Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett: Why USMNT Soccer Continues to Disappoint | The Rich Eisen Show

Men in Blazer’s Roger Bennett and Rich Eisen discuss the continued mediocrity/disappointment of USMNT soccer on the world stage.
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[@madnessontheisland]

Roger is a national treasure. We need sane voices like his leading the conversation on the future of the game in the US.

[@Foolrain89]

Rich covering soccer? Love to see it! More please!

[@coachelly86]

football!!!!! jk idc

[@japaniagua]

“We lost to a Van Halen single” 🤣 savage

[@Mike-mi6ht]

I want this man to narrate my life when I’m gone

[@eatmoremusic3650]

Rog!!! Men In Blazers is the best, I listen everyday.

[@khogg3581]

Sammy Hagar? Oh, Rog. That was a David Lee Roth joint.

[@eatmoremusic3650]

It’s not Van Hagar

[@chriskey7440]

Even though Weah got a red card against Panama, we went 1-0 up!! Colombia went a man down against Uruguay and gutted it out, while our team crumbled because of Berhalters decisions, mainly to switch to a back 5, instead of staying at a 4-4-1. Plus, we hit third in WCQ!! Berhalter never should've been rehired after his contract was up

[@spewdice847]

never should have been hired in the first place...

[@chriswinchester679]

People who say that Weah's red card somehow "isn''t on the coach" are looking at these things as isolated incidents rather than a part of the larger pattern they are. It isn't Weah's red card by itself that's the problem. It's that these things *kept happening* under Berhalter. Here's an analogy I would make to put it in NFL terms: Say a team loses a game because on the final drive a defender punches an opponent and the penalty puts the other team in position to kick the winning field goal as time expires. If that happens once, you blame the player for being stupid. If it keeps happening game after game, that lands on the coaches. To bring it back to soccer, Weah's red card wasn't the first under Berhalter. In fact, during his six years in charge, his squads have had more than 25% of all the red cards for the USMNT since 1990 (5/19). Several of those were monumentally stupid ones, too. So either Berhalter wasn't focused on discipline as an issue, despite evidence that it needed addressing, or he was and his message was being ignored by the team. Both of those don't speak very well of his skills at management. And that's all *before* you get into team selection, everything surrounding the Reyna incident, and a lack of leadership in general. He might not have been *the* problem, but he was definitely *a* problem, and he was one that was easiest to solve quickly.

[@geraldbauler6565]

Sergino Dest's red card against Trinadad & Tobago cost them a game roughly 6 or 7 months ago. Berhalter had no control of his team.

[@bsanders16]

We went on that dizzying journey in 2002 and were a bullshit non-handball call in the box against Germany from potentially going to the semis. What a magical run that was!

[@will27ns]

If Iceland can do it, we can do it!!

[@JT-rx1eo]

The German defender on the goal line didn't move his arm did he?

[@bsanders16]

@@JT-rx1eo yes - in this day and age with VAR, def a pen

[@1972dsrai]

That was 22 years ago. As the song goes “what have you done for me lately”? The US cannot play club football at international level. You need someone who can get the best out of your players playing a more pragmatic style which works better in tournament football where you can use their speed and athleticism by being tough to break down and play counter attacking football. Its all about winning at this level, not how attractive you are to watch. France, England and Argentina all play like this and they’ve got world class players to hopefully create moments of magic on the break.

[@1972dsrai]

@@will27nsGreece and Denmark have even won the Euro’s. The US needs to adopt a more pragmatic style for tournament football where its all about winning and stop trying to play a style its not suited to and is also less effective against the big teams. Its as if it wants to show everyone how good they are when no one cares.

[@coachesalot]

Berhalter was hired by his brother…..he had no proven success as a coach! The USSF is a broken Federation - period! They hired Berhalter - twice! This pool of players excluded several others based on merit! Gee - do you think MLS sitting on the USSF board is a problem? Does MLS nit having relegation impede the development of US players and coaches? Does having Arthur Blank and few billionaires with no soccer background controlling the Federation for Mo teary means compromise our ability to compete? Come on you guys - you can’t see the elephant in the room - MONEY.

