Commentary
Gregg Berhalter remarks shed new light on World Cup player issues
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Dec 12, 2022
Remarks made by U.S. national team coach Gregg Berhalter at a leadership conference shed new light on some of the issues he faced during the USMNT's run to the round of 16 at the World Cup, including being "ready to book a plane ticket home" for a player media have identified as Gio Reyna.
His remarks came at the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership in New York on Tuesday, three days after the USA's exit, and were subsequently published in edited form by Charterworks.
The participants at the conference included many government, judicial and business leaders and prominent media members. The newsletter touched on several points Berhalter made about leadership lessons.
(Since their publication, the Charterworks added a note that "Berhalter's comments were at a gathering held under the Chatham House Rule and were not meant to be public, but were erroneously greenlit for publication by someone representing the event organizers." According to a U.S. Soccer spokesperson, the remarks were supposed to be “explicitly off the record.”)
One topic in the newsletter stood out: "On handling difficult decisions around performance." Berhalter gave this example:
"In this last World Cup, we had a player that was clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field. One of 26 players, so it stood out. As a staff, we sat together for hours deliberating what we were going to do with this player. We were ready to book a plane ticket home, that's how extreme it was. And what it came down to was, we're going to have one more conversation with him, and part of the conversation was how we're going to behave from here out. There aren’t going to be any more infractions.
"But the other thing we said to him was, you're going to have to apologize to the group, but it's going to have to say why you’re apologizing. It's going to have to go deeper than just ‘Guys, I'm sorry.’ And I prepped the leadership group with this. I said, ‘OK, this guy's going to apologize to you as a group, to the whole team.’ And what was fantastic in this whole thing is that after he apologized, they stood up one by one and said, ‘Listen, it hasn’t been good enough, You haven’t been meeting our expectations of a teammate and we want to see change.’ They really took ownership of that process. And from that day on there were no issues with this player.
"As a coach, the way you can deal with things most appropriately is going back to your values. Because it's difficult to send a player home. It was going to be a massive controversy. You would have been reading about it for five days straight. But we were prepared to do it, because he wasn't meeting the standards of the group, and the group was prepared to do it as well."
MLSSoccer's Tom Bogert tweeted the player in question was Reyna.
Reyna did not play in the opening game against Wales and third and deciding group match against Iran. He was a late sub in the England game and came on for the second half against the Netherlands with the USA trailing 2-0 in a match it lost 3-1.
Citing sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, The Athletic reported that the issues with Reyna hit a head after "an alarming lack of effort in training" in the week the USA was gathered in Qatar before its opener and a "lack of intensity" during a closed-door scrimmage against Al Gharafa SC — whose facilities the USA was using — four days before the Wales match.
The team meeting and apology, according to The Athletic, came some time after the Wales game and a post-Wales training session in which Reyna’s lack of effort led to several veteran players speaking to him.
On why Reyna did not play against Wales — another forward, Jordan Morris, came on as the fifth sub after Wales equalized in the 82nd minute — Berhalter said in his post-game press conference the team had a “last-minute check” on Reyna and he was “OK” and he expected Reyna would play a role against England four days later.
The U.S. coach went on to say “you could see there was a little bit of tightness” in the Al Gharafa SC scrimmage and added “we think he can play a big role in this tournament — question is when, and hopefully on Friday [against England] he’ll be one further step ahead.”
Reyna said after the Wales match he had "a little bit of tightness over the last few days," but went to add, "I feel great. I feel really good. I feel ready to go. I felt ready to go but it was just [Berhalter's] decision." Before the England game, Berhalter said it was a “coach’s decision” to not play Reyna against Wales.
Reyna’s agent, Dan Segal, issued the following statement to The Athletic following the publication of its story:
“Gio obviously did not have the experience anyone hoped for at the World Cup. The situation, relationships and interactions among parties are far more complicated than what has been reported. It is disappointing and disrespectful for certain parties to be commenting on private team matters publicly, especially when some do so without full knowledge of the facts and others do so in a self-serving manner. At this point, our view is that nothing more is gained by those associated with the national team turning on each other, and we plan no further comment on this matter.”
Photo: Doug Zimmerman /ISI Photos
Maybe GB, for context, can explain the Chicharito/Carlos Vela situations with their FA and how well that has turned out for Mexican soccer.
"In Context" This Ggg "Conference" occurred on LAST Tuesday the 6th ... The USvHolland game was LATE on the night of the 3rd...
So, How did Ggg know there was a "Conference" he was supposed to be Speaking IN.???
Shouldn't he have been Totally Focused on the game on the 3rd, (and Hopefully on the 9th vs Argentina) and Not Making Plans for a "Blabbermouth" Presentation on "Moral Leadership" back in NY.!?!?!?
I'm sure there is a Non-Stop from Doha>>>Chicago.!?!?!?
He went Out of his Way to Stop and Shoot of his Mouth in a CYA Move...
Did he get Paid for this "Side Gig".???
Did his Bosses Approve this Side Venture.???
He is still under Contract to USSF, Doesn't he need His Bosses Approval to "Make Appearances".???
AIRING THE TEAMS "DIRTY LAUNDRY" IN PUBLIC.!!!!
Ggg is Technically still under Contract with USSF;
He should be FIRED IMMEDIATELY.!!!
Did his Bosses (McBride/Stewart) know about and Authorize this this "Side Trip" on the way Home.???
