After an exhausting period of time (almost un-ending) I'm pretty sure US Soccer will announce Gregg Berhalter as our next US Men's National Team Coach. Is this a good decision? Background: Earnie Stewart set the tone in Philadelphia by standardizing a system of play and directing the development of players (across the entire organization) to... Continue Reading →
Will @MLS Seattle @Soundersfc Make the Playoffs?
I fielded this question on Facebook today from Phil Mitchell, a soccer pundit in the great northwest: Based on your data collection, in your best non biased view, can you give me a prediction for Seattle? Why? They are technically ahead on total points in the table than the year they won the cup and... Continue Reading →
What’s Different About #Portland @Timbersfc this Year?
Caleb Porter left Portland Timbers at the end of 2017. There were many rumors as to why that happened; I put (some) of my thoughts in writing here: Porter Pulls out of Portland I didn't include everything and still won't; what happens behind closed-doors should stay behind closed doors. But here's what I offered almost... Continue Reading →
Wayne Rooney and @DCUnited
DC united introduced the addition of Wayne Rooney a few weeks back and I wanted to check and see if he's made a difference in team performance as measured by the Total Soccer Index. My analysis and thoughts on Rooney's impact for your consideration: DC UNITED After reviewing the data and ending analysis it's... Continue Reading →
Gluck: #Portland @Timbersfc hire Gio Savarese
Ironic? An epithet created by the Timbers Army, which had sincere meaning in the playoffs last year, might have even more meaning this year. The Path Long, The Way Unknown, You are the mapmakers. Caleb Porter is out and Gio Savarese is in. In case you missed it - my thoughts on why Caleb... Continue Reading →
Gluck: Porter Pulls out of Portland
Serving as a head coach in Major League Soccer is not easy - the rotating door of coaches leaving seems non-stop. So the departure of Caleb Porter doesn't surprise me. I sense there may have been multiple reasons but I'll set the stage for one - main reason - a reason you won't see published... Continue Reading →
Gluck: Who should Head Coach the #USMNT in @USSoccer?
I'm sure there's many ways to determine what Head Coach might best lead the US Men's National Team out of darkness... I've narrowed my scope of who might fit best by limiting the selection pool to those who currently lead a team in Major League Soccer. This obviously includes a broad band of candidates -... Continue Reading →
Gluck: It’s not just @USSoccer that needs to “wipe the slate clean”
I'm not on the bandwagon of blasting US Soccer, USSF, Sunil Gulati, the Coaching Staff, or the Players anymore - that's old news for me; especially since the rest of our soccer media has finally caught up to what I was thinking after the US Men's team performance in World Cup 2014. Here's my summary... Continue Reading →
Gluck: Heaps of News in Major League Soccer This Week
Lots going on to share with you as Major League Soccer gets set for this weekend. In particular order: Major League Soccer Total Soccer Index (TSI) Eastern Conference Western Conference Jay Heaps gets the heave-ho from New England; why? Quality in MLS - has it got better since 2014? If so, where? Predictions for this... Continue Reading →
Gluck: Tea Leaves on Timbers Traveling to Toronto
Is this a likely pre-cursor to the MLS Championship Game? I'm not sure, but given the wild west, and more predictable east, it isn't beyond reason to think so. In preparing my information for your consideration here's a link to my Total Soccer Index: The Science (Attacking): Toronto at home compared with Portland on the road. The... Continue Reading →