A pre-season after a World Cup is never an ideal situation for a settled head coach and squad. It's even worse when it also involves a newly appointed head coach and a squad in need of recruitment after losing significant players. No doubt encouraged by the bonding during the weeks training and Iraola giving him a role to focus on. It would appear from training videos I've watched and the US pre-season tour that those two areas have been focused on by the coaching staff. He seemed to enjoy playing in the sometimes frenetic heavy metal football style but fell short in the more controlled and often laborious style under the last head coach.