[@OswaldPHaygood]

Panama was David Lee Roth, Rog, not the inferior frontman, Sammy Hagar.

[@ivangarcia2523]

Soccer on Eisen show!? What a Friday! This was fun to watch

[@AndrewsArchives]

Meanwhile, Canada is already reaping the benefits of a great young coach in Jesse Marsch

[@BC-th3mx]

Canada is trash, USA would've advanced too if they played half their games against 10 men

[@Stormie33]

A great young American coach no less. USNMT had their shot to hire him some time ago but they stuck with Berhalter. Now that ship's sailed. After Berhalter's firing, Marsch had some strong words on the USSF leadership and how he felt they mistreated him.

[@1972dsrai]

This proves you don’t necessarily need a big name. You need someone who can get the best out of this team and who ideally has experience of international/tournament football. I think Bielsa would be a good shout if you could get him. He could get this team playing a lot better adopting a more pragmatic style, playing counter attacking football. You’ve got a lot of young athletic players who aren’t the most technically gifted so it would suit them better.

[@ButteryAftertaste]

He touched on something only briefly that I believe is worth mentioning a great deal more: entitlement of the players and coaches. It's one thing to be confident. It's another entirely to believe you deserve something. Even the Argentina's and Spain's of the world don't play and carry themselves with as much entitlement as the USMNT currently does.

[@markregulus556]

The money constraint argument is always interesting to me. There is likely no shortage of American soccer benefactors willing to bankroll a top-tier USMNT coach for the 2026 World Cup in the USA. If money is used as an excuse, it is because the US Soccer Federation has failed to be creative.

[@benoitwaffle5439]

Klopp is coming off a $20 million salary, Tuchel $10 million, and Simone Inzaghi turned down 20 million euros from Al Ittihad. National teams don't have the money of the big money clubs. They don't play enough games to generate the revenue, and no American soccer benefactor is writing an eight figure check to bankroll this fantasy. It is either ignorant of people to put out the possibility or simply irresponsible. Germany's DFB head Ralph-Uwe Schaffert said openly that they cannot afford Klopp, but American media is putting it out there that the US does. It is ridiculous.

[@tripperdelaluna1]

Would they have to pay Emma Hayes the same amount?

[@osage1948]

America's USNMT continues to disappoint because it continues to be administered, managed and coached by folks who are inferior to the football adminstrators, managers and coaches in nations where football (soccer) has MUCH MORE history. The MAJOR reason USNMT player talent has visibly improved is that our best players are trained, coached and developed by foreign soccer managers/coaches/teams who have MUCH MORE experience and knowledge of game. And it's not limited to the team managers/coaches. The U. S. player development system itself is inadequate and flawed. In recreational, traveling, high school and college soccer in America, many/most of the coaches have little or no personal experience, and therefore no genuine understanding of the game. They don't know how to recognize/analyze player talent and ability. They don't know how to further develop their players. They don't know how to create winning teams based on the individual and combined talents and abilities of their players. In a nutshell, you've got the blind leading the blind. Also, anyone who believes that Bruce Arena or Bob Bradley were competent high level soccer (football) managers is part of the problem.

[@sterlingmarshel6299]

simple. We have a USSF that is always looking for American Coaches or nepo coaches. Why? The goal is to improve the squad and get the talent on the field that gels. All the performances are disjointed. The "success" has been glossed over by some tournament wins over Mexico ( who currently suck). Get in a European coach who understands tactics and team building.

[@wuxiagamescentral]

Rich should get the Straight Red Card guys on.

[@hattorihanzo2275]

'02 was a nice USMNT run. FIFA jobbed us to Germany. Frings wasn't called for the blatant handball.

