Reply to USMNT - The Gregg Berhalter Era

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]As far as the players, all this game shows us is the level of US talent playing in the MLS right now.  Other than the goalie, all of the players in this game were competing for a spot on the bench.  The only field player on the roster who conceivably still starts for the full USMNT was Bradley.  I think this is Zardes last camp.  Full credit to him - he's made the most out of what he has, and has had a successful pro career as a result - but he is just never going to be good enough technically for the international level.  
What he offers is speed, which gives you the ability to stretch the back line, but we now have other players with just as much speed and a whole lot more to offer (Tim Weah, for example).

It was a good opportunity to evaluate the coach though.  Regardless of the final score, I liked the way the team played.  It is so nice to see a US team try to keep the ball, and build play from the back.  How many times over the years have we seen a defender pass back to the GK who just boots it as far as he can up the field - regardless of whether he is under any real pressure or not?  By contrast, Steffen was calmly receiving the ball and looking to find a teammate to feet. There was a nice balance between patience and attack.   Their offensive shape was good.  Midfielders were showing for the ball, connecting triangles.

Bradley was defend deep, and counter at speed.  Keep it simple an rely on our traditional strengths.  Good enough to get consistent results against inferior opponents, and pull of the occasional upset (Spain in Confed Cup), but never going to get us to the next level in international competition.

Klinsman was all talk and no actual coaching.  I loved the talk, but the lack of actual coaching showed in the end.  He performed well in the 2014 WC, and deserves credit for that, but overall his tenure was a disappointment.  He promised to change the way we played, and failed to deliver.  Great guy.  Bad coach.

Arena was the embodiment of the US Soccer status quo.  Don't rock the boat.  No need to panic.   No need for radical change or trying anything fancy.   We'll just go back to doing things the way we've always done them and everything will be just fine.  American's are good at coaching (just look at Belichick), and we just need to do things the American way.  Pep who?  "I would love to see one of these hotshot teams from Europe come here and play in our CONCACAF qualifying, to really get a taste of this and see what that’s about."   That was Bruce.  Good by Bruce.

Berhalter seems more or a modern manager, a student of the game.  Very immersed in the tactical details.  I like what I've seen so far.  Will be interesting to see what he does with the full group this summer.  [/quote]

If Berhalter is dumb enough to use Bradley in a game against a better opponent he's going to get cut to ribbons. [b]All he does is stand around in the center of the field and pass the ball[/b]. Against a better opponent, he won't even get a chance to touch it. [/quote]

Same could be said about Busquets and Jorginho.

Bradley was crap against T&T, and he is nowhere near the player he was at Chievo and Roma, before his return to MLS.  However, with a defined role - sitting deep as the #6 - Bradley still has value for this team.  For an American midfielder, he has always been very good technically (a product of his Dutch football education more than anything).    Problems came when he was asked to do things he wasn't good at - like play as a #10.  As a younger player he was good as a #8, box-to-box midfielder who would mostly hang back, break up play and distribute, but could pick his moments to join the attack and score some goals once in a while.  But he doesn't really have the legs for that any more.  His main attribute is to do just as you say - sit in the middle and help move the ball around.  For the most part he is consistent and clean in possession.  Even if all he does is pass, at least he completes most of them.  Is he even in the same universe as Busquets and Jorginho?  Of course not.  Is he better than Trap?  Right now probably yes.

Here's how I would line them up if I had the full team.

Sargent
                    Pulisic - Adams - Weah 
                  McKennie  - Bradley/Trap
Robinson - Brooks/Reem - Cameron/Gonzalez/Orozco - Yedlin
                                   Steffen

At CB, you've also got Carter-Vickers & Palmer-Brown in the mix.  I don't rate Miazga.

If there's another AM you could put in the #10 role, you could slot Adams next to McKennie and that would push Bradley or Trap out of the lineup.  I just don't see anyone out there who's good enough right now.  There are plenty of prospects, but no one has really broken through yet.  The other option would be to slide Pulisic to the #10 and use someone else at LW.

[/quote]

[i]The fact that [b]Bradley[/b]/Trapp are our only two options for the 6 says more about the crappy US development system than I could ever say.[/i]

If I were Berhalter, I wouldn't use either of them. I'd just put my best XI on the field and try someone else. One of the reasons why Nick Lima was MOTM last night is because he was doing the kind of things Bradley should have been doing, fighting to get/hold the ball and move it forward under pressure -- especially with his assist on the third goal. Maybe try him out and see what happens.

The one thing I liked about Klinsmann was he wasn't afraid to move players around -- and the players did themselves a disservice by complaining about it. Pulisic started out playing deeper for Dortmund and did OK in that role -- maybe we can see how Chelsea uses him.

Busquets, I'll admit, is getting a bit old, but it's not fair to compare Jorginho to Bradley. Jorginho may not fit at Chelsea, but he was great as a regista at Napoli. Bradley doesn't even come close. His lackadaisical style of play is not what we need right now, especially with all the hype about Berhalter being an "attacking" coach. We need a baller as a 6, someone like Casemiro or Allan, to go up against the more physical play of the really good teams in Europe and South America -- or even Mexico. You put Bradley in there and the myth of the "deep-lying playmaker" is going to vaporize in the first 5 minutes.

[/quote]

It definitely says a lot about the politics of our US soccer system.  daddy.[/quote]

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