The timing more-or-less dictated Arena's approach. He openly said that he was using Klinsmann's player pool and would look at new players after we qualified. Although he benched some players and promoted some players into the starting lineup, this was all within the pool of players who had been called up for qualifiers under Klinsmann.
As that Ringer article describes.........................................there were a TON of problems in the locker room with that era of the USMNT. There's plenty of blame to around, beyond even Klinsmann and Arena. And actually, Arena's overall record in his second tenure was pretty darn good. People don't remember this, but right after he was appointed, we cruised. We went unbeaten in 14 straight games. Demolished teams in WCQing. Panama 6-0 in his 3rd game back. Ran thru the Gold Cup and won. So people are like "why didn't he replace players X, Y, and Z!!!" Well, because they were doing fine. In Arena's second tenure he only lost 2 out of 18 games. No, really. Its just that it was all erased from history and memory after the T&T loss. They were in position to completely dig themselves out of the hole of the Klinsmann tenure, and then they choked at the last hurdle. And that's just the way it goes. Everything is second guessed. Its like how Steve Sampson's tenure was actually quite good until the World Cup. All of it just erased from memory. All people remember is the disaster of WC98. That'll probably happen with Berhalter, who has won 70% of his games as USMNT coach. The highest winning percentage in history. But if we crash out of this Copa America, and Berhalter gets fired, that's what people will remember. [We'll appoint some Euro coach, the board will be satisfied, and he won't have a 70% winning percentage. See Klinsmann.] People say "Oh, the USMNT struggles to score goals under Berhalter. I remember the good 'ole days when we used to be able to score!!!" Well, the USMNT averages more goals per game under Berhalter than Arena, Klinsmann, Bradley, Sampson or Bora. I don't know what good 'ole days you're talking about.
Salazar has always disliked Berhalter. This is nothing new from him. He's the soccer media equivalent of @bsky22 or @xbhaskarx.
@bsky22 will never answer that question. I've asked him before and he's skirted it. But he loves telling the rest of us how ignorant we are about the sport and everything peripheral to it.
and consider the '15 GC, and then the mulligan rematch which Mexico which we also lost...Things were not hunky dory in '15 either, people remember the Germany and Netherlands friendlies, and forget the flaming wreckage that was the rest of that year.
They'll also ignore other infamous friendly results throughout his tenure like getting roasted 4-1 by Ireland's B-team or the infamous "Bedoya at the 6 vs. Brazil" incident.
They? You can't be talking about me. Didn't I just agree that Klinsmann wasn't a good coach? Why do you guys constantly argue against imaginary people? Since I don't understand this statement and it isnt directed at me, I will just ask questions. If friendlies don't matter, why the rage toward Klinsmann for experimenting and not getting results? Why do you ignore all the positive things Klinsmann did? It has been amusing to me that people who lost their shit because was played at the 6 in a friendly have told me my criticism of Berhalter is over the top and toxic. Somebody questioned my credibility for things I didn't say, but why don't I see the credibility be questioned of folks who go about friendly losses, but this is how they describe failed qualifcation.
Confirmation that if the US happen to lose to Uruguay and fail to qualify for the knockout stage of Copa America Gregg Berhalter will continue to be the coach “Zero chance”of the Federation making a change at this time People need to just accept the fact that he’s our coach— Eric Wynalda (@EricWynalda) June 29, 2024
I apologize for not remembering that incident from a few years ago so I can respond generally. As I have told that weirdo @tomásbernal , my playing career is nothing special and don't recall ever suggesting otherwise. Why does everybody around here keep telling me I do things BECAUSE I disagree with them? I am pretty sure you said something to reveal you didn't know something very basic. I've been a bunch of conversation on here where it is obvious the person hadn't kicked/trapped a ball that many times and clearly never competed in a sport. If you remind me what silly things you were saying that caused me to respond that way, I will explain why.