[@RMgolf]

It’s pretty simple. We’re not very talented, we have a handful of players that play top club football, we have almost no depth to draw from and all of our talented athletes play other sports. The top nations in world football delegate all their talent to their number 1 sport. Soccer in the US is 5th maybe 6th on our sport tier list.

[@quincee3376]

True. If u include college sports i bet soccer is around 7th or 8th.

[@RMgolf]

@@quincee3376 didn’t even think of including that, I love that take

[@yojlik]

5:55 essentially, USMNT are the Sunderland of international football? makes perfect sense

[@blackwidowsm]

Except sunderlund has one of football best histories only recent times, have they fell on hard times.

[@richiepalooza]

More of this!!!

[@H-Vox]

GGG looks like a bald Richie from The Bear in the thumbnail

[@kylecasey144]

In defense of Sammy, David Lee roth sang Panama...

[@julesmo323]

There is no defense for Sammy.

[@yuhgod]

Love the soccer coverage

[@kanzaki0001]

Football is pay walled here in America. You won’t find the diamond in the rough this way.

[@007ndc]

I don't doubt the talent on the men's team but I certainly have doubts about the clowns running the USMNT

[@Delboy0]

Rob is not being honest. The USMNT are more technically gifted than previous generations because they mostly came out of the MLS academy system that gave them better basic training as kids of the previous generations because they were more professionally trained as kids. But there have been much stronger and mentally tougher US teams than this one. Yes, there are more Americans in the top leagues of Europe, but I feel this is because European clubs have a new appreciation for the commercial value of American players. It didn’t go unnoticed by big European clubs that when Pulisic joined Chelsea, the US TV rights for the Premier League quadrupled in value. So they are buying American players in the hope of increasing the revenues in a booming soccer environment.

[@jbalaba2]

Roger is easily the funniest man in US sports media

[@tonydejesus2134]

Excuse me, Roger - David Lee Roth, not Sammy Hagar.

[@rogbenn]

I might have my American citizenship revoked for this one Tony

[@tonydejesus2134]

@@rogbenn 😂

[@v0n1b0]

Yup, Diamond Dave in 1984

[@fernandogalindo767]

Calling pulisic lebron james is wild 😂 Lebron James is a consensus top to basketball player EVER. Pulisic had to find a new team in a ‘lower’ league because he was riding the bench……he may be the best American player ever but there’s levels to this…..in nba terms pulisic is closer to porzingas than Lebron

[@loganleroy8622]

Just say you don't understand the reference where that line comes from. Rog was quoting the line, not a de novo comparison. It's from a TV show where a guy who is very unknowledgeable about USA Soccer history calls him the Lebron James of Soccer. That line has stuck.

[@OrangeCounty-zq1qs]

J Klopp to USMNT has as much chance as Bill Belichick becoming head coach at Georgia Tech

[@bbg9585]

It would be like Gregg Popovich taking over for the Chinese Men's National Team.

[@ricomajestic]

@@bbg9585 Pretty sure if the money is right he would take the job!

[@1972dsrai]

He’s already said no to it. The US FA say they put in a serious offer to him, but how serious was it actually, how much did they offer him or was it simply to placate US fans so they can say they at least tried. No point speaking with him and only offering him $5m pa when he was one of the highest paid managers on the planet at Liverpool.

[@camATX]

Roger Bennett is the best.

[@mattravidam4q]

**cough cough*** Canada also in that final four ;)

[@rayes7331]

🇨🇦💪🙌

[@bbg9585]

Coaching isn't really the primary issue with the USMNT. It's the talent level. Could a better coach get slightly better results? Probably. But they would need an entirely new roster to be a real contender. There are too many other sports in this country that are far more popular than soccer, including football, which has forced soccer into a different name.

[@JT-rx1eo]

It's not an issue of there being "too many" other sports in this country "far more popular" than soccer. It's the size and quality of the soccer culture that exists in the United States. Much different question with a much different answer.

