the coach. Here's a link to a good article from The Athletic that describes his style in some detail. It is definitely a unique approach.
The Earthquakes have adapted to Matías Almeyda’s tactics, and MLS should be on notice
Breaking down how players' comfort with the unique man-marking system has led the Quakes to a hot run of form
theathletic.com
Here's an article about Matias' tactics for his new club, AEK Athens. It is the same style he used in San Jose.
FWIW, he has enjoyed some success, but the project ended up in tears at San Jose. I think this style can kind of stun other clubs for a while, but eventually, it gets figured out and then opposing offenses ended scoring a lot of goals. I also think this style wears down players - a LOT of running is required.
totalfootballanalysis.com
FWIW, he has enjoyed some success, but the project ended up in tears at San Jose. I think this style can kind of stun other clubs for a while, but eventually, it gets figured out and then opposing offenses ended scoring a lot of goals. I also think this style wears down players - a LOT of running is required.
AEK Athens 2022/23: Their Tactics Under Matías Almeyda - Scout Report
Read our tactical analysis scout report of AEK Athens' tactics under Matías Almeyda. This is a tactical analysis scout report of AEK Athens' tactics.
totalfootballanalysis.com
