NASHVILLE (Tennessee) -- After a 1-1 draw at home with Canada, the US men's national soccer team has lost all its goodwill. This is its second consecutive tie in World Cup qualifying.
Yes, there are still 12 games. There are still 12 games to go. This result combined with the 0-0 draw in El Salvador on Thursday were disappointing on many levels. Alarm bells are sounding already.
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Gregg Berhalter, the U.S. manager, tried to emphasize some positives, at one point he said that the U.S. had two draws but was undefeated. But he couldn’t ignore another subpar performance.
"We're disappointed," Berhalter said postmatch. "I think we're disappointed with the performance, especially tonight. The effort was admirable, the effort was exceptional, but the performance was not up to our expectations.
Tyler Adams, U.S. midfielder, was more blunt. He said: "We had to take a long look in front of the mirror and really identify our goals here."
The U.S. attack was unable to sustain itself for the second time in four day, even though Brenden Aaronson made it 1-0 in the 55th, scoring a low-centering feed from Antonee Robinson. Canada was clear from the beginning that it would be sitting in a low block and threatening to break through Alphonso Davis. Although chances were not easy for Canada, Berhalter stated that the U.S. was not able to help itself by adopting a lethargic approach to work.
He said, "We needed to move the ball faster." It is visible from the outside. We took too much time on the ball. It allows Canada to shift. Canada can not skip passes and not play behind them enough. So we need to improve that. We have to find ways to dismantle a compact defense, because I'm certain there will be other teams who do the same thing in the United States.
It worked well to get stuck into Christian Pulisic, who was fouled five times in a game.
The U.S. captain stated that "I believe we need new ideas sometimes." I don't know if it was being too direct or not. It just felt like they couldn't be broken down. They defended well, obviously. We just need new solutions, and it was not enough.
The home team was not able to capitalize on the goal. Canada scored a goal just seven minutes later through an electrifying run by Davies, which allowed him to set Cyle Larin up for an easy tap in. However, John Brooks, the U.S. defender seemed to lose focus on the play.
Canada was indeed looking threatening throughout the night. Only Matt Turner, U.S. goalkeeper, made a spectacular save from Larin’s 11th-minute shot. Multiple instances of low, inviting crosses slipped through the U.S. box. Canada's win would not have been an injustice.
Christian Pulisic, the United States captain, was not able to lead the team to their first World Cup qualifying win upon his return. AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
Berhalter is to blame for this, as much as it is on the players. He waited until the 83rd minutes to make his first substitutions without injury, leaving Joshua Sargent and Konrad De La Fuente, as well as Cristian Roldan, little time to find their rhythm. Although it was not as clear-cut, it seemed like Canada's low block was giving the impression that the U.S. was dominating possession. The U.S. was expected to score just 1.66 goals to 1.38.
The coach stated, "They scored in [62nd] minutes and we need to score a goal to win the game." I can see how it looks. It seems like we should have acted faster, 100%. We're trying to determine who will take the field in this situation by looking at the performances of the guys.
The number of injuries is also increasing. Pulisic's return to the U.S. team after missing the El Salvador match was a huge boost. However, that was offset by the fact that Giovanni Reyna was out with a hamstring injury that he suffered against El Salvador. Zack Steffen was also out of the game after being positive for COVID-19. Sergino Dest was also forced off at halftime with an ankle injury.
There was also what happened with Weston McKennie, a midfielder. U.S. Soccer called it a violation of team policy and he was removed from the gameday roster. McKennie later confirmed via Instagram that he had violated COVID-19 protocols. He later apologised. Berhalter did not go into detail about how McKennie violated protocol in his postmatch comments. Berhalter was hesitant to answer a question about McKennie's availability for the Honduran game.
McKennie's suspension for this match is a source of frustration. It's also a result of club side Juventus disciplining him last April for a similar offense. He was accused of hosting a party that violated COVID-19 protocols. It is not clear what McKennie did. He also tested positive for COVID-19 in October last year. It doesn't matter. It is inexcusable that McKennie cannot be bothered to adhere to U.S. Soccer's protocols for two weeks, especially during a World Cup qualifying window. McKennie's lack of discipline could lead to him losing his talent. McKennie also caused harm to the team.
Adams spoke out about McKennie, saying that it was not ideal. McKennie is an important player and character to the team. Adams said McKennie brings "clearly" what he does on and off the field. But, Adams also mentioned how close he is to the team. It's disappointing, yes.
This is a huge test of Berhalter’s leadership. It was easy to believe that the impressive resumes and club experience of U.S. players would translate to a toughness that would make World Cup qualification, although not always easy, at least less stressful and more successful than the embarrassing failure to qualify for 2018. It was also possible to hope that players would get a taste of the challenges and rewards of qualifying after their success in the CONCACAF Nations League, Gold Cup, and the CONCACAF Nations League. World Cup qualifying requires a special kind of determination and grit, and it is becoming more apparent that the group has not been tested enough to win. On Wednesday, more will be revealed about how deep that lesson is being absorbed. Adams seems to be already taking this into consideration.
He said, "It's an all-team sport." It doesn't matter from where we are. If we don’t get out there and do what we’re good at, then it doesn't matter where we come from. Others may not have the same players as us, but that doesn't mean they won't win World Cup qualifying.
Before the international window, it was believed that if it won its first two games, then a win on Wednesday in San Pedro Sula could be considered a bonus. This match is of paramount importance because it will help reduce the gap between the top four spots.