Where do you get these ideas? Are they yours or does somebody at the federation feed them to you? There is so much good stuff that I will need narrow the focus to respond. Maybe just keep to Arena. Arena's second cycle was pretty good. The issue is that it was basically 4 years of beating up on Concacaf. It resulted in a ridiculously high FIFA ranking and a tons of overconfidence by everyone. Arena figured how to beat concacaf teams hard working, athletic limited soccer players and that is how he built his team. I dont recall beating bigger teams, bombed out of the confed cup, and had some very stale performances, like needing PKs to beat Trinidad in 2005 GC final. So maybe the good times you are experiencing are because you didn't learn the lesson in 2006 that beating up concacaf doesn't mean shit on the global stage. The depiction of 16/17 is comical. The huge hole Klinsmann put us in was not getting the three points we come expected to against Mexico in Columbus. For all the angst about the Costa Rica game, it didn't have an impact on qualifying from a historical perspective. So the hole Klinsmann put us in was all of three points. Excluding Mexico home and CR away, the USMNT got 19, 17, and 19 points from the other 8 games the previous three attempts. Arena had tons of cushion, yet was able to only secure 12 points in 8 games with two of the toughest already behind us. That is 5 points less than our worst recent results. It is 1.5 points a game which is 0.5 pts/game of Arenas own stupid recipe of winning at home and tying on the road. Of course you would try to just make it about just one game when the team was absolutely impotent in three of their last four games. The performances against CR, Honduras, and T&T were some of the most listless ones I have ever seen. There was no urgency or intensity in thise 270 mins. They did get lucky at Honduras when their coach tried to pack it in at the end of the game. I still don't know how the views on here are universal that Klinsmann's losses are the main cause of qualfication failure and Arena's range from almost pulled it off to how can you blame him. How are Klinsmann's losses at home to Mexico and away to CR worse than losing at home to Costa Rica and away to a Trinidad B team?
I said this before tournament and after the panama match anyone who thinks he is even on the hot seat is crazy the players like him and he would never criticize the federation the way jurgen did...he is the perfect hire for both parties.
This is exciting. I'm not sure i have ever agreed with. The Federation and Berhakter is a match made in heaven. This would be really cool to watch play out.
I thought your other post was nonsense and see no point providing fact after fact to only be ignored. I'm glad you kind of see the hypocritical nature of this opinion, but I dont think you fully get how repulsive it is. I think everybody gets the hypocritical part that after benefiting from who we are as a country, you want to apply that against people in a niche sport. You really only want to do that because you are aligned with MLS and LD. That already sounds pretty bad. The part I'm not sure you get is that as an outsider you are suggesting an approach that changes what existing culture that was already here. You are trying to force MLS culture on the USMNT when the culture that existed already was appreciated by lots of fans and quite successful. Seriously, who the ******** do you think you are? As I said, this view is absolutely repulsive. "I have no idea why somebody wouldn't support their local 1st division league." The people who run it are despicable and those that support it are worse.
I just realized you are actually supporting his approach. I just looked at the roster for that last window.. Can you explain which qualifiers klinsmann used Feilhaber, McCarty, and Villfana?
I remember there were people who thought the same thing regarding Bob Bradley in 2011. Then they actually fired him.
We have moved on from revenues to corporate structure. How is it better now? I'm not talking about in a theoretical way, but what decisions have been made about soccer that are actually better than what used to happen? Even if you didn't like Klinsmann, he still made much more since in 2011 and 2014 than Berhalter did in 2018 and 2023. It appears that the criteria for the men's coach is very different than the women. Why would that be? Are you not worried that there is now a corporate structure in place that nobody is truly accountable (or one is scapegoated) or that too many people have to be involved in decisions/everyone covering their asses leads to suboptimal decision making... both in decision and time to make them?
Sepertating the business side from the soccer side is a step in the right direction. Having actual soccer people making soccer decisions is a step in the right direction. Is it ideal? Again, NO. Is it better than it was prior to 2018? Yes. Klinsmann made sense as a Technical Director, not as a Head Coach AND Technical Director. When Gulati expanded Jurgen's role, it stretched him far too thin. Also, AGAIN, Gregg should NOT have been brought back.
That is the theoretical side, but I'd argue that JK was brought in for more sporting reason than Berhalter. It is great to say we have a soccer person making decisions, but it breaks down when a coach is selected for unknown reasons that aren't soccer related. Does it really matter if it is a corrupt organization that is just going to do what it wants to do?
yes I do not believe greg is on the hot seat at all as long as they keep monday with like 5/6 goals he is fine he is closer to getting another cycle then getting fired
Its not twitter, but they are all the same to me. Lots of twists and turns in this one. I hope one individual in video does trigger anyone.
This doesn't really mean much to me. USA is going into a must win game and the response to the question was 'zero chance at this time', which is not a lie, especially because the results of the Uruguay game are not yet known. What are they supposed to say? 'HELL YEAH WE'RE GOING TO FIRE THE SH*T OUT OF THAT GUY!' That wouldn't really inspire a whole lot of confidence going into the Uruguay game.
^^^^^ It’s like the people who went apeshit about “building blocks.” Um, have any of yall followed sports more than a month? If not, go watch Bull Durham to get the basics of sports interviews.