Berhalter is the right coach on the wrong team

Wrong. You can only have certain number of players in a roster. Yes, couple of the players not in roster might be deserving to be in the roster. But, who you want to kick out? Nobody you mentioned has performed consistently well.

Excellent assessment. You always do such a great job on your videos. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your insight.

He's the right coach. A recent interview with Earnie Stewart indicated the hierarchy wanted to use this cycle to get the young players experience and create a certain culture of playing. Next cycle, things will get more serious. In this sense, Berhalter is best viewed as something of a youth-plus coach.

I don't think GB is perfect, but I also don't think the players are playing up to the standards they set on themselves. Even the build from the back highlight you showed where we struggled but never went away from it… Why is McKennie playing a no look pass across his body into a team we know is high pressing? Sure, coach shouldn't have them recycle through, but the player should always turn and look that where they are playing the ball is safe and the pass is going to get there. We can't really blame GB when our guys make bad plays.

Yes, Pulisic likes to run at players. At Chelsea he generally can beat the first man. He gets hurt because he takes too much contact. His passes are like a last second stab at the ball when he runs out of space. In the EPL, he has a little more space and it works out, and players are less likely to give him that contact because they don't want to give up the freekick. With the USMNT when he tries to beat a man, he can't. Either he cant beat the first man (Canada, Costa Rica), or hes got 3-4 surrounding him (El Salvador, Honduras). When he is in tight spacing, those last ditch stab passes don't work, because the concacaf teams cut off the lanes and are quick. Concacaf teams would rather make it a wrestling match and give up a free kick to dish out the punishment, especially once they realized our set piece delivery was trash. Pulisic not being able to beat a man and not playing quick is his style, it's not a GB system issue.

I do think the system has serious flaws, but because of the flaws in the system, and the players, I can understand some issues.
1) we build up slow through the back and midfield… There's no need for a Pefok, Altidore, Mcbride type target forward to play off. We saw it vs Saudi Arabia… Pepi had what, 12 touches in the first half. Essentially a target 9 is wasted on this team.

2) our set piece and crossing delivery is and has been garbage for about 2-3 years. Zimmerman, Brooks, Mckennie… these guys could dominate the box on set pieces, but Pulisic, Dest, Acosta, Renya… can't beat the first man on a set piece delivery. On crossing, the only guy I can think of who puts in a good cross is weah. The tendency of so many of our players is to cut inside, taking away the wide service. So our only hope of a decent cross is Weah and maybe robinson. Again, what good is a target, box centric 9 if we won't get any service into the box?

3)We lack leadership. There is not a single player who will take a game over or put the team on their back. Think of Donovan and Dempsie. If we need a goal, who is going to go get the ball and pull the team? It's not Pulisic (look at the Saudi game, especially second half), it's not Mckennie. Could renya do it if healthy (will we ever know?).

4) Our players all have the same tendencies, short passes, dribble to beat a man, cut inside. How can Pulisic, the 9, dest, mckennie, musah, aaronson, renya and whoever else all operate through the middle, drawing in their defenders and mids as well?

5) Who is the goal scoring threat/ Who is going to actually shoot? Shots from 18-25 yards has always been an issue with the USMNT system for whatever reason. Why won't we pull the trigger and get teams to extend out of their own 18? Why do we think we have to dribble the ball into the net for it to count?

Now the issues with the system
1) it's slow, building out of the back and midfield. Whether the opponent plays a high press (Japan) or a low press (Saudi, concacaf) they can get everything set up while we are slowly switching the field. The players can go faster, but the system has to go faster also.

2) there's little direct or in behind. Again, too slow, but we seldom see a ball in behind, a long diagonal switch. Vs a low block you want to go fast like we used to, bat out of hell at 100 mph and create chaos. Vs a high press, runs in behind and long balls over the top to at least stretch their defense and create gaps. Force them to drop their press. We have plenty of speed, and these young legs shouldn't be tired of running.

3)If the only way we can create is with our own high press (jesus pushing high, wing or mid steps in, ball intercepted, quick pass quick shot by jesus, happened at least once vs Saudi and was the only two shot we had on goal that way if I remember correctly), we need a player who is more of a false 9, but also exposes ourselves and highlights our weakness. We don't have a true goal scoring threat who can both press and finish. Jesus can work hard, in front of goal hes not deadly. Pefok might be deadly in front of goal, but can he press? If Pefok doesn't press and others do, suddenly everything collapses and the defense is exposed. So with the system, do you create with the press, or sit back and have 0 shots?

4) Because our players and the system don't stretch the field, let more players go into the center of the pitch, and relies on short passes and slow movement, teams can clog the passing lanes and make things even harder. The players and the system back themselves into a corner where recycling is the only option. There is little movement off the ball, no runs in behind, terrible passing in tight windows, and a reliance on man beating with no real goal scoring threat, or creative threat. This is a system issue, but also a player issue.

