When we lost to Trinidad and Tobago and missed the World Cup it seemed like the US had reached an unfathomable low. Some in the media said maybe it was a good thing we missed it because the wins may have been covering some issues we’ve had for some time that were covered by wins. There were calls for change.
The following February election only succeeded in removing Sunil Gulati, but his right hand man and insider Carlos Cordeiro took over. Carlos created a General Manager position and selected Earnie Stewart, who’s role outside of select Greg Berhalter as coach, still seems shrouded in mystery.
The process of selection and Gregg Berhalter hiring has been turned over enough, no need to rehash but his seemingly under qualified and weak system have carried into current results. The NY Times corruption story aside, the American Outlaws and fans are demanding answers. I’d like to add these questions to the mix specific to the current US team
System
Do you still believe in Gregg’s system on the international level?
How can players better learn such a complex system in such few opportunities?
What needs to change in order for the system to work (personnel, tweaked system, other)?
Is the system dependent on a few key players?
Player Selection
Has anyone in USSF had a conversation with Gregg about player selection?
What is the criteria by which Gregg measures player success and fit?
It seems that Gregg is committed to certain players, initially the reasoning was tied to their knowledge of his system and those advantages. At this point, that experience has not shown value or results at the international level. At what point does the more talented, less system oriented player become more valuable?
How does USSF and Gregg rank the various world leagues and how important or valuable to them is it to have an MLS heavy team?
Is there a natural bias or benefit for the USSF for Gregg to select MLS players?
Gregg spoke specifically about lack of effort on the part of the team against Canada. What key additions could improve the team in that area?
Coach
Has Earnie or anyone at USSF evaluated Gregg’s performance to date and how does he rate?
Have there been any conversations about his decision making and in-game impact or other areas that Gregg could improve?
It was told the public that it was known that Gregg was not internationally experienced and would be given time to develop. How is USSF supporting Gregg in this learning curve? What is that time frame and how will you evaluate if he’s improved enough to carry the team through the Cup qualifying?
At what point will it be too late to change the coach for this cycle if you were to make a change?
