Hello Darkness My Old Friend

Hello. If you’ve been reading for a little while you’ll know that the tone here is generally positive. I try to wait a day or two and provide reasoned, intelligent (?) takes on the USMNT. It seems that it’s easier to collect followers, subscribers, etc. by claiming Berhalter is incompetent, criticizing, and lashing out. I don’t enjoy doing that or reading it, so I don’t write it.

Many of you know that MGoBlog is one of the inspirations for this site. I grew up just outside of Detroit and I’ve been a Michigan fan all my life. When they lose I generally avoid highlights, reading about it, any of that. The exception is that I almost always listen to the MGoBlog podcast because I want to hear them abuse the team in the same way I would. It’s the whole “I can pick on my brother, but you can’t” thing. I know that those guys feel the loss the same way I do, so it lends some catharsis to the criticism.

Writing Beverage: Noah’s Mill Bourbon – it’s the strongest thing I had in the cabinet (114 proof).

Today

That brings us to the US vs Saudi Arabia and the whole international window this time around.

It was really bad again and I’m still feeling pretty irritable about it so I’m going to let it out. If you don’t want to hear it…go in peace.

The performance against Saudi Arabia was thoroughly predictable the moment the lineup dropped. There were two players in that 11 with a prayer of creating chances. One of them doesn’t play (Pulisic) and is agitating for a move while the other (Reyna) is on a pretty strict minutes limit (and had to leave after 30′).

Gregg Berhalter has forgotten more soccer than I’ll ever know. So how is it that I CAN SEE that lineup isn’t going to work, but he can’t? I also really hope Ricardo Pepi turns out to be a great striker, but he isn’t one at the moment. He’s a talented 19 year old kid that isn’t ready for the Bundesliga or the World Cup.

• In his last 7 games, Josh Sargent has scored 6 goals and collected 1 assist for Norwich in the Championship. He played zero minutes today.
• Jordan Pefok has played eight matches for Union Berlin this season, THE FIRST PLACE TEAM IN THE BUNDESLIGA (you know, that league that Bayern Munich wins every year). In those matches he has scored 4 goals and assisted 2. He didn’t even get called into the team.

So if you’re going to call in and start guys from inferior leagues that “fit your system”…they better damn well create chances/score goals. Did they do that today? No? Do they usually do it though. Well, no. Perfect. Great.

Literally the best case scenario for this window is that Gregg flushed these two games down the toilet to learn that we can’t play this way (again). Doesn’t seem like a great use of the last time you get with your team before the World Cup starts, but maybe that’s just me.

Less than the Sum of the Parts

There’s also how little he’s gotten out of our best player (arguably at least). Christian Pulisic played in 19 games under Klinsmann/Arena and produced 9g/7a. Berhalter has had Pulisic for 31 matches now. In those 31 matches he has 12g/5a. I’m not a mathematician, but I can figure this one out. Klinsmann/Arena were getting .84g/a per game from CP while Berhalter is getting .55g/a. Plus, Pulisic wasn’t the penalty taker under the previous regimes, so it’s even a little worse than that.

The best coaches get more from their teams than the sum of their parts. Berhalter has consistently done the opposite of that. Figure out how to let Pulisic, Reyna, Dest, Musah, and McKennie be at their best. Don’t try to shoehorn players into profiles that fit your system. I really think that Gregg believes his system would work if the players would just do exactly what he says. If the style of play you’re trying to implement means you can’t use Jordan Pefok, John Brooks, Joe Scally, or Tim Ream then maybe your game model sucks.

The Resumé

The wild part is that this is who Berhalter has always been. Columbus wasn’t a high flying team, but they had Federico Higuain in the midfield to create for them. The US doesn’t have a midfielder anywhere near that creative in the pool to help jumpstart the attack. He was fired by Hammarby for this exact reason.

He was hired by his brother after a cursory coaching “search” by the USSF. I know he can’t help that his brother’s involvement looks bad. However, this is his coaching CV:

I’m an obsessive USMNT fan, so I’m well aware that my opinion can be rose-colored when it comes to the team, but there’s no way that should be enough to qualify a person coach the national team. He didn’t win anything with Hammarby or Columbus. Berhalter was just an MLS Pep wannabe that was in the right place at the right time (and related to the right people). Just for kicks here’s Julen Lopetegui’s CV (expressed interest in the US job if you’ll recall):

So What?

I think this is what’s got me so perturbed today. We can all see the cliff (bad WC) coming, but it’s too late to do anything about it. We’ve just got to cross our fingers and hope it works out come November. Maybe getting Musah and Weah back will make that big a difference. Maybe the intensity and excitement of the World Cup will provoke a good performance from a young, talented team.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope I have to go back and submit this to @oldtakesexposed. I’ll be watching the World Cup and hoping that we win every game and make a good run in the knock outs. But sitting here today, it sure doesn’t feel like that’s what’s coming, does it?

If you enjoyed this and would like to be informed of future articles type your email address in the box and you’ll be notified of each new post. Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter @blharreld 🤓

PS – If Berhalter gets a contract extension to manage the team for another cycle I’m going to be very upset. I will concede that Berhalter has his strengths (the defense, recruiting, being a good guy), but he certainly hasn’t done enough that he should get another four years.

PPS – Not going to grade the Saudi Arabia match because I don’t want to (there’s a chance I’ll do it anyway).