[@1972dsrai]

A better more experienced coach would make a huge difference to this team. The first thing you need to do is change the style of play which isn’t suited to tournament football. It has to be a lot more pragmatic, tougher to break down and playing on the counter. It would suit the US where you don’t have enough technically gifted players, but they are young and athletic. Play to your strengths and stop trying to prove to the world you can play football. At this level all that matters is winning, not how attractive you are to watch.

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

You don't know what you're talking about.

[@PilotDaveLI]

The LeBron James of soccer? Stop.

[@camATX]

It's a well known meme in world soccer. That's his nickname.

[@haydenfisher3095]

he's joking

[@JT-rx1eo]

Of US soccer. You forgot that specific detail.

[@michaelsosa8950]

USMNT is still a pay to play program despite what officials try to say. Our very best young players do not have the means to play for travel teams and college coaches are too lazy to go out and deeply scout talent (I once had a argument with a college coach over this laziness). Being a former 20 year high school coach, I’ve seen incredible talent who had the potential to go further, but because of their region of residence and economic standing never got a look at. Until US soccer completely scraps its method of ID’ing players, we will never be competitive at the world level

[@BarDownBully2508]

You know why? Because it’s not about the program. It’s about the players. The sense of entitlement is poison. If we had the same players and we were the size of Iceland we’d have better results with less media

[@alexlazaridisf.7276]

According to Bielsa, Bolivia weren’t able to train due to how they were treated by the organizers and the lack of field to work on. So the USA’s victory over Bolivia seems that much more meaningless.

[@SortOfEggish]

USMNT fans should simply lower their expectations rather than shaming our team for never winning a historically difficult competition like the World Cup. The average fan is CLUELESS to this sport and therefore expect some undefeatable team after expressing only hate toward the staff, and the players all over social and traditional media

[@BC-th3mx]

💯

[@tomtalley2192]

No one expects them to win a World Cup, but we expect them to compete. Did you see how outclassed they were by Panama, down a man? That performance deserved a firing. Columbia beat Uruguay down a man. They should beat Panama down a man. Let’s not even talk about the loss to T&T that cost a World Cup berth. Also, the team was more cohesive when he was gone.

[@mrvee5395]

Winning the World Cup is a bit different from failing to finish ahead of Panama in the group. It's a bit different than all but losing to Jamaica in the Nations League Semifinals and needing the ref and own goal to bail him out. It's a bit different than finishing level with Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying and only going through to the WC on goal differential. It's a bit different than choosing an average MLS coach to coach the National Team just because his brother was the one who did the hiring. The basic reason Berhalter should have been fired is that he shouldn't have been hired in the first place.

[@user-sc8dl6zk3j]

When America wanted to break free from England the world said they were being ambitious and should lower their expectations. We are the offspring of dreamers who obtain the unobtainable! We will figure it out….we always do!

[@bbg9585]

@@tomtalley2192 The average USMNT fans seems to think that a World Cup semi is a reasonable expectation. Keep in mind that the program has a single World Cup knockout win in its entire history. And that's when it lucked into playing Mexico, just about the best possible matchup. And what does the Trinidad and Tobago loss have to do with anything? Berhalter wasn't even the coach when that happened.

[@derekwoodschannel589]

Christian Pulisic is more like the Naz Reid of soccer, not the LeBron James.

[@loganleroy8622]

That's literally Pulisic's tagline. He is the "Lebron James of Soccer". Which is true; he's probably the most gifted Soccer player the world has seen, excluding all of the players he goes up against that prefer to play Football, of course.

[@derekwoodschannel589]

@@loganleroy8622 That's funny, it took me a minute to get it though!

[@May-ve6sr]

Seems like the first question should be why he was rehired? The people or person who rehired him are getting off for free.

[@somethingcleverhere]

"The lebron of soccer"...I see he kept the English trait of overselling their players...