Then they should be FIRED ALSO.!!!
Update: Taylor Twellman on Twitter, Reporting there was NO Vote by the Players.
The Vote was among the Staff... Including the Trainers, maybe the Water Boys..!?!?!?
Unbelievable.!!!!
At Least he didn't pit the Players against each other.
I don't know what happened but I surmise he broke some team rules or whatever. When I watched him play in this world cup coming in as a sub, my first impression was that he wasn't ready for Prime Time and I question WHY he was even chosen to be on the team to play in this world cup. My conclusion for him being placed on the team was nothing other than pure politics, someone did a favor for someone....
Reyna can apparently do no wrong, he seems to be protected in the 'American sports media' ,if you want to call it that. I've never read anything about him that calls into question what he lacks as a player, technically/tactically speaking, instead he is pictured as an American superstar. We have another superstar called Pulisic who has enough splinters on his butt for the riding the bench the last couple of years in England.
I seriously call into question, the lack of expertise, and kahunas by American Soccer Journalists, who rather write nice 'Hansel and Gretel' stories about our so-called soccer stars instead of really getting into the nitty-gritty, finding out the good and bad points as well, of our socalled 'superstars'. This kind of reporting will go much further in illuminating how good are players really are and not leave the fans, the readers, whatever, surprised, in shock when we see our boys coming home with wood splinters on their butts after reading all positive stories about them...We need more balance in the reporting of how good our players really are.
We have to be much more critical of our players instead of reading about sweet stuff. Reyna, needs to clear his head after reading all the positive about him back home. It's too bad he can't spend a year with Ajax, he'll learn about what he needs to work on, for everyday it will be pointed what he lacks and needs to improve. Dutch stars like Memphis, de Jong,etc, who sucked at this World cup, but I wil guarantee you the dutch fans are educated by the dutch soccer press in knowing what their weaknesses are and not be surpises why a players sucked in one game as related because he was forced exhibited his weaker qualities...
In this manner, our fans would not be left in a state of shock if our NT did poorly because we have been given a better picture of the make up of our NT.. Today van Gaal in the dutch press was not spared, even the teams the dutch played beat were not spared. For example, beating the USA, in which the dutch themselves looked like crap, against a team the dutch soccer press considers a team that has lots of heart, will fight intensely to the end, and shows little soccer.
The American soccer press, like the American soccer commentators need to bring in a more realistic picture as a whole about our game and our players....
Frank, I think the Problem was;
When Ggg showed his Hand in the Scrimmage vs Saudi Team,
Reyna got the Message he wasn't Starting and Morris was Going to Play ahead of him.
So, Inept Player Managment by the Coach was the Problem.
the OVER-25s, Should NEVER HAVE BEEN ON THE SQUAD.
They were there to be the "ENFORCERS" for Ggg, because without the Older Players to "Baby Sit"
the Younger Players, the Younger Players would have Taken over Control of the Team from Ggg,
AND WE MIGHT STILL BE PLAYING IN THE WORLD CUP.!!!
Santi, perhaps, who knows, but we need a better press to inform the public who are able to say,"the king has no clothes"
In artice(Bleacher Report-Erin Walsh dec11th) it details how Yedlin and Long
article in The Sun-Martin Lipton says the Gio was Almost "VOTED OF THE ISLAND"
13 to Stay vs 12 to Go...
And now we see why Ggg had to bring the 9 Useless Older Players... He Needed the Votes in the Locker Room, to Control the Team...
He Mis-Counted by ONE...
Frank, you wanna go with "cojones" there, not "kahunas." That's the Spanish word for balls. Kahunas is some kind of Hawaian wise man or chief.
Thanks Stan, learned something new,lolol
Frank, for me, you are 100% right in your observation of the player. For me he looked lost when he came on, zero energy. I thought, wow, this is the 'starlet' from Dortmund, what gives? I have not seen him play much, highlights, only. Pulsic, like Ziyech and others at Chelsea was wasted with noodles Tuchel, who is the only coach I've seen detroy more offensive talented players than former Houston Rockes (NBA) coach Jeff Van Gundy. American media does shy away from tecnical analysis, this is a lot b.c. the bulk of audience cannot understand, they are not Dutch. Shouting to make points is so horrible, I do like Deuce, he brings it, in his way, with a twang, no shouting. He was the only one of four to say anything about Uruguay being made to walk the plank. Brazen that was. I usually view the Spanish channel. Telemundo does, maybe, a better job, but I've heard Mexicans who know the game well complain about them also. My son has played 80+ games a year 2020, 2021, 2022, many in adult leagues or with players 2 years older, he's 16. If he was 5 years younger, this was not possible. His HS coach told parents the other day, they had a record number of kids tryout for soccer, almost double past numbers, they created an extra 'development' team. We got a ways to go in the USA, but, we're on the road. Keep it going Frank. Enjoy your perspective! Respect.
Reyna is among the best US players in the world. At age 20 he's played 67 games for one of the top teams in the Bundesliga. Talent is not the issue. Apparently Berhalter wanted to share information normally kept inside a club with media to throw the kid under the bus, even after the situation was resolved successfully. Berhalter needs dismissal asap. The US quality is deserving of a world class coach who's not ignorantly on a par with the MLS.
Humble, I'm glad you noticed what I saw about Reyna for he looked so lethargic playing, asking myself what is he doing out there?
