North American Pro Soccer 2023

[McCall]

So St. Louis City SC is only the second expansion side to ever start 3-0 (the other being Seattle, so I technically stayed on topic ) They take on San Jose next week at home as they try to become the first to 4-0.

[GDAWG]

 

[Digby]

Love me some vertical integration!

[GDAWG]

 

[Digby]

new Berhalter-Reyna incident report just dropped

 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4900039/us-soccer-says-gregg-berhalter-eligible-to-coach-mens-team-after-investigation

 

Nothing new on the Berhalter incident from 30 years ago, all parties involved are satisfied it didn't happen again and was handled appropriately; Gregg remains eligible to be rehired

(whenever they hire the other two bosses who will decide). 

 

Reynas look increasingly unhinged, however, though nothing they did rises to the level of extortion or bullying, according to the investigators. Just run-of-the-mill psycho soccer parent stuff.

 

Quote

According to the report, Danielle Reyna told a U.S. Soccer staffer the day after the World Cup match against Wales: "Once this tournament is over, I can make one phone call and give one interview, and his cool sneakers and bounce passes will be gone."

 

Have another juice box lady, sheesh!

 

Also, this is charming:

 

 

[MJWalker45]

20 hours ago, Digby said:

Reynas look increasingly unhinged, however, though nothing they did rises to the level of extortion or bullying, according to the investigators. Just run-of-the-mill psycho soccer parent stuff.

 

I'd say the statements made by Claudio, to include harassing the U17 coach during a tournament in 2019 and complaining about having female refs at a tournament fit the bullying allegations. The part that annoys me about his fans are all of them are blaming this on the loss of his other son in 2012, instead of admitting he's an a##hole and has been for years. 

https://www.inquirer.com/soccer/claudio-reyna-text-messages-earnie-stewart-gregg-berhalter-brian-mcbride-20230313.html

 

"Investigators at the Alston & Bird law firm hired by U.S. Soccer offered anonymity to sources to protect their security, and they got a lot of information. Though all identifying details of those sources are redacted in the investigation’s report, there’s plenty said about Reyna’s messages.

And they aren’t just about the last few months. They date back to 2016, when Claudio tried and failed to get a red card issued to Gio in a game overturned.

Two years later, Claudio complained about a female referee who officiated a game Gio played in: “And in all honest [sic] can we get real and have male refs for a game like this. Its embarrassing guys. What are we trying to prove? A game like this deserves bett[e]r attention.”

One of the report’s sources called that “not appropriate or acceptable” in an email to colleagues at the time".

 

"Stewart confirmed a Fox Sports report that Reyna badgered former U.S. under-17 coach Raphael Wicky during the 2019 under-17 World Cup, where Gio played for the U.S. team.

“He said the complaints were about Gio Reyna’s lack of playing time, inadequate travel arrangements (specifically, not flying business class), and other instances when U.S. Soccer did not meet Mr. [Claudio] Reyna’s standards,” the investigators wrote. “Mr. Stewart also provided contemporaneous text messages from this period. Mr. Stewart commented that in his more than 20 years ‘in this business,’ he has never had these types of discussions with other players’ parents.” A separate anonymous source told investigators that Claudio Reyna “expected Gio Reyna to be treated better than other players,” referring to the travel arrangements mentioned above. Berhalter took major aim at the Reynas too — drawing a line between two families who had been close for decades. Claudio Reyna was the best man at Gregg’s wedding to Rosalind Santana (now Rosalind Berhalter) 25 years ago, and Rosalind and Danielle Reyna (née Egan) were college soccer teammates and roommates at the University of North Carolina in the 1990s. “Mr. Berhalter said at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in November 2019, Mr. Reyna texted him about the coach, stating, ‘he’s the worst coach,’” the investigators wrote. “Mr. Berhalter said that ‘when things don’t go great for Gio, [the Reynas] pivot and go into attack mode.’ Mr. Berhalter said that what occurred at the 2022 FIFA World Cup was similar to what occurred at the U-17 World Cup.”

 

As a sporting director, Claudio should know better than anyone else, that letting the parents try to run the team won't work. As a parent, he threw that knowledge out the window and created a brat of a player when within the USMNT umbrella, who couldn't get away with the same attitude in Germany because he wasn't one of the best players in the locker room. 

 

[Digby]

20 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

As a sporting director, Claudio should know better than anyone else, that letting the parents try to run the team won't work. As a parent, he threw that knowledge out the window and created a brat of a player when within the USMNT umbrella, who couldn't get away with the same attitude in Germany because he wasn't one of the best players in the locker room. 