[@ryannovak4233]

this is a tongue in cheek reference to a Pawn Stars episode where they call him the Lebron James of soccer to oversell a jersey. It's a pretty big meme phrase for USMNT fans

[@magnuscroify]

Funny interview. Almost zero insight or analysis. What is beyond clear is that the majority of our players lack a true instinctual feel for the game. And there is clearly way too much interest in ineffectual tactics - ineffectual because the players lack the individual skill sets needed to pull them off.

[@BlackWinterDay66]

Speaking of Band of Brothers at 4:25, Roger hosted the podcast review of that series where he did interviews with some of the cast/crew. Great stuff.

[@manunava4733]

stop it Rich stop it. its soccer

[@stevejay1337]

Atrocious Van Halen reference. Panama is a David Lee Roth written song

[@obscurecamera24]

Who else wants Rog as the head of the USMNT🙋‍♀️

[@1972dsrai]

The US plays like it has a point to prove while the rest of the world is just focussed on winning.

[@benjaminharrison5342]

I dont think he even answered the question. Was it because theyre too cozy and playing over complicated football? Is that his professional opinion? My translation for that is the American team is lazy and not as good as it thinks it is. Am I wrong?

[@KnucklSandwich]

Rich - Why do your crappy Jets disappoint every year? That's the real question.

[@andresd6193]

The main problem with US soccer is that it keeps hiring nothing but European coaches that coach a European style of play, and yet the base of the players and fans are of Latin American descent. They keep looking east to Europe instead of looking south which is where they need to look, get a coach from Argentina or Brazil or Colombia. US soccer is stuck in neutral since Bora coached the team in 94, since then zero progress has been made. It is not an inferiority complex, it is a superiority complex where the people that direct US soccer somehow don't know geography and think that the US is located in Europe and therefore completely ignored south America and 10 world cup wins and just look to Europe. The United States is not a European country and about 90% of their international games are played in the Americas so that's the style of soccer you need to be coaching to be able to compete. No European coach has ever been successful coaching in the Americas so as long as they keep hiring European coaches, mostly Germans, or north American coaches that coach European style soccer, the US will go nowhere in soccer.

[@ALLBASKETBALLTV1]

Get Xavi!

[@1972dsrai]

He’s not the guy for you. He’s also a club manager who’s used to coaching top quality players. The US needs someone who’s experienced in international tournament football and can implement a more pragmatic style of play where you’re tougher to break down and play counter attacking football. Someone like Bielsa would be ideal if you could get him. You can’t play club football at the world cup. Top teams will shred you.

[@ALLBASKETBALLTV1]

@@1972dsrai 😂 Bielsa literally doesn’t know how to use his players in Uruguay. Valverde is one of the best midfielders in the world but he managed to not use him.

[@dougwalker257]

Love USMNT...but Pulisic is more like the Jalen Brunson of soccer.

[@user-ww4ek8qz4v]

I think they should look at Carlo Ancelotti

[@1972dsrai]

He’s leaving Real to coach the US? Really? Also, Klopp has turned down the offer from you guys.

[@user-ww4ek8qz4v]

@@1972dsrai I said, the USMNT should take a look at Carlo Ancelotti for US Coach.

[@jdstan9650]

I love Roger...but that word salad tasted terrible...

[@mosinc7388]

Because real men don't care about soccer

[@ralphrex9118]

Rich you may want to find a club in England that reflects your Jets, I’d like to suggest my beloved Queens Park Rangers, London lost heroes but crucially on the up!

[@whatevername8551]

Yes, the Jets should be relegated

[@luvrete]

...and we countinue and will continue, to lose these small countries that the US media disparages. Perhaps we need to start looking at how they operate internally?

[@joshuakatherine6251]

It's simple. Our best athletes play other sports.

[@derekwoodschannel589]

Not so simple, we have about a population of 350 million people, about 7X the size of most European soccer powers. Over 2.2 million boys are in youth soccer, the entire population of Uruguay is 3.4 million. Many of our best athletes are in soccer from a young age, we need to do a better job developing our talent and stop making excuses.

