Tag: Tab Ramos

USMNT great Ramos urges U.S. Soccer to replace Berhalter with foreign coach

The former USMNT assistant couldn’t quite believe Berhalter was brought back in the first place

U.S. men’s national team legend Tab Ramos has urged U.S. Soccer to replace Gregg Berhalter with an international coach who’s “been there and done that.”

Berhalter is under major pressure after the USMNT crashed out of the Copa América at the group stage, with calls for his sacking coming from pundits, ex-players and fans alike.

The coach was only re-hired last summer after an extensive global search, returning to the team he had guided from 2018 through the 2022 World Cup.

Berhalter was brought back in part due to a positive showing in Qatar, where a young U.S. squad got through the group phase before bowing out in the last 16 against the Netherlands.

In an interview with Soccer America, Ramos admitted he was surprised to see U.S. Soccer run it back with Berhalter, stating his belief that the team’s World Cup was nothing to write home about.

“Overall, the team performance [at the World Cup] left much to be desired. It would have been a perfect time to bring in a new coach, to bring in new ideas and push this team to be better. I was very surprised by the re-hire of Berhalter. I did not see how the team would improve, it was becoming a team with no big wins, and it was becoming stale,” Ramos said.

Ramos, who played at three World Cups for the USMNT before serving as U-20 national team head coach and a senior national team assistant, added that he thinks the federation is getting too caught up with overhauling the USMNT while losing sight of what matters most: winning games.

With a home World Cup in 2026 on the horizon, the 57-year-old said it’s time to get back to basics.

“I hope we go after an international coach,” Ramos added. “We just need somebody to come in for 18 months who knows the World Cup and can prepare this team the best he can to give this team the best shot at having a great World Cup. That’s it. No learning-on-the-job person. Someone who has been there and done that. Win as much as possible at the World Cup, and then we will see what happens.

“After the World Cup, if U.S. Soccer chooses, we can embark on another ‘project’ with analytics, presentations, and all of the new buzzwords that there will be in 2026 to show how we will develop into the future. But, right now, with a World Cup at home we need to win games.”

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Paulo Nagamura, after only eight months in charge, is out as Houston Dynamo coach

For the fifth time in three years, the Dynamo are changing coaches

It looks like the Houston Dynamo are hitting the reset button once again.

Paulo Nagamura, after barely more than eight full months in charge, was fired on Monday, less than 24 hours after a 2-1 loss to Seattle saw them fall to the bottom of the Western Conference with an 8W-5D-16L record.

“This is a difficult decision because Paulo is a top individual who has earned the respect of the players and staff for his tireless work ethic and commitment to the club. We wish Paulo and his staff well moving forward in their careers,” said Dynamo GM Pat Onstad in a club statement.

The Dynamo have handed Kenny Bundy, the head coach of their MLS Next Pro satellite club Houston Dynamo 2, the interim head coaching job for the rest of 2022. Assistant coaches Chris Martinez and Jimmy Nielsen were also let go.

Strangely enough, this means that both of Houston’s top-flight pro soccer teams are now under interim management. Juan Carlos Amorós is still officially the Houston Dash’s interim head coach after James Clarkson was suspended amid an NWSL investigation.

Nagamura’s hiring was only announced in January of this year, having been hired after impressing over four seasons as the head coach of Sporting Kansas City II in the USL Championship. With Ted Segal taking ownership of the club just a few months earlier, it seemed like a long-term project. Nagamura’s track record with regard to Kansas City’s youth players moving through to the first team was considered a major factor in bringing him aboard.

However, after a solid enough 3W-3D-1L start, the wheels came off. The Dynamo have lost 15 of their last 22 games. While they did beat Supporters Shield leaders LAFC less than a week before Nagamura was sent packing, that represents their only win in their last eight.

In their stronger years of the past, the Dynamo were always a solid, tough team leaning heavily on MLS veterans, but when Bundy takes the field for his first game as interim boss, he’ll be the fifth head coach for Houston since August 2019.

Despite some increased willingness to spend—Mexico international Héctor Herrera is one of three Designated Players, and Houston also has an MLS Under-22 Initiative signing in Thiaguinho—the club has been frankly adrift for long enough that coaching might not be the only issue. Nagamura’s record may have left them in 27th in a 28-team league, but his points-per-game pace of exactly 1.00 is better than the 10W-21D-26L mark (0.89 PPG) posted by his predecessor Tab Ramos.

Given how the Dash have charged up the NWSL standings since Amorós came in, Houston will be hoping Bundy can work similar magic.

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What United States national team superstar of the past could most help the 2022 roster?

Seven United States national team veterans were asked by Pro Soccer Wire what player most help the American squad today.

This is arguably the most talented United States national roster in program history, with more players getting significant minutes and starting for top Champions League clubs. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t roster holes and weaknesses within Gregg Berhalter’s set-up.

Invariably, every national team pool, perhaps with the exception of one or two nations, is going to have certain weaknesses. The United States need for a striker, for instance, is well-documented.

But where could the United States most need one player, one talent, to transform the roster?

Pro Soccer Wire asked seven former United States national team players a very simple question: what one player from your time with the national team would you take in his prime and put with this current group?

All the players asked had multiple appearances with the United States, giving them access to a rather wide playing pool for this answer. In addition, the group of national team veterans also span over 30 years of playing at the international level, eliminating recency bias.

Check out what player these seven United States national team veterans would infuse onto this current roster. One or two…or three of the answers might surprise you!

MLS Picks: Los Angeles FC vs. Houston Dynamo preview, odds and best bets

Previewing Monday’s Los Angeles FC at Houston Dynamo sports betting odds and lines, with MLS betting picks, tips and best bets.

Los Angeles FC (1 win, 0 losses, 1 draw) will tangle with the Houston Dynamo (0-1-1) Monday at 8 p.m. ET in each club’s first game of the MLS is Back Tournament in the bubble at the Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We analyze the LAFC-Houston sports betting odds and lines at BetMGM, while providing MLS betting tips and picks around this matchup.

LAFC vs. Houston Dynamo: Key injuries

LAFC

  • W Carlos Vela (personal) out

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LAFC vs. Houston Dynamo: MLS odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 7:45 a.m. ET.

Prediction

LAFC 3, Houston Dynamo 1

Moneyline (ML)

LAFC (-143) will be without star forward Vela for this one, as he elected to skip the tournament to be at home with his pregnant girlfriend, also avoiding a potential COVID-19 situation. Missing the El Tri star and reigning league MVP is a big deal, but Los Angeles still has Brian Rodriguez and Diego Rossi to pace the attack against a Houston defense which coughed up four goals last time out against Sporting Kansas City.

Unless Dynamo head coach Tab Ramos magically found some defense during the hiatus, it’s going to be another long match for his group.

A $10 wager on LAFC (-143) to win outright nets a profit of $7. A $10 wager on Houston Dynamo (+340) to pull the upset would fetch a profit of $34, while a Draw or Tie (+325) would mean a $32.50 profit.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 3.5 (-105) is worth a small-unit bet, as Rodriguez and Rossi are two talented strikers who could help LAFC to the over all on their own if they’re hitting on all cylinders. Yes, we’ve had a long layoff, but Houston’s defense looked that bad before the break.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet with BetMGM today. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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