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USMNT draws Mexico – How social media reacted to the CONCACAF World Cup qualifier at Estadio Azteca

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The U.S. men’s national team went to Mexico on Thursday to begin the crucial final window of 2022 CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, and coach Gregg Berhalter promised they’d be aggressive. Unfortunately for Berhalter (and fans), that approach didn’t result in any goals for the U.S. — and likewise for Mexico, El Tri could not find an opening to score either.

The match ended 0-0, and scoreless draw isn’t the worst result for either team — they each won a point, and they both have two more games to try to get another six points to clinch their spots in Qatar. It just wasn’t exactly the most fun iteration of this storied rivalry to watch.

So, with the match ending with a bit of a thud, here is how the internet reacted to the high and lows (well, there weren’t that many highs, but you get the point):

Pregame

Once the game got started, those on the scene couldn’t help but notice that Estadio Azteca had a subdued atmosphere due to capacity restrictions.

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The stadium normally fits 87,000 people, but the Mexican Football Federation scaled back capacity to 50,000 both due to COVID-19 and to better control the crowd amid worries about the anti-gay chants often heard at Mexican national team matches.

Attendees were required to go through a registration system, called Fan ID, which makes it easier for fans who violate the rules to be banned from future matches.

However, there was at least one American celebrity sighting: Actor Owen Wilson was at the match backing the U.S. team. Meanwhile, for Mexico, pop singer Mijares sang the Mexican national anthem.

35th minute

The match sprung to life in the 35th minute when Timothy Weah, racing up the right flank, crossed past the face of goal for Christian Pulisic. Without a runner keeping up with him, Pulisic tried the one-time shot with his left foot, but goalkeeper Memo Ochoa did well to block it.

It ended up being the USMNT’s best chance of the first half. Pulisic gave USMNT fans a scare when he stayed down on the play, but he did get up, albeit gingerly.

The first half saw neither side exert dominance or take control of the game, and there were plenty of errant touches to go around.

Mexico completed 72.5% of their passes in the first half, while the U.S. completed just 66.4%. Of Mexico’s four shots in the first half, just one was on target. The U.S. also had four shots but put three on frame.

Halftime

With the score locked at 0-0 and neither side finding the edge, social media took some time to reflect on the 45 minutes of soccer everyone had just witnessed. It wasn’t exactly what everyone had been hoping for.

72nd minute

If Pulisic’s saved shot in the first half was tough for USMNT fans to see, Jordan Pefok outdid him in the 72nd minute. With a golden chance to score from the middle of the box, Pefok sent his shot wide right.

As the reactions from social media made clear, the USMNT probably should’ve been up 1-0 at that point.

Final whistle

In the end, the USMNT stood up well to the challenge of playing on the road at Estadio Azteca, and the chances were certainly there to get the winner.

But it wasn’t to be. And now the USMNT has two more matches to secure the points they need to qualify for the World Cup. Next up, the U.S. takes on Panama in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday.



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USMNT can breathe sigh of relief after getting World Cup qualifying campaign back on track

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The U.S. men’s national team can breathe again. It can feel its fingers and toes again, too, as a 3-0 win over Honduras in frigid conditions has the U.S.’s World Cup qualifying campaign back on track.

It’s a win that is most welcome for the players and manager Gregg Berhalter, because let’s face it, the current World Cup qualifying window had been a brutal slog. The 1-0 win against El Salvador was labored, the 2-0 loss against Canada deflating. Berhalter’s side looked to be regressing, rather than getting stronger. With the Honduras match scheduled for Minnesota in the dead of winter, it seemed an unnecessary complication for a more talented U.S. side.

Yet the U.S. regrouped thanks to goals from Weston McKennie, Walker Zimmerman and substitute Christian Pulisic.

It was a game that was about survival. Honduras may have already been eliminated, but as the 2018 cycle showed, such opponents (read Trinidad & Tobago) can spring a nasty surprise. The U.S. had to endure the elements, with temperatures at kickoff around 1 degree, -14 with the wind chill. By game’s end, the wind chill had sunk to -16.

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The U.S. also had to cope with its own self-doubt. The American attack has struggled of late, and a single stumble at home would have not only sent their qualifying campaign off the rails, but would’ve increased the already rising pressure on the players and Berhalter.