[@benoitwaffle5439]

@@derekwoodschannel589 7 of the players on the US roster either never lived in the US or have had no memory of ever having lived in the US, and an 8th is Timothy Weah who lived the citizen of the world life afforded a son of a legend but joined the PSG academy at 14. This means 1/3 of the supposedly best men's soccer players (this is without Dest, Maloney, Sonora, and Pekok who have also been in the mix while having minimal connection) in the US have little to no connection to the US other than access to a passport. You literally have more members of the national cricket team who have lived in the US than the soccer team, and no one claims cricket has resonance in the US. Now, either the ringers US Soccer is recruiting yer unable to beat Panama are improperly assessed as being better than players who actually grew up in the US, or the athletes who are playing soccer in the US aren't anywhere close to the best the US has to offer.

[@derekwoodschannel589]

@@benoitwaffle5439 You make such a good point! US Soccer has been so pathetic at developing talent. It is crazy that the best way to make the USMNT is to actually have as little contact with US Youth Soccer as possible. The pay for play system weeds out hundreds of thousands of kids from immigrant families who live and die by the sport. The stupid traveling across the country for tournaments where players play 3-4 games are also such a waste of resources too. US Youth Soccer and its private clubs are elitist, entitled institutions that waste resources and keep the sport from developing.

[@benoitwaffle5439]

​@@derekwoodschannel589 The problem with what you claimed about the US youth structure is that the same infrastructure exists for girls as boys. The women produce far and away the best players of anywhere in the world. The infrastructure is awful. It is wrong classist, and a remnant of travel soccer being effectively being a white flight sport. Nobody in US soccer likes to admit that their success came as a result of that benefit, which is why so little is done to address it. That said, having high school seasons run opposite football and in warm weather states basketball forcing kids to choose at an early age doesn't help matters either. One, it absolutely hurts the quality of play for the kids who cannot afford travel soccer and play at the hs level. Two, it ignores the reality that those football and basketball are the two most popular sports for boys, which is why they have the best athletes. Girls don't play football, and soccer gets better athletes as a result. Not every guy would choose to play soccer in the spring if it was there, but some would in the same way they did prior to having to choose among the sports. Much like there are a whole lot of NFL players whose favorite sport was basketball until they realized no college was offering them a chance to hoop, a whole of scrawny fast coordinated football players might have found more opportunities had continuing to play soccer still been possible in hs.

[@derekwoodschannel589]

@@benoitwaffle5439 You make a lot of good points, but I would say the US Women have been the best in the work for 2 reasons. #1 Title 9 in the US got more girls in youth sports and leagues then almost anywhere else in the world, its impact on women's athletics has been huge in a number of sports. #2 Like you said, there is no football option for girls, so more go to soccer. However, the USWNT's time of reigning supreme is almost over. Europe has caught up and now all the big clubs have women's sides that are very competitive with strong youth systems. The same problems of our youth leagues that exist for the boys will plaque the girls as other nations will soon catch up to and pass the USWNT.

[@davinalopez-oz1ez]

because they are not that good jeez

[@pentu7738]

MLS defenses ard 3rd class at best.

[@michaelp772]

The US Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[@brian_dunne]

I don't need the USMNT manager to be an American. He doesn't even need to speak English. Call Marcelo Bielsa, but if you want results.

[@claudiogonzalez9330]

Other countries' best athletes play soccer. Ours dont.

[@JT-rx1eo]

The "athletes" that play American football and basketball would not generally make great soccer players. Ask this question instead: do American elite soccer players suffer in terms of athleticism in comparison to the world's elite soccer players? The answer? No. It's always been a poor excuse.

[@TheOsfania]

It's simple, people. Get rid of American football and the US will dominate men's soccer worldwide.

[@sterlingmarshel6299]

why that simple - simple minded

[@whatevername8551]

Rog!!!!

[@HomerSimpson-u6t]

There a scene in "Oppenheimer" He's suggesting to (Paraphrasing) Harry Truman that he will be judged for making the "Bomb" and Truman tells him that no one will give a ST about who made it but rather who decided to drop it. As a US citizen who grew up in Europe as an Army Brat and can appreciate the game of football - I have to admit that I had no idea that the US still had a Football Notational Team...

