Christian Pulisic’s Chelsea plays in the FIFA Club World Cup final against Palmeiras on Saturday (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
As a karmic payback for last week’s frigid trip to Saint Paul, Minn., in February, I’m on a plane to San Diego right now. But now that the World Cup qualifiers are over, my regular Friday Newsletter is back tomorrow, and I’ll be opening the Mailbag. So feel free below to ask any probing, thoughtful and/or amusing questions about any soccer topic, and I’ll answer the best ones as part of the Friday Newsletter. Thank you!
I have been watching games for 25 years now and still just don't understand tactics. I always feel behind even listening to normal fans discussing MNT players. I've read your last book and I'm halfway through Inverting the Pyramid. How did you learn how to evaluate teams and players? Can you point me to any resources that would help me be a more knowledgeable fan?
When is the right time for players like Pulisic and McKennie to come back to play for an MLS club? Will MLS ever change their policies to allow a club to pay what it would take to bring an American like Pulisic back here in their prime?
If you ran FIFA, what would you do with the Club World Cup? Do you think Infantino's plan to move it to the summer and expand it to 24 teams will make more fans care about the tournament? Or would it be better to scrap the tournament altogether to reduce fixture congestion?
One of the aspects of Canada’s success has been the large number of matches they’ve had together yielding a ton of in-field cohesion and chemistry. Was it a mistake for the USMNT to have had a separate Gold Cup roster? Going forward, how will this European-based roster get enough matches to progress before the World Cup?
Why do you think Berhalter and US Soccer have a problem overthinking/getting cute with roster selections and venue choices? Is it a byproduct of leadership that has never worked with players this talented nor with a national team program getting this much attention? Are they trying to prove a point with how clever they are? Is it scaring/trauma from the 2018 cycle? Something else?
I have been watching games for 25 years now and still just don't understand tactics. I always feel behind even listening to normal fans discussing MNT players. I've read your last book and I'm halfway through Inverting the Pyramid. How did you learn how to evaluate teams and players? Can you point me to any resources that would help me be a more knowledgeable fan?
Apart from Nations League / Gold Cup, how is US Soccer thinking about getting USMNT competitive fixtures in next 2023-26 without WCQ? Copa America??
When is the right time for players like Pulisic and McKennie to come back to play for an MLS club? Will MLS ever change their policies to allow a club to pay what it would take to bring an American like Pulisic back here in their prime?
If you ran FIFA, what would you do with the Club World Cup? Do you think Infantino's plan to move it to the summer and expand it to 24 teams will make more fans care about the tournament? Or would it be better to scrap the tournament altogether to reduce fixture congestion?
One of the aspects of Canada’s success has been the large number of matches they’ve had together yielding a ton of in-field cohesion and chemistry. Was it a mistake for the USMNT to have had a separate Gold Cup roster? Going forward, how will this European-based roster get enough matches to progress before the World Cup?
Why do you think Berhalter and US Soccer have a problem overthinking/getting cute with roster selections and venue choices? Is it a byproduct of leadership that has never worked with players this talented nor with a national team program getting this much attention? Are they trying to prove a point with how clever they are? Is it scaring/trauma from the 2018 cycle? Something else?