USMNT coach Berhalter urges team to stick to the process for crucial World Cup qualifier vs. Panama

play

4:11 PM ET

As the U.S. men's national team prepares for a World Cup qualification game against Panama on Sunday, manager Gregg Berhalter has a simple message for his players: Stick to the process.

He preached to the team about just one game at a time, sticking to the process, and the results would come. We always do our final preparations. That is what it is. It is not more than that.

- How United States, Mexico and Canada can qualify

- USMNT draws at Mexico: How social media reacted

- CONCACAF World Cup qual.: Results | Schedule | Standings

- World Cup 2022 qualifying: How it works around the world

The U.S. is in second place in the eight-team final round of World Cup qualification, behind Mexico on goal differential. If Costa Rica fails to win at El Salvador on Sunday, the U.S. team will make the World Cup as one of three automatic qualifiers. Should Costa Rica lose, a draw would suffice.

Costa Rica will end their match before the U.S. takes the field. Berhalter said that they would pay attention to the result, but he wasn't sure if it would change the U.S. team's game plan.

The team will need to overcome a few obstacles in order to get it done. The U.S. played Mexico at an altitude of 7,200 feet on Thursday, and played to a draw.

He said that the spirits of the group are high. We have some stuff over at the hotel that they are doing today in preparation for the training session, so we will be ready.

The U.S. won't be at full strength because of injuries. Reggie Cannon is out after testing positive for COVID-19, and DeAndre Yedlin is suspended after getting his second caution for playing against Mexico. Moore, who flew to the U.S. from Spain on Thursday, is in line to start.

The choice of Moore over Joe Scally was a surprise given the breakthrough he has had this season, but Moore's play during last summer's Gold Cup, plus his reemergence in the lineup, carried.

We decided to go with experience over experience because we were very comfortable with Moore.

Berhalter has come to accept the fact that the absent players are nothing new for the U.S., and it is something he has come to accept thanks to some advice from Bruce Arena.

The biggest thing that I have learned is that you are never going to have your best team. As soon as I came to terms with it, we were more peaceful. We are more intentional about the next man up mentality.

Panama is coming off a shock draw at home to bottom-of-the-table Honduras. The Canaleros could be eliminated on Sunday. That could increase Panama's desperation.

If that leads to them getting unbalanced, that is good for us. Whatever it takes to win, we will do it.

He said that they don't think they're going to win the game in a big way. I don't think that will happen. Panama is a good team, well-coached team, physical team and they are going to put up big resistance.

The beautiful game is here. Leagues, tournaments and teams can be watched.

Sign up now to stream soccer on ESPN+

On Saturday, March 26.

• Croatia vs. Slovenia (10 a.m. ET)

• Ireland vs. Belgium (1 p.m. ET)

• England vs. Switzerland (1:30 p.m. ET)

• Spain vs. Albania (2:45 p.m. ET)

• Germany vs. Israel (3:45 p.m. ET)

• Netherlands vs. Denmark (3:45 p.m. ET)

Berhalter said his side would be wary of Panama's ability to finish crosses.

They have great service from both the left and right side. He said that they have good runs in the penalty box.

Who starts at forward is the biggest lineup question. Against Mexico, Jordan Pefok missed a chance to win the game. Berhalter wasn't sure if Jesus Ferreira would step in.

He said that all three forwards were in contention to start the game. Jordan is very good at crosses and in the penalty box. It was a difficult night for him in the Azteca. The players bounce back.