The USMNT should setup against Costa Rica. (1:18) The United States men's national team coach was at ease inside the luxury hotel that is 9 miles from the site of the final game of the World Cup qualification. The upcoming week was the most important of his coaching career. Although the team has not officially qualified for the World Cup yet, no rational observer would allow for the possibility that the U.S. won't be headed to Qatar. If the United States loses by five goals or less against Costa Rica, it will still qualify for the playoffs. It has not lost a competitive game by six goals or more since 1957, a stretch that includes six World Cups, 16 qualification cycles and several decades in which the sport existed in the country beyond the fringes of public consciousness. The U.S. are huge favorites to progress in the World Cup because they will likely rest their best players against a Costa Rica team that has scored just 11 goals in 13 qualification matches. Berhalter was confident that his team would soon get to celebrate. It had been done. He was careful not to make qualification a foregone conclusion. - 2022 World Cup: How USMNT, Mexico can qualify
- Qatar 2022 qualifying: How it works around the world
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access
He said that they were not taking anything for granted. We are coming here to win the soccer game. That is our intention. We are not going to be cautious. We are not going to sit back. We are not going to play for a tie. We know we are 90 minutes away from the World Cup. Don't take your foot off the gas now.
| GP | PTS | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - Canada (Q) | 13 | 28 | +17 |
| 2 - USA | 13 | 25 | +13 |
| 3 - Mexico | 13 | 25 | +7 |
| 4 - Costa Rica | 13 | 22 | +3 |
| 5 - Panama | 13 | 18 | -3 |
| 6 - El Salvador | 13 | 10 | -8 |
| 7 - Jamaica | 13 | 8 | -11 |
| 8 - Honduras | 13 | 4 | -18 |
| 1-3 qualify; 4 into playoff |
It is an approach his players seem to have bought into -- or at least that is how they have represented themselves publicly.
The guys that have been through this path before have told us that. The fans thought we did too. Tyler Adams said that they were going into the game with the mentality to win.
Everything that Berhalter has done since he was named the USMNT head coach has built toward this moment. Trust in the broader sporting public was lost after the team failed to qualify for the World Cup. Despite the rise of the most exciting generation of talent, the U.S. men's team was still subjected to jokes about reaching soccer's biggest stage.
This team dealt with both heightened and lowered expectations in a strange way. It is a strange place and the media has classified us as a golden generation.
The termgolden generation hasn't been universally accepted, but it's hard not to think about what this group of players can eventually be.
The Captain America display was fiery.
- World Cup 2022: Who's in, who's out, who can still make it?
- World Cup draw: When is it and who has secured seeded spots?
It hasn't been perfect. If the team had picked up one fewer point along the way, it would have needed a victory in San Jose to get to the World Cup.
The team was very confident after winning the Gold Cup and the Nations League. Maybe too confident. It quickly learned that winning games on home soil doesn't compare to playing on the road in qualification. The opening match at El Salvador had a negative tone.
Adams said that it was one of those things where he looked back at it and wondered if the team was a bit naive.
We have one game left and we have to take care of business, but I think we are in a good position.
Sebastian and Herculez discuss the performance of Christian Pulisic in the USMNT win over Panama.
It should have been expected. There are 13 players who are 24 years old or younger on the current roster, and they are the youngest in the starting XI.
Watching them grow and see them here grow as a group is amazing, Berhalter said. I cannot stress that enough. The guys will be proud of what they have done and hopefully after 90 minutes they will qualify for the World Cup. No team in the world played our-age team and they are doing a great job.
The team's performance since September has the potential to be less indicative of what to expect in Qatar than what we have seen from more established teams around the world. Development over the next 10 months should be expected of most of the key players at stages of their careers.
Some players may make a step up that we don't know about yet or are just on the fringes, according to Berhalter.
It wasn't easy for many of the players to pick up Berhalter's complex system, but now it's less of an issue.
Weah said that he was at a place where he was comfortable. A lot of the guys I have played with since I was 13 are still playing with me. When I am in camp, the confidence level is much higher. I think it shows on the field and this team has a lot of swagger.
Weah and Adams started playing together in the U.S. youth national team system. Weah said that it was ingrained from the beginning of the program that the full national team would be developed to reach the World Cup.
Weah said that they were always talking about the day they would be able to qualify and be in the top dogs.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