 

 

Yeah, what a surprise that he also presided over a locker room where David Villa sexually harassed a 20-year-old intern for months and nothing came of it at a team or league level. (Austin's still paying the guy, too. $10 says Precourt thinks this is all a witch hunt.)

[MJWalker45]

1 minute ago, Digby said:

 

Yeah, what a surprise that he also presided over a locker room where David Villa sexually harassed a 20-year-old intern for months and nothing came of it at a team or league level. (Austin's still paying the guy, too. $10 says Precourt thinks this is all a witch hunt.)

Someone mentioned possible landing spots for Berhalter and mentioned Austin, with the proviso that Reyna wouldn't be there, because of Berhalter's relationship with Precourt in Columbus. I don't think that happens though because he and Josh Wolff had a good relationship in Columbus as well. I can see another MLS stint somewhere, or probably lower leagues in Europe. 

 

As far as Claudio? Where does he go? Queensboro FC? Whomever moves in to the USMNT slot will probably have to block the Reyna's phones before they get announced. Especially if it's Jesse Marsch. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Why wouldn't Gregg come back to coach USMNT? He had a success run with Gold Cup and Nation Cup wins, and he got out of a difficult group.

 

It looks a bit like some extracurricular distractions were a part of the reason he didn't go further; why dump the coach and not the distractions guy?

[Rockstar Matt]

4 hours ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

Why wouldn't Gregg come back to coach USMNT? He had a success run with Gold Cup and Nation Cup wins, and he got out of a difficult group.

 

It looks a bit like some extracurricular distractions were a part of the reason he didn't go further; why dump the coach and not the distractions guy?

 

Not to rehash this because I've said this numerous times, but Berhalter is a tactically poor coach and promotes soccer terrorism. The US only scored 3 goals in 4 games (worst offensive output by the USMNT in a WC since the 2006 WC debacle) and his system was ill suited for the pool the US currently possesses. NT coaches, especially the successful ones, create systems that best utilizes the skills of the player pool instead of forcing players to fit into a system that not only do they have little time to actually learn but also just didn't fit he players.

 

Furthermore, IMO, US Soccer needs to get rid of the nepotism that plagues the federation. Retaining anyone from the Berhalter era whether it be Gregg, or anyone else involved in this embarrassing ordeal (especially Reyna's parents) would be a mistake. US Soccer needs to move forward, not backwards. The fact that Reyna's parents felt like they could attempt to manipulate, bully and intimidate the federation into doing what they wanted is proof of the nepotism in the federation.

 

I'd like to see the US begin hiring from the outside. Hire qualified general managers and coaches with zero ties to the federation. 

[WestCoastBias]

6 minutes ago, Rockstar Matt said:

 

Not to rehash this because I've said this numerous times, but Berhalter is a tactically poor coach and promotes soccer terrorism. The US only scored 3 goals in 4 games (worst offensive output by the USMNT in a WC since the 2006 WC debacle) and his system was ill suited for the pool the US currently possesses. NT coaches, especially the successful ones, create systems that best utilizes the skills of the player pool instead of forcing players to fit into a system that not only do they have little time to actually learn but also just didn't fit he players.

 

Furthermore, IMO, US Soccer needs to get rid of the nepotism that plagues the federation. Retaining anyone from the Berhalter era whether it be Gregg, or anyone else involved in this embarrassing ordeal (especially Reyna's parents) would be a mistake. US Soccer needs to move forward, not backwards. The fact that Reyna's parents felt like they could attempt to manipulate, bully and intimidate the federation into doing what they wanted is proof of the nepotism in the federation.

 

I'd like to see the US begin hiring from the outside. Hire qualified general managers and coaches with zero ties to the federation. 

 

I didn't have a problem with Gregg before this whole situation but I agree with you, gotta clean the slate and start fresh for Copa America and 2026.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

How much would it take for Pep to come over?

[MJWalker45]

18 hours ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

Why wouldn't Gregg come back to coach USMNT? He had a success run with Gold Cup and Nation Cup wins, and he got out of a difficult group.

 

It looks a bit like some extracurricular distractions were a part of the reason he didn't go further; why dump the coach and not the distractions guy?

Only reason he probably won't be retained is that Gio will still be part of the team. 

[MJWalker45]

13 hours ago, Rockstar Matt said:

 

Not to rehash this because I've said this numerous times, but Berhalter is a tactically poor coach and promotes soccer terrorism. The US only scored 3 goals in 4 games (worst offensive output by the USMNT in a WC since the 2006 WC debacle) and his system was ill suited for the pool the US currently possesses. NT coaches, especially the successful ones, create systems that best utilizes the skills of the player pool instead of forcing players to fit into a system that not only do they have little time to actually learn but also just didn't fit he players.