And yet the U.S. surmounted all of those obstacles, and it did it the old fashioned way, with a trio of set-piece goals. As recently as last summer such tallies were a staple of U.S. victories, but prior to Wednesday, the U.S. hadn’t scored a single goal from dead-ball situations in the entire Octagonal. McKennie’s eighth-minute header broke the streak, and then Zimmerman made it two in the 37th minute, firing home after corralling Kellyn Acosta’s delivery in the box.

The boost to the U.S. was gargantuan. The goals were just the third and fourth times the U.S. has broken through in the opening half in 11 World Cup qualifying matches in this cycle. The tallies settled nerves and warmed limbs, at least on the U.S. side.

“To be honest, I don’t think they wanted any part of [the cold] tonight,” Zimmerman said of Honduras. “As soon as we got that first goal, and especially the second goal, we felt like we were in really good form, and in control the game.”

How cold was it? The U.S. Soccer Federation released a laundry list of a dozen mitigation efforts prior to kickoff, ones that went from heated benches on the sideline to in-sole warmers provided by the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.

On the field, and with play predominantly in the attacking half, U.S. keeper Matt Turner was left to engage in sprints around his own penalty area to keep warm, especially after referee Oshane Nation forced Turner to dispose of his hand warmer just minutes into the match.

The USSF provided thermal head coverings to Honduras, but manager Hernan Dario Gomez railed against the conditions. Three players were subbed at halftime, and a later tweet from the Honduran Federation stated that two of them were due to “extreme climate conditions.”

“I’m not going to analyze my team, the game or my players performance. It’s not possible and I’m not capable of doing it under these circumstances,” Gomez said after the match. “Inside the locker room my players are receiving IV fluids and many of them are in pain.”

But Berhalter made no apologies for his choice of venue. He recalled how in the past Honduras has had no qualms about scheduling games in difficult conditions.

“When we go down to those countries, and it’s 90 degrees and 90% dewpoint and it’s unbearable humidity, and guys are getting dehydrated and cramping up and getting heat exhaustion, you know, that’s the nature of our competition,” he said.

It would be overstating things to say that the U.S. looked fluid in attack, but it was also a game in which it adapted, controlled the tempo and shut down a pair of dangerous attackers in Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto. Once the U.S. got its nose in front, it never looked like giving up the lead.

The U.S. extended its halftime lead with another set-piece goal. Pulisic had just come on as a substitute, and lashed a shot home in the 67th minute after Ricardo Pepi and Zimmerman got touches to Acosta’s corner.

It was the kind of emphatic result that the U.S. has been craving — Berhalter even found time to take a photo with fans with roughly 10 minutes left — and the U.S. did it with the coach digging into his depth. Both Zimmerman and Acosta filled in for the injured Chris Richards and Tyler Adams, respectively. Jordan Morris started for Pulisic while Yunus Musah and Sergino Dest also made way for De la Torre and Reggie Cannon.

But as it so often does, the focus returned to the team’s two stars: McKennie and Pulisic. The Juventus midfielder remains the USMNT’s emotional center, and has completely rehabilitated himself following his two-game suspension in September for violating the team’s COVID-19 protocols. His goal gave the U.S. confidence, as did his overall play. If he felt like he “let the team down” almost five months ago, as he stated prior to this game, he most certainly lifted it up this window.

“He’s a guy that that leads by his performance,” Berhalter said of McKennie. “I thought he had an outstanding window. You could tell that he’s in big form at Juventus, the way he came into this window. He’s dominant.”

Pulisic’s situation is less clear cut, even with his goal. The fact that he didn’t start wasn’t a complete surprise given his form of late, but it still amounted to a tough decision for Berhalter, leaving him open to second guessing. It also risked fraying the relationship between manager and star player. Ultimately it paid off.

“I think the hardest thing to do as a coach is talk to a player and tell him that you support him and you’re behind him 100%, and then you don’t start them,” Berhalter said. “Because the players feel somehow that you’re not supporting him and for Christian it was a very difficult decision. But I felt it was a decision that was made to put him in the best possible position to make the impact that we know he can make. And that’s why when he’s in those positions on the field, he has the quality to make finishes like that, to score goals like that. And that’s the impact that he made for the group and really helped seal the victory for the team.”

Will the goal act as a springboard for the U.S. No. 10? Club and country are two completely different environments. The managers are different as is the competition. Pulisic doesn’t give much away either. His celebration in this instance seemed muted, but the tally can only help, and with qualification in sight the U.S. still needs Pulisic to be rounding into form to get over the World Cup qualifying finish line.