Yes Frank, Reyna Looks Lethargic... Definitely Non-Turbo...
He(maybe LDLT) is THE ONLY ONE ON USA WC22 Squad that Sees and Plays "The Game" at a different Level/Speed(Busio is the only other one I have Seen with that Soccer Brain{Mihalovic.???We will see now that he is Going to AZ})
We Need to RIP that "Soccer Brain" out of Him, and Force him to be a "Squirrel" like Aaronson.!!!... Run, Rabbit, Run
(I Hope you are catching my Sarcasm)
And Frank, .. Will you Tell THAT MESSI GUY TO "PICK-IT-UP".!!!;
He's Way Too Lethargic.!!!!... ;)
As I Stated Earlier; Santiago 1314;replied, December 8, 2022 at 12:23 p.m. Kent, "Good Team Culture".??? I wonder if the u25s on the Team Liked being "Babysat" and have their Hands Held by the 9 Over-25s that Shouldn't have been on the Roster and will NO WAY be on the 2026 Roster.. 3 of which where Totaly UNUSABLE and 4 that Shouldn't have been Used and 2 that Were there by "Luck" ...I'll bet the u25s would have Preferred to have some other Energetic Youngsters like themselves instead of being Treated like "Bed Wetters"...These 3 were UNUSABLE;
1. Johnson (Slonina or Steffen could have used the Experience. It is NOW Wasted on Johnson)
2. Aaron Long(Sands Could have sat the Bench as Well as Long, and NOW that Experience is Wasted.)
3. Roldan(Pepi would have been Better Player and gotten Experience, that is NOW Wasted)
For the FEW Minutes that these Next 4 Players Played, it was NOT worth the Loss of Developmental and Experience Time that other u25s could have gotten.
4. Moore(Probably should have been Cannon, But he Ate up and Wasted Scally Developmental Time)
5. Yedlin(Ate up More of Scally's Minutes. Would have brought Bello, to be Back Up to Wingback/Lt Forward Jedi.)
6. Acosta(Hardly Played, his Time could have better been given to Cardoso. Good enough to Play in D1 Brazil, but NOT for USMNT.???... Developmental and Experience time WASTED)
7. Morris(Should have been Tillman. Lot of time went into Recruiting him, Tranferreing him to team to Play on, and then NOT Pick him.!?!?!?.... No Bueno)
These 2 got LUCKY...
8. Zimmermann(Was OUT of the Team "Forever" last OCT. until Brooks pulled out...Should have been McKenZIE)9. Ream(Was OUT of the Team "Forever" until Richards got Hurt...Should have been EPB)
In the Final Analysis; NOT ONE OF THESE 9 PLAYERS HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THIS WORLD CUP... Some Held there Own, for the Few Minutes they Played...Some were a Disaster... Some didn't see the Pitch.... But, I don't think anyone can make a Case that they were Difference Makers and Deserved to be there ahead of Younger Players for the Current and Future Squad.
This Mix of Older MLS Players(Coaches Favorites and Enforcers of "Culture") where Never going to Mix with the Better Younger EURO Players... Especially with an OVER HIS HEAD, Inept, MLS Coach.
If Morris isn't Brought and Gio Goes IN versus Wales, Whole Issue GOES AWAY.!!!
MORRIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ON THE ROSTER.!!!!
Reyna Should have been Starting as the False#9 to begin with.!!!
But Ggg Never even tried him there... Until it was Too Late in the Holland Game.
Another Reason Ggg should have been FIRED.!!!
I noticed Reyna standing by himself after the matches with hands on hips and a sour look in his face. Why did he not mingle and congratulate other NT players?
Maybe because 12 of them tried to "VOTE HIM OFF THE ISLAND".!!!
Santi, we need to get a world class coach who non-american, who has played at the highest level and show and tell our players a thing or two...Players respect a coach who has done it all. GB needs to go back to the MLS community.
America needs to begin a 'SCHOOL FOR WINGERS'. If you look at Saka can you imagine creative wingers. The people we have playing wing, what we call wings ,like Weah, are jokes. The lack of wing attack did Holland in...We have a country full of creative talent but they have to be taught and developed...
Santi- Ream was proably the best player that the US had, so i am not sure wha you were looking at. Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment. He has been great at Fulham this year as well.
-Also, I was not a huge fan of Gregg, but i think he did a great job handling it and letting the players have a say. That is effective managment (101) with asking the opinion and getting others involved...especially the leaders.
-Are you wanting the young kids to run the show and saying that we could still be in the playing if they had? That worked well for France in their revolt a few years back led by Anelka. I think that is asinine as you are advocating for the "inmates to run the asylum."
-Your hatred for Berhalter is apparent, and no matter if he had said anything or not...this would have gotten out eventually.
-Not sure if he cut you when you were a kid, but relax on Gregg.
-Where is your accountability for Reyna? Dude is a professional, and needs to act like one.
-Why don't you let him comment (Reyna) on it as he more than likely will eventually have to do so now.
Grant, Maybe you missed what I posted Earlier....Here it is again... Takes a few in a Row...Sorry for the lenght.
Santiago 1314 replied, December 8, 2022 at 10:29 p.m.
Seth; I was "Fooled" like you were...
A 20,000 ft View and I would Agree with you about Ream;
But, upon Deeper Analysis and Video Review, this is what I Came by;
Santiago 1314 replied, December 6, 2022 at 9:54 a.m.
