As kids, Haji Wright and Christian Pulisic always thought they'd play together on the USMNT. It took years longer than expected, but they finally did in a special moment against Morocco.
I'm curious about your last paragraph, and the USMNT team being 'riven by factions' five years ago. Was this something that was obvious to reporters following the team? Could you see it coming a year before the WC? Or did it just sneak up on the team in the final months, and contributed to their poor showing? That team obviously didn't feel 'right' at that WC, but up until now I haven't seen that mentioned in an article.
Strauss, Grant, and other noted writers covered the divide throughout the Klinsmann era but it all came out once he was fired and Arena couldn't right the ship to get enough results to get to Russia.
If I recall correctly part of it was the German based guys and some of the legacy US based guys never fully meshing. I think there was some tension and accusations about players not being fully committed to the team
Excellent stuff as usual. I’m not a fan of “Be The Change”. I wish they hadn’t sent a letter to Congress. That’s not their place. If individual players want to attach themselves to a cause then that’s their choice. And, yeah, sadly I believe that you can be unpatriotic AND play for the USMNT for selfish reasons. I suspect that I would agree with the contents of the letter they sent to Congress but that’s beside the point. I’m all for being the change but the reason they’re so vague is because they know better than to say WHAT change, which leaves one to fill in the blanks. It’s enough to represent America. That’s it. They don’t get to pick the America they want to represent. Their t-shirts say STATES. Is that a political statement? I don’t know but I suspect it is. Pulisic wants to know where the fans are. Every American is for the team that represents America, but what else are we signing up for? I will admit, I hold a bit of commitment in reserve because I don’t know the answer to that question today, much less tomorrow.
The culture that Berhalter has built with this group is worth way more than any formation or tactical tweak.
This is great stuff Grant - thanks.
I'm curious about your last paragraph, and the USMNT team being 'riven by factions' five years ago. Was this something that was obvious to reporters following the team? Could you see it coming a year before the WC? Or did it just sneak up on the team in the final months, and contributed to their poor showing? That team obviously didn't feel 'right' at that WC, but up until now I haven't seen that mentioned in an article.
I was going to ask the same thing. Were the factions Klinsi guys vs Arena guys? Or what else was going on? I remember some bits and pieces but...
Can't find the link to the original article but here's a summary from BR. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1574679-usmnt-is-jurgen-klinsmanns-us-soccer-team-in-crisis-poll
Thanks.
Also here from post 2017 collapse...https://www.theringer.com/2018/6/5/17428184/2018-world-cup-us-soccer-inside-story-jurgen-klinsmann-sunil-gulati-bruce-arena
Strauss, Grant, and other noted writers covered the divide throughout the Klinsmann era but it all came out once he was fired and Arena couldn't right the ship to get enough results to get to Russia.
https://www.si.com/soccer/2017/10/11/usmnt-world-cup-qualifying-failure-arena-gulati-klinsmann
If I recall correctly part of it was the German based guys and some of the legacy US based guys never fully meshing. I think there was some tension and accusations about players not being fully committed to the team
Thank you for the very informative update, Grant!
Excellent stuff as usual. I’m not a fan of “Be The Change”. I wish they hadn’t sent a letter to Congress. That’s not their place. If individual players want to attach themselves to a cause then that’s their choice. And, yeah, sadly I believe that you can be unpatriotic AND play for the USMNT for selfish reasons. I suspect that I would agree with the contents of the letter they sent to Congress but that’s beside the point. I’m all for being the change but the reason they’re so vague is because they know better than to say WHAT change, which leaves one to fill in the blanks. It’s enough to represent America. That’s it. They don’t get to pick the America they want to represent. Their t-shirts say STATES. Is that a political statement? I don’t know but I suspect it is. Pulisic wants to know where the fans are. Every American is for the team that represents America, but what else are we signing up for? I will admit, I hold a bit of commitment in reserve because I don’t know the answer to that question today, much less tomorrow.
Great article, Grant. As usual. These guys are *together*, whether they play in Europe or the US. Let’s hope that continues.
Wow, Grant--great article!! You both inform and inspire. I am growing to love this team, the more I learn about them. Thank you!