What do you consider haven't won anything?
Under Berhalter they qualified for WC 2022 (something they didn't do in 2018).
They advanced out of their WC group. Lost to the Dutch in the Round of 16 but is the outcome different if Pulisic put away the ball in the 2nd mintue?
The won 2019 Gold Cup and Nations League. The only trophies we can win outside the WC. The only tournaments we are even ever invited to is COPA America and if chips fall right Federation Cup. There just aren't a lot of trophies out there and under Berhalter we did well. So its a bit off base to say we haven't won anything. That just not accurate.
Now as to your comment on our best players not playing in the US. They shouldn't. To be the best we can be they should go overseas. The soccer is better and the money is better. Do you complain when foreign players come to the NBA?
Now the one point I do agree on is our scoring. No question Berhalters first focus is on defense. And as a former keeper you'll never see me find fault with that! And for sure much of that has had to do with the lack of a #9 that could actually finish against a good team. With that said I do think Berhalter needs to change the attacking approach to not be so wing oriented. We have the tools now at the #9 (Balogun and Pepi) and attacking midfielders who can move the ball (Reyna and Musah) that we should be able to find penetration up the middle. Which then just makes the wing play of Pulisic and Weah even more dangerous.
Obviously this is something I am a tad passionate about .....lol. So not pinging on you Jeremy just laying out a different perspective.
For me, you look at the women's side and then the men's side and it's ugly. The women's side have been a dynasty for years, development, progression, replacement, stars, the works. Aside from this last couple year blip where I didn't think the coaches system worked on the largest scale, they have been the example.
The men have been an afterthought or a joke. Not even making the knockout rounds some years, olympic showings that are just sad, and constantly struggling to get those players playing overseas to come represent them. I have no problem with them playing overseas, that's not the issue, the issue is the current regime, Gregg included, wants the US to be a national power and the MLS to be a premier league alternative. It's just not there, and there are 100s of reasons why (too many options here vs soccer being everything other places, a broken youth "curriculum" and pipeline, youth sports being more of a money grab than a development platform, I could go on for a long time here, but I won't), they are MLS fanboys, and favor things way to heavily on that side. They would have to be prepared to lose millions to try to compete with the big European leagues, and they aren't.
But see that's the thing, he didn't get that goal, and he should have had multiple other chances. We are settling for small improvements and getting excited and we should be disgusted this is where we are as the USA. This is why the Saudi's are going for the throat and coming after the US domination of sports. They are throwing money at their problem like they did with LIV, and it's working in some areas. Ronaldo and Neymar both took the money. Messi said no, and I feel like that inspired MBappe to turn them down too, but if they keep it up, people will keep flocking there to grab the bag while they can, and before you know it that league will be more talented than anything we could throw at it. Why struggle to be the .01% and take little to nothing in college to play MLS, when you could go to Saudi, and get way more money?
It comes down to the parts you have and don't. Coaches ego ruins teams. Trying to fit round pegs into square holes cause you're the coach and you think THIS is the only way to play. The women lost because of that. Trying to run Vlatko's system and play from the strikers back led to too much 1v1 and forwards trying to do everything, and got away from that midfield wings in approach that worked for us for years. If you don't have that take over a game unstoppable striker, don't try to run the system made for one. If you don't have great passing wings, don't try to run the offense through them. You see it as young at the little kids these days. Entire clubs are falling for it now, following this horrible curriculum the US made, which makes way too many assumptions about your roster and individual talent. But they just keep cashing the checks, as players get frustrated and leave some other sucker will come along willing to write a check. Too many watered down teams/clubs.