So, we come back to this; "Peter Principle" You Rise to the Level of your Incompetence.
Tim Ream;
I should have Stuck with my Original Assessment
"Santiago 1314 replied, November 9, 2022 at 11:22 p.m.
if Ream plays; WE Lose.!!!!"
His Third BIG Mistake was "The Charmer",
Let's Review the 1st Two:
"Santiago 1314 replied, December 1, 2022 at 1:31 a.m.
Correct you are MinB;
Amazingly enough... Ream has only made 2 Mistakes....
The YC he got for Adams,
And when he didn't get Outside to Cover for Jedi when the Ball got Thrown over his Head for the Cross that led to the Zimmerman PK play in the Wales game.
Kudos to Ggg for seeing the Problem and going with a 3rd CenterBack and playing a 5-4-1 to Close Out the Game, Instead of 4-4-2.
Ream knows that he gets Exposed out Wide and with only 1 CB partner, he was Afraid to go outside and help on the Quick Throw In...by Inserting Zimmermann at Sweeper, Ream was Pushed Out Further Left, but Not Exposed, because Jedi was TOLD to Stay Home."
Santiago 1314 replied, December 8, 2022 at 10:32 p.m.
Cont:
This YC for Adams occurrs at Minute 42 vs Iran, When Ream gets Caught 30 yards over the Half-Way Line, Misses the Ball and the Tackle/Foul and Adams had to chase from behind and Take down the Eye-Ranian Player.
The 3rd and Crucial mistake occurs at minute 8:12 Holland game..Ream gets Sucked into playing a Pass Across the Midfield to Dest, which Blind was Sitting there, waiting for it... UN-FORCED ERROR ... USA Never got the Ball back, until we Picked it up out of the Back of the Net at 9:40.
In the middle of that... We have Frank deJong dribbling circles around, Toying with, Jesus; in his own Penalty Area 8:55-9:03(I think Previous USA players would have known how to Deal with that.!!!!. Right AnklBrkr.???)
In that Build-Up to their Goal, we Tried to Press even when they Switched across the Back... GegenPress=Get the Ball in 6 seconds or FOUL... We did Neither... As the Press got Broken; there was One Last Chance to Kill the Play...
Depay Checked back into his own Half near their Center Circle, Adams had him All Lined-Up to Foul, but HE DIDN'T.!!!... WHY.??? Because it would have been a Yellow Card... His 2nd, and he would have Missed the Next Game versus Argentina.... THANK YOU TIM REAM.!!!
Santiago 1314 replied, December 8, 2022 at 10:36 p.m.
Later on I Discovered the 4th Ream Fa yuk Up...
The Real Back Breaker in the Holland Game.!!!
Santiago 1314 replied, December 7, 2022 at 2:08 p.m.
Look at 42:40 ... Zimm just Boots a ball out of Bounds, Un-Forced ERROR, because Dest is MENTALLY and PHYSICALLY Gassed from almost Scoring a Goal(43:59) and Not Wide where he Needed to be.!!! (MINIMAL Pressure from Depay)
NO PERSONALITY/NO RESPONIBILTIY/NO SOCCER BRAIN from Zimmermann to either Dribble or Spin Back and Pass to the Gk. Kill the Game off to the Half.
45:00 ... Ream Forces a RIGHT FOOTED 30 yrd Pass into CP Checking Back in the Midfield... Ream was ALL ALONE ... He missed the Pass(Because he is NOT Rt Footed) and Put it Right Past the Outstretched Toe of CP... UN-FORCED ERROR... From The "Wise" Veteran.!!!
Holland took the ball, went down the Field and USA Never saw the Ball again until Picking it out of the Back of the Net at 45:38 . Wasn't even enough time for the kick-off.!!! .... Ream should have been the Leader and Just Knocked the Ball Back to GK, get to Half-Time and Get Re-Organized.
And what was Jesus doing back there Defending on a Throw-In in the Left Defender/Midfielders area.??? He accidently Flicked the Ball INTO THE MIDDLE, right to Klassen who played it to Dummfries, who Centered it to Blind.!!!
Musah was the Culprit,(thanks to Ream)..he was Wandering around in the Middle, instead of Marking Up.
But he was Gassed, because He and Jesus had Interchanged Position... Jesus was Checked back into Midfield and Musah was Pushed Up against Virgil, When REAM gave the Ball away.
Now Musah had to Run Back 60yards, to help and Jesus was already there, so he let Jesus Cover the Throw-In Area. Musah should have Covered His Player and Pushed Jesus back up Front.
CONT. Last one, I think
So, instead of "Veteran Leadership" and Decision Making, we Got a ROOKIE Mistake from REAM
MISTAKE #4 (Remember what I said; "If Ream PLAYS, WE LOSE.!!!")
Also, CP Should have Taken a YELLOW CARD, on the Turn-Over just next to him... Would have gotten us to Half-Time 1-0... Like you have said....NON-SOCCER BRAINS on USA
@ Grant, I think our Level of Euro Players is Way beyond what Ggg can Coach.
They know he's a Dufus, that got his Job, because his Brother was a High Up in USSF.
Then he Picks "Favorites" that Don't Belong, to Keep Control of the Locker Room.
Mgmt 101 ... NOT IN SOCCER.!!! NO COMMITEES from the Players, etc...
