From the very inception of the Gregg Berhalter hiring, Crew Investor-Operator and Chairman Anthony Precourt – along with team President Mark McCullers – were very impressed with what Berhalter brought to the table from a statistical and analytical perspective. From Crew Brand Ambassador Frankie Hejduk to MLS beat writers across the country, many have drawn comparisons of Berhalter’s analytical prowess to the likes of Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane – the subject of author Michael Lewis’ 2003 book Moneyball. As The Columbus Dispatch’s Adam Jardy writes regarding Berhalter’s impressive presentation that won him the job in Columbus, “As far as presentations go, this one will go down as one of the most effective in Crew history.”
At the top of Berhalter’s to-do list was to reach out to the players on the roster – something he referred to as his ‘first priority’ in his initial conference call with media after being named the next boss of the Black & Gold. One of the players Berhalter reached out to – rookie midfielder Wil Trapp – was very impressed with Berhalter’s initiative to seek out his players and to make an effort to personally talk to them about his coaching philosophy and their roles moving forward. “I thought it was great to have that outreach from him so early in the process, and to already be talking to us about how we fit into his plan,” said Trapp in an interview with MLSsoccer.com. “It's always good from a player standpoint.”
Friday, the U.S. Men’s National Team continued international play as it drew even with Scotland in an international – but scoreless – friendly in Glagow. Despite the draw, USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard was still proud of his team’s efforts Friday night on the road in an Associated Press report. "I think away from home, we were resilient and got a draw," Howard said. “It's still a good result for us."