 

Furthermore, IMO, US Soccer needs to get rid of the nepotism that plagues the federation. Retaining anyone from the Berhalter era whether it be Gregg, or anyone else involved in this embarrassing ordeal (especially Reyna's parents) would be a mistake. US Soccer needs to move forward, not backwards. The fact that Reyna's parents felt like they could attempt to manipulate, bully and intimidate the federation into doing what they wanted is proof of the nepotism in the federation.

 

I'd like to see the US begin hiring from the outside. Hire qualified general managers and coaches with zero ties to the federation. 

Unfortunately I don't think the outside hires will start until after they bring in a sporting director, most likely Oguchi Onyawu. Jesse Marsch is probably at the top of the list her manager too. After that we start hitting MLS retreads and European coaches not currently with a team.

[Digby]

13 hours ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

How much would it take for Pep to come over?

Manager salaries are hard to know but a quick Google suggests Pep was making $25 million a year approximately, which I think is about 12 times higher than Berhalter’s salary. So no.

 

Also, like, obviously his resume is wild but it’s also playing with cosmically well-funded clubs at the top of their leagues. Only so much of that would carry over to a national team setup, particularly one that’s mid-tier relative to other World Cup level teams. Probably would be smart to maybe poach someone who’s worked in coaching with him before though—aw damn it’s Reyna again.

 

I think one of the many things the /r/ussoccer crowd has wrong is how much interest that top-tier managers will have in the USMNT job. Pep’s not walking through that door. Zidane’s not walking through that door. Unless, maybe, someday, one of them is nearing retirement and likes the idea of a pet project. I’d like to think the current crop of the roster would attract a more qualified outsider than, say, Jurgen Klinsmann, but realistically how high can we expect here?

[Digby]

14 hours ago, Rockstar Matt said:

Not to rehash this because I've said this numerous times, but Berhalter is a tactically poor coach and promotes soccer terrorism.

There are valid criticisms to be made against Berhalter but “soccer terrorism”? Jeesh. 14th best in the world with 25 players who hadn’t even been in the program the previous cycle really isn’t so bad.

[Digby]

1 hour ago, MJWalker45 said:

Unfortunately I don't think the outside hires will start until after they bring in a sporting director, most likely Oguchi Onyawu. Jesse Marsch is probably at the top of the list her manager too.

You know some of the “but Gregg is TACTICALLY INFLEXIBLE” crowd are going to tie themselves in rhetorical knots to excuse a Marsch hiring and oh, how I will laugh.

 

I hope Marsch gets an assistant job on a solid Euro club rather than the NT (for now, anyway). He’s obviously a very smart dude but he also got totally exposed at two consecutive jobs in top-tier leagues. 

[MJWalker45]

3 minutes ago, Digby said:

You know some of the “but Gregg is TACTICALLY INFLEXIBLE” crowd are going to tie themselves in rhetorical knots to excuse a Marsch hiring and oh, how I will laugh.

 

I hope Marsch gets an assistant job on a solid Euro club rather than the NT (for now, anyway). He’s obviously a very smart dude but he also got totally exposed at two consecutive jobs in top-tier leagues. 

I had to deal with a Reyna supporter, who swears he's not, who kept trying to go with "Gregg's son was dropped by Austin" as a reason a national team coach would sit another player on the bench instead of simply not even bringing him as a distraction. Those same guys will be the NYRB fans that were pissed off when Marsch replaced Petke:

 

[BrySmalls]

In CCL news, Haiti's Violette AC upsets Austin FC 3-2 in the Round of 16!

 

Well done Violette AC!!

[Rockstar Matt]

9 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

Unfortunately I don't think the outside hires will start until after they bring in a sporting director, most likely Oguchi Onyawu. Jesse Marsch is probably at the top of the list her manager too. After that we start hitting MLS retreads and European coaches not currently with a team.

 

I think you're right. Really don't want Jesse either, even though he's better than Gregg, his teams also struggle mightily with scoring. He isn't ready to lead a NT yet, but Gregg wasn't either and the US still hired him anyways. 

 

I fully expect the US to hire a sporting director and manager who both have some ties to the federation and I'd be stunned if they didn't. Have to add that both could be fully qualified and competent enough to fill those roles even if they're former USMNT players, I just want to see the US get away from the buddy-buddy system they've been employing for a few decades.

 

7 hours ago, Digby said:

There are valid criticisms to be made against Berhalter but “soccer terrorism”? Jeesh. 14th best in the world with 25 players who hadn’t even been in the program the previous cycle really isn’t so bad.

 

Any somewhat competent coach could have gotten the USMNT to that same result. I'm not impressed with a finish that should be expected from the US, especially when you consider that the US didn't play well throughout any of the 4 games (aside from two 45-minute halves in seperate games).