Have you started to take in MLS this year – surprised by what you see?

With but a few exceptions, and those about 7 to 10 years ago, no team in Mediocre League Soccer shows any patience and possession with purpose – it’s all flash and dash and get the ball forward based on IMPECT – a statistical system originated in Germany, created by defensive midfielders, to help them better ‘sell’ their value to a team in the transfer market.

Yes – 95% to 100% of every team in MLS operates to this standard – they do it because they simply can’t get good players who think and make their own decisions on the pitch as they do in La Liga, the Bundeslige, Serie A, or the English Premier League.

And yes, that should also kind of remind you of what we see from our US Men’s National Team… As someone who has coached footy for over 20 years I can safely say our developmental program does not teach ‘independent’ thinking and decision making by players starting at the age of 6 all the way through the entire US Academy.

What is the most frequent activity taken by a player on a football pitch? Running, Ball Touches, Passes, Tackles, … NO – the most frequent activity a player does on a football pitch is “MAKE DECISIONS” – in every instance, in every touch of the ball, in every opportunity to move or actual movement every single player on the pitch makes a singular decision that can make or break a game.

So when just one single player touches a ball with their foot – every other player on the pitch will have to make a decision – so for every touch of the ball that’s 21 other ‘decisions’.

Have you ever heard a football coach tell you that? How about an Academy coach or even the US MNT Head Coach?

If the United States wants to WIN the World Cup in 2026 then the bottom of the pyramid MUST start teaching decision making – and for effs sake – let the players know that mistakes NOW and far better than mistakes later.

Berhalter should have never been hired to begin with – that decision was more about nepotism than anything else – if you want the most winningest American to head coach our team hire Jesse Marsch – over a four year period of time when he coached New York Red Bulls NO other American had earned more points across all four measured areas of possession: (40%-45%; 45%-50%, 50%-55%, and 55%-60%)

I’ll say that again, slightly differently – across all major categories of possession with the intent to penetrate and score (as a method of controlling the game) no other American has surpassed Jesse Marsch in earning points in all four of those categories.

Best, Chris