Bruce Arena Era 2: Electric Boogaloo. USMNT Super Thread

[TheBigIguana]

Bradley probably would be the best US player right now if he stayed at Genoa. However, I can't really fault Bradley and also Altidore for coming back. Bradley was making 1M year at Roma, TFC is paying him 5M/year. Same for Altidore who was I think making less than Bradley was at Roma and got a 5M/year payday.

I don't blame them either but it really should be viewed as choosing money over the national team. Unfortunately unless US Soccer gives total control to someone who sees the issues with MLS we won't stop picking players from the league and middling US players will continue to come home for the massive paydays. It will be hard to improve the national side like that.

 

[USABlue]

turned down Lopetegui apparently....not excited about berhalter at all

 

[AmericasToffee]

turned down Lopetegui apparently....not excited about berhalter at all

Unbelievable. Wouldn't even entertain him. I don't blame any dual citizen American that wants to go play for someone besides these morons.

 

[TheBigIguana]

This coaching search looks like a disaster. I assume that they decided on Berhalter long ago and just wanted to let him finish the season which is ridiculous as an MLS job is nowhere near the level of the US job and that person should take it immediately. It really reeks of an unfair and poorly run process. I hope he succeeds but in my opinion the pressure on Berhalter to make immediate progress is immense and I'm not sure he is going to be the chosen one like the federation appears to think he is.

 

[Rook]

turned down Lopetegui apparently....not excited about berhalter at all

Don't really know much about Lopetegui. However we've never played anything resembling what Spain does. There would have to be a committment by MLS (which they could do, given the state of MLS defenses and money allocated to attacking players but it would take time) and all the way down to the youth level (not easy given that youth football is more geared to winning local tourneys) to play that style and it would take more than a decade to make the transformation.

The Berhalter appt, I mean its meh. His Columbus teams are effective and are successful w/ MLS talent that relative to the rest of the league are about average at best. However they play some gastly footie centered around packing it in tight and relying on Steffen (who IMO is probably our best keeper but hasn't showed it in the national team). This appointment screams, hey we let our fall guy try out the kids for you and they sure aren't a golden generation, so we are really are just going to have to grind out some victories to qualify this time. I'm not sure its the wrong selection......sadly.

You want to play footie like those fancy Uropeans do, start a realtionship w/ Italy. Its the country that plays a style we are most confortable w/ and Italian managers would probably do well here. Try to convince your best young players to take pay cuts to go play there (because they aren't going to Italy's top 3-4). They'll fit in there and maybe they'll get better.

 

[Rook]

Steffen to "Man City". Which means by the time his contract is over there is a greater chance he'll have started more matches for Everton than Man City. Blow up the loan system.

 

[TheBigIguana]

Steffen to "Man City". Which means by the time his contract is over there is a greater chance he'll have started more matches for Everton than Man City. Blow up the loan system.

I think they actually plan to use him as a backup which is actually worse for his development as he will get 10 matches a season.

But seriously the loan system is completely abused at this point.

 

[Rook]

I think they actually plan to use him as a backup which is actually worse for his development as he will get 10 matches a season.

But seriously the loan system is completely abused at this point.

they kind of already implied they are loaning him out. Ironically he'll find his way onto City as a sub if he bombs out and no one wants him.