Another Reason that the Players Didn't support him when he Tried to Boot Gio.
We Probably know who the 9 were, I imagine. Adams(Now a Stooge of Ggg) and the 2 older Goalies also joined in to VOTE GIO OFF THE ISLAND... NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A DECISION BY A COACH...
To let the Players Decide Who is Coming and Who is Going.!!!!
Totally agree Grant!
Grant, when dictators offer elections, do you trust the results? GB is a dictator for the USMNT and in that moment showed POOR management skills. Instead of making a decision and owning the results, he wanted political cover. This is not what strong leaders do.
Grant, perhaps you can find a better word than "hatred"?---Your hatred for Berhalter is apparent,
Your comments and opinions are valid and valued, but this is so extreme that it detracts from your message. I don't agree with some of your opinions, but keep them coming.
I don't think this is accurate at all.
??? ... What's not Accurate Hal.???
I always backed Gregg but what he did to Gio during the World Cup is not acceptable. Gio in my opinion is one of the most talented players on the National Team. He should have started every game. We need a new coach. Gregg should not continue to be our head coach.
GB needs to go because his "system" is too inflexible for WC duty. He didn't figure out how to get his best players on the pitch and that is a failure of imagination. But this is what I'd expect from a coach who played at a low level as a defender. Because, once we get past CONCACAF, the team has to score goals and GB has no idea how to enable a structure to do that. His entire strategy seems to have been, "get ball into attacking 3rd and magic happens".
Bingo R2. That's how I see it too.
"Magic" does happen .... Just ask Haji.!!!
Jajaja ;)
But, in all Seriousness... Getting "End-Line" and Slashing balls across the 6-12-18(Preferably on the Grass) IS a Proven WINNING FORMULA.
But, with everyone Nowadays playing Inverted Wingers, Jamming into an already crowded Middle it's a Formula for Weaker Teams to "Park-The-Bus" in front of their Goal in a 5-4-1 and hope for a Counter-Goal or to go into PKs.
GB, needs to go ,not because of how he handled Reyna's situation wrong, which I'm sure he did. If I were GB I would have kicked Reyna off the team for it has to be pretty bad when a team has to vote on someone his stupid actions....That type of player doesn't belong on the team. Considering that he's still just a snotty nosed kid acting up, when, in fact, he's accomplished NOTHING in soccer at the age he is.
I can understand what is happening to Ronaldo and how he is reacting but Reyna in comparison has done totally NOTHING, at his age and probably believes his american soccer press clippings of how great he.
Perhaps, Frank, but I wonder what Claudio has to do with all of this. Because he certainly has been involved at every step. But the media is surprisingly incurious as to this aspect of the drama.
R2,I just finished reading about the situation on Daily Mail online. Got a little better picture, maybe not the total picture. Reyna was told by GB ,ahead of time that he wasn't in GB's plans, unlike what Reyna expected. Reyna should have made the decision right there and then to leave instead of creating a burden of himself and worse a nuisance to the team by staying....
By not accepting the role GB gave him ,he should have packed his bags, but instead he stayed and agreed to GB's stipulations but failed to give his all for the team on the field, which is simply inexcusable! Reyna's actions could have caused GB difficulties in how the team's functions ...That exactly half the team wanted to vote him out speaks volumes on Reyna's character for he not only could hurt the team's overal play agenda
It seems that Reyna's supporters want to shift the blame from poor ole' Reyna and make GB the bad guy....I don't know if GB violated the agreement but as far as I'm concerned, Reyna should have been kicked off the team, right there and then because due to his lousy attitude this crap came about....What supposedly GB did is wrong which really is an after the fact not be whitewashed from what Reyna had caused
Gol, Gol,... You mean, kinda like Messi Does.!?!?!?
We are all Complaining and Advocating for a #10, but when one "Shows Up" we don't have a Coach, that is Capable of Developing a Team around him.
Granted, Gio was out Injured A LOT, but if you are going to: "CHANGE THE WAY THE WORLD SEES U.S. SOCCER";
Then Gio as a #10, is the Only Way, the Rest of our Guys are Turbo(at a HIGH LEVEL)... Same-Old, Same-Old(Maybe at a Higher Twitchy/Technical Level)
USA could have Played a very Similar way to Argentina...
8 Field Players"BUZZING" Around while Messi and DiMaria(Gio and CP) Waited around for the Ball to be BROUGHT TO THEM.
Reyna is among the best US players in the world. At age 20 he's played 67 games for one of the top teams in the Bundesliga. Talent is not the issue. Apparently Berhalter wanted to share information normally kept inside a club with media to throw the kid under the bus, even after the situation was resolved successfully. Berhalter needs dismissal asap. The US quality is deserving of a world class coach who's not ignorantly on a par with the MLS.
Jim, please ,you have to be kidding, "one of the best players in the world". Get a hold of yourself, you probably believed when they said the same thing about Pulisic.....
Jim have you seen Reyna in action? I will repeat what I stated previously. He looked excellent when competing against other U.S. players in the U15 and 17's. When he went up against those in his age group on other National Teams he was a non factor and all he did was lob around with his hand pointing to the ground " pass to me pass to me". Everyone seems to be avoiding the elephant on the pitch.
Oops, Originally Posted this Up Too High;
Santiago 1314 replied, December 20, 2022 at 8:10 a.m.
