Bedoy'a not wrong (and if you read close enough, it was kind of what Pulisic was saying, just in slightly harsher words)
https://twitter.com/JeffreyCarlisle/status/1217661827791802368?s=20
It seems we're back to trying to figure out the "American" style of play. As a recent convert without any experience and only a slightly above average level of knowledge of the game, I give you the following thoughts about the "American Style" of soccer. You tl;dr folks can stop here; to the rest who dare to read on, thanks for indulging me.
Thought 1: Despite the increasing volume and level of talent available to us now, we're always going to be behind the rest of the world, simply because we're getting a relatively late start, and soccer will probably never reach the level of social consciousness that it has in so many other countries despite not having the wealth of resources we have. Look at Argentina. How can a country with such a history of corruption and chaos produce arguably 2 of the greatest players of all time? Yes, Messi also moved to Spain while still a teenager, but Maradona didn't leave his homeland until he was 21, a.k.a., at least mostly fully formed as a player. I know this is an old thought, but it also seems we're making more of this gulf than we need to; we're still a nation of amazing resources and opportunity, and if an American achieves success/notoriety on the world stage, the country pays attention and more folks get on board. I'm sure the next Simone Biles is already on someone's radar, and even the next next Simone Biles is out there as well. The women's national team has proven this idea as well, though to a lesser extent because in respect to the women's game, we got in around or even before most other countries, so we've been more leader than follower on that stage.
Thought 2: Because the U.S.A. is a 'melting pot' of different nationalities, it stands to reason that kids who come from countries with longer/deeper soccer roots and history will bring that 'style' with them, because that's what they got from their parents growing up and/or the immigrant community they live/associate with, so the focus for building a "American" style should be one that incorporates or at least finds a common ground among a variety of styles.
Thought 3: If nothing else, the #1 characteristic of the "American" style should be speed. Speed of foot and speed of mind. Speed of foot is mostly what God gave you, but can be improved via training, which we already know how to do. Speed of mind comes from playing, as well as knowing what you're going to do before you have to do it. To me, Zlatan is a great example of this, because even though he's at an age where he's lost a step, he also can still bend the game to his will, because he knows what he can do, when he needs to do it, and where he has to be to do it. Even though our absolute fastest kids by and large play American football, there's still plenty of available speed out there, and as the tide turns towards those kids finding success (Pulisic and Adams are our current frontrunners, and Yedlin's speed takes a back seat to no one), more will follow. America is all about speed, hot nasty bad-### speed. Eleanor Roosevelt may not have really said that, but when it comes to sports, speed covers over a lot of other weaknesses.
Thought 3a: I've beaten this drum before, but it bears repeating here: the most "American" soccer player in the world right now is not American; it is Zlatan. Son of a poor immigrant, on the fringes of society, yet took what he had and made the most of it. To me, he's the type of player that Americans should strive to become. Forget all the self-aggrandizing for a moment and look at what he's done as a player, as well as what he has done to develop himself. The biggest augment to his game, to me, is that he also took up martial arts, which no doubt helped him master his body and mind even more than just soccer. I can't say that everyone will get the same benefit, but I believe there's something to be said for finding more/other ways to develop one's game outside of just working on skills alone.
Thought 4: As far as what 'characteristics' I want to see from the USMNT, they are all intangible: hustle, grit, hard work. That's why Swag and Miazga are two of my favorite current players. Swag does the dirty work, Miazga plays with pride. I'm also a big fan of Adams, as he has that motor that doesn't quit and he's always working when he's on the field. What I don't like is when Pulisic gets hacked down and his first move is to look around for a ref and beg for a call. I'm sure there are other players who are ready and excited to bleed for the team, so maybe it's time to use that as the measuring stick, instead of whether or not they're playing in the Swedish 5th-tier league. I also believe that this type of sentiment exists heavily in MLS, if only for the chance to prove themselves on the world stage. Zimmerman is a guy I get that vibe from, and again, I'm sure he's not the only one. Bottom line, even though we have more talent than this, I'd gladly watch a team full of guys who don't quit and play their asses off while losing 8-0, than a more talented, less excited team underperform in a 2-0 loss or squeak by a lesser team 1-0, which is where I think we are now on the world stage.
Thought 5: I'm weak on tactics/strategy, but based on my premises above (most noticeably speed being the only tangible trait), I think an approach that would best suit what will always be a constantly diverse set of players may be 'opportunistic', in that they may have to focus on defense first but also have a quick strike mentality when the opportunity to counter presents itself. OTOH, if we ever get to the point where we either have the advantage or no disadvantage speed-wise across the board, we could employ a more aggressive approach, forcing and dictating an up-tempo game. We could take the '40 minutes of hell' approach that won Arkansas a college basketball championship and apply it to soccer. It was this kind of approach that George Patton employed in WWII and it worked out great, as just the mention of his name made the Germans adjust their tactics to deal with him. What could be more 'American' than that?
Thought 6: Any good coach will take the talent available, figure out that group's strengths and weakness and put together a strategy that works for that group. This group now probably more closely resembles Croatia's last WC squad, whose strength was in the midfield. When Portugal won Euro 2016, I thought their setup would work well with the kind of talent the US has, even if we don't have a Ronaldo. Either way, I think marrying oneself to a set 'style' of play limits what you can do, especially if the talent doesn't fit that style; rather, be dynamic and innovative, like SGT Alvin York, who won the Medal of Honor in WWI via a most unlikely route. My point is: if you want to create an 'American' style, then be 'American' in how you go about it and don't just do what everyone else does. Who knows, maybe we'll get another leap forward not seen since the Netherlands gave us Total Football.