[@DEVILS_advocate05]

We need to accept that we just not good at foot ball

[@JT-rx1eo]

Oh that's a winning mentality 😂.

[@ricomajestic]

We are looking in the wrong places to form these teams! The best players are not in college or in soccer academies!

[@ajbianchi85]

I miss Rog and Davo

[@RG-zp2qw]

The USA put so much faith in Pulisic and I wonder why so much faith. He was sitting in the bench at Chelsea and many of the American players in Europe play in small teams. And Pulisic's commercial of him trying to put a soccer ball through a basketball hoop for a deodorant commercial? Maybe he should have practiced shooting at an actual goal. The USA does not have the pedigree of players capable of competing at the world stage. The professional league promotes mediocracy. No consequennces for being last in the league, no promotion or relegation. That just breeds mediocracy and that is why US soccer will never be great at the world stage.

[@99.8Survivor]

America's best athletes don't play soccer. Imagine Brazil putting together an American football team to play the Chiefs. Ain't happening. US soccer is mediocre at best. Keep your expectations real.

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

That's complete and utter BS. You're assumption that because an athlete is good at one sport he would be dominant in another is idiotic. Not only that.. in MLB and NBA most of the top players aren't even American..

[@99.8Survivor]

@@_Jake.From.Statefarm_ Your assumption is that if an athlete is better at basketball, etc they will pick soccer instead.

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

@@99.8Survivor No, it is that they will generally stick with the one that best suits them. Or did you think that Tiger Woods would be the best wide receiver of all time?

[@Darkbluedevil]

Our best American athletes dont play soccer.

[@JP-xq7fo]

Messi wouldn’t have had a chance here playing soccer growing up cause of people whom think your bullshit take is correct…

[@BC-th3mx]

Because they wouldn't have been good enough since they actually have to compete with other countries

[@mrvee5395]

Athleticism is not remotely the problem. DeAndre Yedlin was the fastest player in the Premier League at one point. He wasn't in the Premier League for long though. And he hasn't seen the National Team in quite some time either.

[@Darkbluedevil]

​@@JP-xq7fo spoken like a 5'8" average white guy!

[@rayes7331]

Your best American athletes wouldn't be able to cut it playing real football, it's too much of everything all at once, they wouldn't be handle it cuz while they talk big they're very soft compared footballers 😂

[@EveryHappening]

Our team is such a talented group that going a man down against Panama meant our tremendous skill and accomplishments in the game were only able to manage 115 completed passes in 70 Minutes of play with a possession percentage of 24% and a pass completion percentage of 56%! So basically? The coach is to blame for these players having zero understanding of how to pass, move and maintain possession? That was Berhalter’s fault? They don’t think that, “hey, defending is hard. You know what’s easier, to hold possession”! And for all of you USMNT SIMP’s who will say, “but we were a man down and Berhalter made us defensive”. Berhalter made us kick the ball down the field to counter! Really? Also, Chile went down a man against Canada in the 25th minute. They still maintained 54% of the possession and over 500 passes in the game. They did nothing with it but they still maintained the ball. So a man down is not an excuse against a 53rd ranked team. Or… a shocking consideration is that our players aren’t good and if this is the most talented generation, what would a top coach actually do for them!? This is their level. Pulisic and Robinson are the only players that are decent. Though I dare say them Pulisic proves time and time again that he is ineffective without good players around him when playing poor teams. “He scores lots of goals for us”, some might say. Yeah, against teams like Mexico and Honduras or Trinidad and Tobago! He was lost against Panama and Uruguay. Anyways, anyone claiming we have good players and are where we are because we don’t have a good coach has essentially forfeited their right to say anything meaningful about the game for failing to recognize even the most basic talents required to be considered top talents. We have no idea what that actually looks like!