Lets say we had a different coach, with the players we have, would we play a different formation or lineup? We have a ton of really talented depth at the wing position. A really solid midfield, wing backs that are better offensively than defensively (at least Dest, Robinson is solid in defense, yedlin in defense still has issues, and behind them its a bit of a crap shoot). CB's are ok but maybe not perfect, there depth in mediocrity (yes I like Ream, but hese not world class either). So a 4-3-3 is our best formation, maybe you say Pefok is the best 9 option, but none of our guys have a strength to give service, so what is the 9 role? Pulisic wants to start on the wing and come inside, but Musah, Mckennie, Aaronson, Renya, Pefod want to operate inside also. So where is Pulisic going to have space? Then you want Robinson as one of our only crossing threats high and wide to play in a ball… so no space. But it's the same on the other side. These guys don't seem to like to make the diagonal runs, runs in behind, or switch sides (Donovan and Dempsie would constantly end up on different sides of the field with diagonal criss-crossing runs). So you can't play a real false 9 with say Pulisic, Weah, Aaronson causing issues because they all want to stay in a straight line and play through the middle.

The GB system is at least trying to create some space for players. It's wrong for the team, but the team is also more focused on individual success than team success. Yes, it's probably too complex for a National Team set up, but the team also has to sacrifice and play in a way to make the whole look better. No matter the lineup, system, if Pulisic is going to dribble into trouble and turn the ball over because he doesn't trust his teammates, the system fails. If Mckennie is going to pass to the other team in our defensive third, the system is going to fail, if we can't play a decent ball, the system fails. We have guys supposedly more talented and at the best clubs in the world. I have heard people say the GB system is too simple. So if that's the case, why can't these guys pick it up? Others say the system is too complex, Ill give you the time together issue for a complex system, but your're telling me our golden generation can't figure out a system deployed in MLS? GB has to change, but these players have to stop reading their own press and play together. Spain (who we are not) saw this issues for years, focus on individual, playing out of the system and more for themselves. Finally they bought into playing together and rattled off what, a Euro win, World Cup win, Euro final in the span of about 4-6 years? It's on player and coach, so we hold GB accountable, but does it get any better with the individual issues we have? I don't think so.

GGG would be a great club manager in the maybe to Swedish or Romanian league. He isn’t a international manager.

You had me up until you mentioned Vasquez. C'mon man!

A good coach especially for a national team builds a system around the players. Berhalter expects the players to adapt his system which is just insane and a good way to have players not respect you

I agree all we have is 'hope' 🙂 the signs aren't good.

Greg will be exposed this World Cup in front of the world and he will disappear.

I think he's in tight with his players and ALL know THE TEAM comes 1st. There are TALENTED players but not at the highest level, maybe a step below, so why should allowances be made for ANYTHING LESS than A-Rated players? To WIN they have to HELP EACH other…why? At the WORLD CUP that is THE ONLY WAY….one on one?….GOOD LUCK against TOP SOUTH AMERICAN and European sides…so since individual play will always cause MORE problems unless you have a Garrincha (premium ball control) or a Pele (versatile and a great imagination and incredible skill) or a Maradona (can destroy a defense by himself), all better play defense 1st and strive for opportunistic Offense (YES…jump the FINISHING of STRONG CHANCES to 50% from 25% if u can…easier said than DONE of course) ! So stop SLAGGING Berhalter when you can BE SURE he's doing his BEST to get them to MESH! There is still TIME to get the "gears to MESH"…so by late November at the WC, the USA TEAM just might make it out of the group to the elimination rounds! Getting more shots ON GOAL can lead to an unexpected goal from a 6-yard box scramble, so the forwards need to practice 1-timer volleys and half-volleys that ARE ON GOAL and not ballooned into the CROWD. Even if it means taking a bit off the shot. In close (inside 18 yard box and especially inside 6-yard box) Quick and accurate is better than EXTRA POWER. Being AWARE of when u can make an extra move is HUGE too. Say a midfielder running in fast is not likely to be marked and OPEN for a quick shot at the open side of the net. Get a nice quick goal like that early on and try for more!

I mean you aren’t wrong. But the main point I would point out is even GGG as a club coach his system is wrong period. He’s never been successful at the club level and to think he would come in and implement a club system to national team shows the ineptness of ussf and their hiring body. We don’t just need a manager change we need a full federation change. Uswnt is showing signs of the ineptness of the federation as well and we need to stop that immediately. No way our women should be loosing to a Spanish team in turmoil and no way our man’s team should be barely finishing 3rd in qualification. We need a change from the top down. Or we are in a bad place as a federation moving forward.

At best, he is a medium table MLS coach. Only got the USMNT job b’ of family connections

I feel if he cannot support the United States and not wear some stupid Nike political sign he should be fired immediately…..he is a disgrace to the country and should just go coach some communist country. . to he with him

He should move to china