Chernobyl – USMNT edition
CINCINNATI — There was a moment during Gregg Berhalter’s press conference yesterday where everything felt different. Berhalter intimated that he expected the press coverage of the match to suggest that the sky was falling for the U.S. men’s national team (USMNT). And while he pretended this wouldn’t affect him and his team, based on his perturbed visage, Berhalter wouldn’t win at Texas Hold ‘Em.
This is the new reality for Berhalter. While he could largely do no wrong at Columbus Crew – since his omnipresence and honesty stood in direct contrast to the absence and duplicity of Precourt’s ownership – USMNT supporters are already starting to question every decision Berhalter makes.
Perhaps that’s normal.
Perhaps Berhalter is dealing with the consequences of decisions that precede him. Many of these decisions perhaps made above his paygrade.
Perhaps he is USMNT’s Vasily Ignatenko; bravely holding a fire hose in his hand. Blissfully unaware that he stands in a sea of radioactive graphite. While he focuses on the fire, the real dangers pre-exists him and will likely remain – for a long time – once he’s gone.
What got us to a Chernobyl moment
This USMNT fan base has been patient for years. After the 2014 World Cup exit against Belgium, there was widespread optimism for the future of the men’s program. Experienced head coach Jurgen Klinsmann was expected to bring through an exciting core group of players. Signs were initially positive; big wins against Cuba, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Bolivia during the next couple of years, catalyzed by emerging talent Christian Pulisic, seemed to affirm the dreams of the USMNT fan base.
But then, things deteriorated. Acerbic Klinsmann was fired, braggadocious safe-choice Arena was hired, the 10,000 roentgen after 10/10/17, Proschay Прощай Arena, and USMNT’s Chernobyl moment had arrived. Sunil Gulati – USMNT’s Anatoly Dyatlov – at first pretended all was OK with the program and then decided to resign from his head honcho position in the nuclear power plant that is the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
This was followed by 18 months that included –
The shitshow of a presidential election.
Lawsuits, baby.
The opaque technical director search.
English speaking managers only, please.
Did we really only speak to one candidate?
Wait, the guy involved in hiring you is your brother?
Where we are
Berhalter is fighting a nuclear explosion with a fire hose. For the first time, yesterday, he looked like perhaps he was beginning to realize what he was up against.
After his press conference, attention shifted to his “excuses”; for example, his position that the first and third goals were offside. But, he was right about that.
More pertinent were questions related to his tactical and personnel decisions.
Where we’re going
There are significant concerns about his desire to play possession football. While everyone agrees that is admirable, does he have the players to execute this style? It’s too early to say. It is very important to note that the issues yesterday were defensive distribution errors (Steffen’s horrendous pass into midfield) and two poor defensive actions (letting Rondon flick on the ball for the second, and getting beat one-on-one on the third).
It is also worth noting that the USMNT created a handful of chances in the second half – particular down the right side – using the same possession-style of football.
So, perhaps the problem is more to do with the transitional play, rather than in-possession play.
For those of us who have been following the game long enough to observe cyclical changes, this is not unfamiliar. Teams that have tried to transition into possession play (for example, Manchester City under Guardiola or Man United under Louis van Gaal), have experienced these same growing pains.
Aaron Long, Wil Trapp, Cristian Roldan, Matt Miazga and Zack Steffen are players who were particularly poor yesterday. Whether or not they survive the paradigmatic change will be interesting to watch.
Whether players such as the returning Pulisic, Altidore, Zardes, Morris, etc – associated with success in counter-attacking systems – can adapt to patient buildup play, also remains to be seen.
Another problem for Berhalter is that one of the players who may be a solution – Michael Bradley – is a divisive figure in terms of ascribed player quality.
The breakdown of Uranium
Change takes time. And, disaster relief requires patience, resources and the right leadership.
In terms of patience, an understandably agitated USMNT supporter base is currently the equivalent of the corium Elephant’s Foot – dormantly lying under Reactor 4 at Chernobyl – but latent with potent radioactivity if disturbed.
In terms of resources, whether or not Berhalter has the right pieces to implement his style of play remains, at best, equivocal. There are well-reasoned questions about the suitability of certain players to a possession-style system. As well as Berhalter’s decision to exclude Josh Sargent from the Gold Cup roster.
In terms of right leadership, I believe Berhalter is the right man for the job. But, the leadership around him within U.S. Soccer? They’re the equivalent of pencil-pushers sitting in a radiation-free bunker, pretending that a Chernobyl-like nuclear explosion has not occurred. Surrounded by yes-men, insulated from the soccer landscape at large, and mostly concerned with whether or not the adjacent turbine is generating them revenue and power.
Vasily Ignatenko was one of the first responders to the fire at Chernobyl. He was brave, honest and had it been a fire, he would’ve been described as prepared. It wasn’t a fire, it was a nuclear disaster. And ultimately, it meant dire consequences for him.
Perhaps Berhalter won’t make it at USMNT. But, a lot of that will be for reasons that he could never have controlled to begin with.
Follow Nipun on Twitter: NipunChopra7.
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