It is de rigueur for American footie fans to weigh in on the search for the next USMNT manager, and we're nothing if not rigueurous, so we'll plunge right in. In our inimitable style, short on analytical rigor and long on winging it.
*Of considerable note, the Federation is peopled by cronyistic doofuses, which perhaps makes 2026 an even more do or die priority.
Others have suggested that we need a manager who's held the reins of a national side, and while I think that wouldn't hurt, I'm not sure it's mandatory. We need a coach with a track record of building teams that win. Full stop.
There have been a lot of names bandied about in the press, from big names like Jurgen Klopp to Americans having success in Europe like New Jersey's own Pellegrino Materazzo, who coaches TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, to MLS long-timers like Philadelphia Union's Jim Curtin. Those are all fine coaches, and if we can get Klopp, we should get Klopp - that would be a homerun hire on the field and in the boardroom. But he just left Liverpool because we was burned out, and he's reportedly rebuffed U.S. Soccer's initial entreaties. So we look elsewhere.
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| Look at this stud |
And if he's not, I'd like U.S. Soccer to hire either LAFC's Steve Cherundolo or Columbus Crew's Wilfried Nancy. Neither are particularly sexy, and there will be those who are gun-shy about hiring another coach directly from MLS after Gregg Berhalter's mixed tenure. Cherundolo and Nancy have very different profiles than Berhalter, however. The former is arguably the best outside back to ever represent the U.S., and played and coached in the Bundesliga before coming back the America to take the LAFC job. In his first two years in Los Angeles, Cherundolo won an MLS Cup and lost in the final of another. This year, his third in L.A., the club has the best record in the Western Conference. He checks the boxes for me, having international experience and a winning background.
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| This is the way |
He joined Columbus Crew next (which is the club Berhalter left to take the USMNT job), and proceeded to win MLS Cup by beating Cherundolo's LAFC in his first season at the helm in Ohio. His teams' playing style is proactive, flexible, and positive, all attributes that fit the American soccer mentality, and he's had immediate success at both of his professional stops.
U.S. Soccer's Matt Crocker has a lot of eyes on him as he makes the decision about the next manager for the national side. He's the same guy who flubbed the call to bring back Berhalter, so it's no stretch to say that this hire will determine the course of his career. He may be tempted to go for a known quantity. Wilfried Nancy won't move the needle in the public's mind, but he may well be the best bet for our 2026 hopes.
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29 comments:
now shannen doherty's left us. someone get eyes on madonna.
nancy’s crew went on the road and smacked cherundolo’s lafc, 5-1, last night. staked his claim to the job.
alcaraz tennised the fuck out of a gimpy djokovic
I was so excited for the final followed by the soccer finals that I devised an at home workout so I could see it all. Midway through the 3rd set I bailed and went to the gym.
Hoping soccer is a little more tense and exciting today.
shlara’s guy adam scott turning back the clock in scotland. worth a punt at the open next week, though i’m afraid his odds just got shorter.
wilifred nancy is a strong name.
our guy bob macintyre goes -3 over the final three holes to win his national open. proper sesh to follow.
decent sunday for spain
conmebol gonna conmebol
really strong dress rehearsal for the u.s. for the 2026 world cup. what an embarrassment.
Why are we supposed to be embarrassed about tonight?
we're hosting a major international event and the stadium security and event management is a clusterfuck.
Who is the “we”? Is it US Soccer? Is it CONMEBOL? Is it FIFA? Who is the organizer? These are stadiums that regularly host Super Bowls and sold out events. Seems unlikely the NFL would allow this to happen.
it’s a combination of conmebol, us soccer, and local officials. the patchwork of responsibilities may well be a big part of the issues. regardless, it’s not a great look for us.
Watching this soccer reminds me that I need a new pair of flops
Fair, but I’ll agree to disagree. This seems common for international soccer, including significant brawling inside and outside of the Euros stadiums. It looks like fans contributed to the problem tonight and yes, there may not have been enough security.
“We” have events like this that go off swimmingly all the time, including, I think, Copa America 2016. In this case it seems like the organizers were not prepared. I just don’t see it as embarrassing or a “bad look” for the US generally.
BTW, you could also argue that this is just evidence that the culture of hooliganism and depravity is alive and well in international soccer. I don’t buy that bullshit argument either.
I’ve set a PR for soccer watching today
two major soccer finals, two pga tour events, and the outside temps approximated the surface of the sun. i logged a good bit of time on the couch today.
Shakira still has her fastball. She also seems to have borrowed the Mr. Roboto costumes from Styx.
As Eli said hips don’t lie
which level copamerica tiebreaker is feigning serious injury to waste time effectively?
don't look now, but the indiana fever are 11-14, with wins over the liberty, mercury (x2), and the lynx. they've gone 10-6 in their last 16 after a rough start. caitlin clark has 194 assists through 25 games, already second all-time for a rookie. former odu great ticha penicheiro holds the record with 225. that one's all but broken, as long as clark stays healthy. she needs to average 8.1 apg over the rest of the season to break alyssa thomas' league record.
someone post something stupid and amusing, 'cause the real world is a fucking shit show.
i thought this post was going to be about who should replace biden.
So I'm starting a new job today and during the benefits overview someone says "Can you talk about Forkable" and I thought she said something else that sounds like Forkable but isn't really work appropriate so I was confused. It quickly became apparent that it's sort of like Uber Eats, but another woman in the group was also confused and she said "What's Forkable?" and it took every ounce of self-restraint I could muster to not laugh out loud.
the next post is about who should replace biden, dave. spoiler alert: it's wilfried nancy.
if trump wanted a guy with a beard to be his veep, he could've picked lindsay graham.
The judges also would have accepted Tim Scott
Tough anthem
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