Gol, Gol,... You mean, kinda like Messi Does.!?!?!?
We are all Complaining and Advocating for a #10, but when one "Shows Up" we don't have a Coach, that is Capable of Developing a Team around him.
Granted, Gio was out Injured A LOT, but if you are going to: "CHANGE THE WAY THE WORLD SEES U.S. SOCCER";
Then Gio as a #10, is the Only Way, the Rest of our Guys are Turbo(at a HIGH LEVEL)... Same-Old, Same-Old(Maybe at a Higher Twitchy/Technical Level)
USA could have Played a very Similar way to Argentina...
8 Field Players"BUZZING" Around while Messi and DiMaria(Gio and CP) Waited around for the Ball to be BROUGHT TO THEM.
It's over, but Reyna will be fine. I'm not a hater of anyone, but the same issues of managing and tactics have been unchanged since Berhalters appointment. This was all about him. He thinks of himself as having an astute insight into the game, seemingly unparalleled in USMNT coaching. The next Pep. We did not progress in attacking since day one. Can anyone here dispute that. This was hang on all the way. We hired a virtue signaler, applauded by USSF. There is no creative feel for attacking by him, he's a dogma guy. Tenets are gospel. His ultimate or default ideas are out work, with build out of the back direction. For me, with these young bloods, we needed more permission to ad hoc and the one player capable playing centrally in an advanced position was Reyna. We had some other attacking third issues with wing play, if you want to call what we showed wing play. How can we possibly have a national team that has gone backwards in restarts. Yes, we made the Cup this year and snuck out of group, but have we ever looked consistently dangerous in scoring. No. He was the wrong hire from jump.
No Wooden.!!! We Need to RIP that "Soccer Brain" out of his Skull and make him Run Around with his Head Cut-Off... (Sarc)
Seems that Argentina can find a way to play Minus 2, on Defense, by using both Messi and DiMaria at the Same Time.!!!
Both "Lethargic" One-Way Players,
Ggg couldn't even figure how to use ONE...Hint,Hint (False#9/#10)
Yup, Ggg really; "Changed the Way" the World sees US Soccer.!!!(NOT)
Santi, I expect you, of all people, to understand what I meant by looking lethargic. The moment I saw Reyna come in as a sub , I forgot which game, but in the first 3minutes watching him play ,I sensed, right away, something was not kosher with him. I had no idea, as well as everyone else, of the happenings behind the scenes with GB, the team and Reyna. All I sensed about Reyna was that he wasn't playing up to snuff, very lethargic. And That is why I stated that he should not be on the team, thinking he was not fully rehabilitated, wondering why he was even placed on the team in this condition. Thus leading me to say somebody did Reyna a favor to get him on the team.
I expect with your backround to have noticed what I sensed about Reyna the moment he came on as a sub, that he wasn't playing up to snuff. But instead, you are trying to make it a case that he's not a Turbo player and plays more with his brain. That is true but that is not the case here, you can be slow and have a brain or you can be fast and have a brain. But It had nothing to do with Turbo, and or brains or the lack of through his actions.
Instead, IT HAD EVERYTHING TO DO WITH A PLAYER TRYING TO SABOTAGE THE TEAM'S PLAY, because he was unhappy with his role on the team. He admitted as much by stating he wasn't really trying, for he let his emotions rule him. If he was unhappy he should have packed and left....
And you can't understand why half the players voted him off the team. If I were on the team, I would have kicked his ass all over the locker room for his lack of trying, he could possibly influence my future earnings or happenings in accordance to how the team plays at the World Cup.
At Ajax, Cruyff played during a time when players were earning premiums for wins ,instead of these gargantuan salaries. Players would yell at a player if he did something stupid on the field ,by saying, " Your playing with my money, Watch It !!!". This should have happened out there to Reyna, who thinks he's Mr.Superstar, but hasn't accomplished a thing in his young pro career, as yet!
This kid's actions are due to believing his press clippings coming from American soccer journalism, who have no clue about the game itself....
As far as looking for a new coach, realize we have, "woke" people running the show, so good luck with finding a serious coach who won't play their game....
Frank, I generally consider Gio's "Lethargic" to him having a "Soccer Brain"
He actually Tries to do as Little Running as Possible by "Pre-Vising" the Play in his Head.
It's a "Talent" he has to be in the Right Place at the Right Time, to Go with his Excellent Techinical and Physical Qualities.
BUT...
Something is Missing... The DESIRE to "Take Over a Game" "Be the Ball, See the Ball, Be the Man" (It's also a little Un-Realistic to say he can do that from the Rt Wing Position, He's No Mbappe, with Exceptional Speed and Twitch and Explosivness.)
I think he Expects the Team to just "Give Him the Ball"... and if the Team was Formed that way,
It Might Work.??? but the Team is NOT Formed that way... (Same Issue Busio and Mihalovic have when the Play for USA.)
Other "Hard Working" "Squirrels" are Not going to SLOW DOWN for him, or Bring the Ball to him at Rt. Wing.
That's why I could Never Understand why Ggg didn't try him at the #10/False9 (Until the 2nd Half of the Holland Game.!?!?!? WTF was that.???)
I Hope we will get a Coach, that can Mesh the Soccer Brains we have, with the "Squirrels" we Need.