[@jefffch]

USMNT has no patriotism. They also have no pressure to win. There is more pressure in the NFL NBA and MLB. If soccer ever trumps the major sports in the US things will improve for US soccer. But we all know that will never happen.

[@JP-xq7fo]

Unfortunately for you Copa America and Euro’s are setting viewership records as well as English Premier League

[@bburkie55]

Roger pointed out the first time EVER the USMNT can field 11 players from the 5 power European Leagues. Yes they might be n those teams, but they aren't STARS on those teams or in their respective leagues.

[@guadalupev30]

People said soccer can take over US sports, NFL gave it the back of the hand.

[@BC-th3mx]

@@bburkie55 They'd be better off starting in other leagues

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

@@guadalupev30 Yeah because 60% of NFL fans have never touched a football and just follow the trend.. Go to any super bowl party and you'll find out why it's so "popular" here. Most of them couldn't explain to you what a post route is..

[@evanmurphey]

England barely qualified for a final and is probably about to lose it, can’t wait till they get lit up by Spain

[@JamesCM86]

Jealously won’t solve your sorry teams issues, can’t wait until the USMNT gets embarrassed in their own back yard in 2026.

[@MichaeldeSousaCruz]

You just stated exactly why we won’t win, all of our players are scattered among the top 5 leagues of the world. That’s not laudable, that’s the problem. No cohesion. They don’t know each other. They don’t play together. We’ll never win with everyone scattered about. Fix that!

[@andrew348]

Dumb. The same is true for every other European nation.

[@bbg9585]

@@andrew348 But the European countries have much better players than we do.

[@MichaeldeSousaCruz]

@@andrew348 no, you’re wrong

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

@@bbg9585 Almost every single starter for the US plays and starts on a big club in Europe.. wtf are you talking about. lmao.

[@catherinewilliams9680]

the problem with the Mens team is that I don't know anyone on the team. I know the names of several former women's players. Other than Landon Donovan, I can't name of a single men's player. And Landon has been retired for over five years.

[@al.n.darodda6183]

Overhyped talentless athletes

[@matdrat]

You can solve this problem by stop fielding a USMNT.

[@dapperdan343]

Exactly, soccer is more theater than sport. Tie games, chronic diving, and one ref that has way too much influence over the game need to be fixed before the majority of Americans will tune in.

[@Gabbagool345]

@@dapperdan343spoken like a true American! Out of touch, lacking of anything of substance, and outright wrong! I’ll bet my house that you support trump!

[@JP-xq7fo]

@@dapperdan343have you watched the Euros or English Premier League?

[@justinconnealy9078]

Why is he asking a Brit?

[@hijinks21]

How dare you, rog is as American as Apple pie is

[@camATX]

He's an American, and we love him.

[@frankhenley5474]

I'm sorry, but this guy is just awful. US Football is a joke, from the "play-for-pay" youth system, 3rd and 4th tier athletes on the men's side, no real local, amateur club system, no promotion/relegation, under promoted open tourneys, and MLS is a joke where great players used go to die and get a final paycheck before the Saudi League ended all that! This show needs better real football analysts.

[@frankhenley5474]

The fact that he's a fakata Liverpool supporter should be disqualifying from the get-go!

[@SingleMaltMac]

I wonder if Landon Donovan would be considered for the US Coach?

[@dennisnguyen8105]

DEI and Woke policies destroyed our team. We need real soccer players whose great grandparents came over from Western European and who love both the bible and their guns to be on our national team. Lalas as head coach. Carli Lloyd as enforcer - grand inquisitor.

[@StarboundUK]

Go look at who plays for France, England, Spain & Netherlands.... Many of their star players descendents of African diaspora...

[@dennisnguyen8105]

@@StarboundUK those were Nordic players who had plastic surgery to change their race to please their woke federations. Pele was white! Don't be fooled. Usain Bolt, Swedish! Don't believe what you see.

[@scoop1127]

Pochettino -> USMNT.