Santi, I agree with what your saying on that. The 'lethargic' thing that I noticed was he wasn't trying, in other was he was playing below par of what I"m used to seeing him play. Now that we know more, he was actually showing or protesting why he wasn't happy with how he is treated...That's all....
But obviously ,your right ,this kid needs to get straightened out, MENTALLY. He's had great support from parents, maybe perhaps too much. But what he did in fact is make himself unpopular with his own teammates and that is not good....
Gio has to be responsible and accountable and so does GB. How many times in the last 4 years has GB talked out of both sides of his mouth? Just asking?
Kevin, Accountability for Gio?, forget it... They'll go after GB for that is easier. Gio ,is going to get away with it for that is their boy ,even though he initiated this situation in the first place. I still like to see some prove that it was GB and not one of the players who voted Gio off the team.....
if interested here's transcript n the agenda n note participants are impressiven coach's comments are admirable ... https://www.charterworks.com/leadership-tips-from-the-us-mens-soccer-head-coach/
Tom, thanks that was interesting
Life is not a zero sum game with someone right and someone wrong. Here is my view of the responsibilities of the coach. The coach is responsible for motivating the players. If there is a player morale problem, this is a coaching failure as well as a player's failure.
Personally I don't think much of a 49-year old man that can't motivate a 20 year old. And then talks about the locker room in at a conference. The coach is hired to motivate the players. That is a prime function.
The details don't matter. Gregg failed.
Fair enough I guess. But personally I don't think much of a 20 year old who needs to be coddled and motivated AT A WORLD CUP!
Kid got Upset, when told by the Adult, "You ain't gonna Start or Play much"
Kid got Bratty,
Kid got "Put In His Place"
Kid made Adjustment
Kid got to Play some
Kid thought he had been Forgiven and Episode was Closed.
ADULT broke the Trust of the Team, when he Acted Like a Kid and Leaked Internal "Locker Room" information.
Who is going to Hold the Adult Responsible.!?!?!?
We still need to hear from the USSF, did Ggg have Approval to attend the Conference.???( USSF is paying the Guy Millions a year, He would have to Tell his Bosses where he was and what he was doing){I can't understand how USSF allowed him, 3 days after being ELIMINATED, to "Debrief" a Conference in NY and Not go back to Chicago and be "Debriefed" there first}
Did USSF pay for his attending the Conference in NY.???(Air fare, Car, Hotel, Food, Per Diem){USSF is a 501(c)(3) Non-profit, These Reimbursements have to be Noted on the "Public" Books and are Open Records}
Has Ggg been Disciplined by USSF for Breaking the "Moral Leadership" of the Team.???
Your reply surprises me Santi. You repeated said that the sole objective of this cycle should be preparing for the 2026 cycle. You are also one of the people hoping that the players would ignore the coach USSF conventional game plans. (I use "conventional" here instead of what I really say about them.)
What I fear is that the coach used a core of older players in the locker room against the younger players and made an example of Reyna to intimidate the younger European players into following his orders. In other words sacrificed team building and experience opportunities for 2026 so that he could have his way in 2022.
I don't know what happened. This is just a guess from the reports in the media, especially the "vote" reportedly described by the coach. I fear that the coach has created a morale problem for the next coach to handle. I think Gregg's mistake is that he thinks he is the only smart person in the locker room. Intimidation inhibits real communication and therefore is a tool of people who don't want to listen to others. This is not how professionals should deal with each other, but it sometimes happens.
Hi Bob,
I'm not Clear about, what about my Comment Surprises You.???
You are Correct that I Advocated;
EVERYTHNG MUST BE DONE WITH ONE THING IN MIND, WINNING THE 2026 WORLD CUP
And we agree that Ggg brought Older Players, to "Enforce" his "Culture" on the Younger Players,
because; of his Need to remain as "The Smartest Person in the Room" (I guess you missed my Post about that from the 12th- I will Repost below)
He was Smart enough to Figure out that if he brought only u25s, that they would just "Tune him Out" and Play the way they wanted...
On-a-Side-Note...it would have been,,,(High Press, Hi-Line in the Back, Excitable.!!!)
Much has been made of the way our Midfield "Petered Out" due to all the extra Mileage they had been Running versus other Teams Mileages... That was because we Neither Played a Hi-Line or a Low Block... Therefore the MMA got GASSED...
If He had Played the Team, like he Had Coached up until then, he would have had 6 Second Press; Foul or Win the Ball Back.... But it was Not Possible with Ream and Zimm at CBs... Too Slow, so they had to Stay Back... Ggg continued to us a 3 Front "Semi-Press" Which left a BIG GAP in between Lines and therefore... We Got a GASSED MMA for the Holland Game.
As for your Final Point; YES, Ggg HAS Created a "Morale" Problem for the Future.
His First Mistake was ROTATING Captians... His 2nd Mistake was "UN-Rotating" Captians,
and then actually commenting as to why Tyler was Better than Christian.(Captian America.!!!)
So, now that Drama will Continue ON.!!!
I don't expect the Older Players will be around much anymore, so they will not be the Issue.
But, by Pitting Adams against Reyna, CP, etc.??? ... He has Created a Division in the Team.
How many other Younger Players will see Adams as a "Patsy".???
Santiago 1314; replied , December 8, 2022 at 12:23 p.m.Kent, "Good Team Culture".???;I wonder if the u25s on the Team Liked being "Babysat" and have their Hands Held by the 9 Over-25s that Shouldn't have been on the Roster and will NO WAY be on the 2026 Roster.. 3 of which where Totaly UNUSABLE and 4 that Shouldn't have been Used and 2 that Were there by "Luck" ...I'll bet the u25s would have Preferred to have some other Energetic Youngsters like themselves instead of being Treated like "Bed Wetters"...These 3 were UNUSABLE;1. Johnson (Slonina or Steffen could have used the Experience. It is NOW Wasted on Johnson)2. Aaron Long(Sands Could have sat the Bench as Well as Long, and NOW that Experience is Wasted.)3. Roldan(Pepi would have been Better Player and gotten Experience, that is NOW Wasted)For the FEW Minutes that these Next 4 Players Played, it was NOT worth the Loss of Developmental and Experience Time that other u25s could have gotten.4. Moore(Probably should have been Cannon, But he Ate up and Wasted Scally Developmental Time)5. Yedlin(Ate up More of Scally's Minutes. Would have brought Bello, to be Back Up to Wingback/Lt Forward Jedi.)6. Acosta(Hardly Played, his Time could have better been given to Cardoso. Good enough to Play in D1 Brazil, but NOT for USMNT.???... Developmental and Experience time WASTED)7. Morris(Should have been Tillman. Lot of time went into Recruiting him, Tranferreing him to team to Play on, and then NOT Pick him.!?!?!?.... No Bueno)These 2 got LUCKY...8. Zimmermann(Was OUT of the Team "Forever" last OCT. until Brooks pulled out...Should have been McKenZIE)9. Ream(Was OUT of the Team "Forever" until Richards got Hurt...Should have been EPB)In the Final Analysis; NOT ONE OF THESE 9 PLAYERS HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THIS WORLD CUP... Some Held there Own, for the Few Minutes they Played...Some were a Disaster... Some didn't see the Pitch.... But, I don't think anyone can make a Case that they were Difference Makers and Deserved to be there ahead of Younger Players for the Current and Future Squad.
Thanks for the response, Santi. These points are the serious problem with Gregg's tenure.
Berhalter needs to answer the reasons why he thought Reyna should have limited time. I am not sure he has explained his thinking on Reyna and limited time. Was it he was worried of injury or he did not fit the system? Berhalter should come clean since he broke the trust of the group.
Stan that is a good question, I sure would like to know. But then again ,he is the coach and he decides with his staff what is best and he owes us, you and I no explanation...
But you know what, this is a job for American soccer journalists to ask why this or that player play here instead of there....But unfortunately you don't get these type of questions for that is too much about soccer for they prefer stories around soccer fpr that is much easier to report on
Frank, to put things in perspective, if Gio was Uruguayan and came on larthargic like he did, he would have been skewered by his teammates, his coach, and, on the front and back pages of every publication in Uruguay, TV and radio. No one would have questioned any of them. Attitude is everything. Should be the same here. It would not matter if he was the son of Suarez, Cavani or Forlan. Gio, like I said above, this is a non story if his last name is not Reyna, he would not have been called up just like Pefok and others, he was called up and allowed to stay because of his name, now in retrospect, they realize, it was a mistake. Best of luck to the young man. He is no Ali or Messi, he needs to talk with his game, and consistently over a complete season, or, he'll be another Miazga, tumbling from the mountain in his mind, until he reaches his floor in the real world. Guys like this believe all the non-sense they hear, they start thinking they really are elite, before they get to the tip of the pyramid. This is problem world-wide, but here in the USA, the term 'elite' is so over used. You are not elite until you start banging in goals and/or impacting games, not a game, but games, in the Champions League in Europe, until then, keep tuning your game, work hard to get the highest level you can.
Humble, everything you is so true....This is why older players in Hollang ,no matter the NT or club teams always keep things in line . They watch that some for young upstarts who think they can walk besides their shoes, or laying in cotton, as the dutch stated.
If I was hired as coach ,lets say, I would demand what happened with the Reyna incident. I follow the saying and I'm a strong believer of it in my dealings with players in my 40years of coaching, "Tigers don't change their stripes". So I would be very watchful dealing with someone who can these shenanigans.
What Reyna did was so selfish, and you're right, he believes his own press clippings coming out of the states....
The US soccer press has got to become more realistic, more critical about our playes as far as how good they really are.
Humble; you seem to have an Addiction, to the Uruguayan "Player Development" System; which I just see as a "Little Brother" to the Argentinian System...
THROW THE BALL OUT IN THE STREET AND MAY THE STRONGEST SURVIVE.
It's a Pretty Good System.
Develops "World Class" Players, just NOT enough in this Modern Day and Age for a World Cup Winner... If they could Harness some of the Croatia Tactical Approach in the Midfield, they might make it as Far as Craotia.
It will Never Work in the USA ... No Street Ball, and No Punching, Grabbing, Tripping, Shirt Pulling is Allowed at Youth Club Level in USA, Because; "YOU COACH, YOUR SUPPOSED TO BE DEVELOPING MY SONs CHARACTER.!!!"
We are going to have to Find Another Way.!!!
My son used to go to Northwestern U's summer soccer camp and Coach Lenahan told the recruit-wannabes that if they ever show up to play for his team and they're wearing neon or brightly colored shoes that they'd better be scoring goals from day one. This began our annual purchases of only black adidas soccer shoes.