The final window now looms. The March 27 match against Panama will likely decide things, although there is an outside shot that a win in Mexico City at the Azteca might wrap things up for the U.S.

At least now Berhalter’s team has a bit of momentum. A trip to Qatar is in sight.

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Pulisic, Turner and the ‘MMA’ midfield means best chance vs. El Salvador

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After a two-month break, the United States men’s national team resumes World Cup qualifying with a game against El Salvador in Columbus, Ohio (Thursday, 7 p.m. ET; stream LIVE on ESPN2, ESPN+). It’s the first of a pivotal three-match window that includes a trip to Canada on Sunday before returning home to play Honduras in St. Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday.

Through eight of 14 matches, the United States is in a good position to qualify for Qatar 2022, but there is still lots of work to be done. With 15 points, the team sits a point behind first-place Canada and a point ahead of Mexico and Panama. Three teams will receive an automatic bid, while the fourth-place finisher in the region will play a one-off match against the winner of the Oceania Football Federation (likely New Zealand) in Qatar in June.

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On paper, El Salvador at home projects as one of the easiest games the United States will have throughout the entire cycle. The Americans are 18-1-6 all-time against El Salvador and have never lost to the Cuscatlecos in World Cup qualifying (5-0-4), but a win is not a given: the U.S. was held to a 0-0 draw on the road in the first match in September.

El Salvador has just one win (Panama at home) in eight matches and sits seventh out of eight teams. With six points, the team isn’t mathematically eliminated, but it’s far enough back where a draw is of little help. How that impacts manager Hugo Perez’s approach remains to be seen, but in the case the game remains level in the later stages, both teams will be incentivized to chase the winner.

United States manager Gregg Berhalter said Wednesday he doesn’t have a predetermined rotation mapped out for the three-game window and that the team’s priority is to get three points against El Salvador. While allowing for the possibility that anything a coach says about his lineup before a game could involve some level of gamesmanship, the implication was that he’ll field his best possible starting XI on Thursday.

With that in mind, here’s a look at how the United States could line up against El Salvador and what factors are in play.

Jump to: Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |

Goalkeeper

After Matt Turner allowed three goals while starting the first five matches of qualifying, the New England Revolution goalkeeper was dropped in favor of Zack Steffen for the last three games against Costa Rica, Mexico and Jamaica. Berhalter indicated Steffen’s ability to play the ball with his feet led to the decision, but it doesn’t appear he’ll have a real choice to make this time around — certainly not against El Salvador. As of Wednesday afternoon, Steffen remained with his club, Manchester City, getting treatment for back stiffness.

While Berhalter said Steffen’s status was “day to day,” it’s probably safe to assume Turner — who has been linked with a possible transfer to Arsenal — will be between the posts for the next three games. Turner went the full 90 minutes in the United States’ 1-0 win in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in December and has not played a competitive match since the Revs were knocked out of the MLS playoffs by eventual champions New York City FC on Nov. 30.

Sean Johnson, who came up big in penalties to help NYCFC win the MLS Cup, figures to serve as the backup, while 17-year-old Chicago Fire FC youngster Gabriel Slonina is also in camp, though in what should be viewed more as a development opportunity.

Projected starter vs. El Salvador: Matt Turner

play

0:38

Matt Turner sheds some light on his love for soccer and the reason he started playing the game in the first place.

Defenders

The curious case of John Brooks’ exclusion remains a noteworthy talking point in the back, but the reality is the center back pairings without the VfL Wolfsburg man have been quite good throughout qualifying. Both Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson have been excellent for the USMNT and Chris Richards has been starting regularly for Hoffenheim, where he is playing on loan from Bayern Munich. Mark McKenzie is an option, too, but it will likely be some combination of Richards/Robinson/Zimmerman against El Salvador with the possibility for rotation among those three against Canada and Honduras.

Antonee Robinson has developed into the unquestioned first-choice left back and — especially considering the lack of natural left backs on the roster — could be asked to start all three matches. On Monday, Robinson said he didn’t think playing three matches in seven days would be an issue, and was hopeful that would be the case. On the other side, Sergino Dest is the obvious choice despite his struggle for playing time recently at Barcelona. His creativity in attack could be the key to unlocking defenses as the U.S. heads into three matches where it should have the bulk of possession.

DeAndre Yedlin — who terminated his contract with Galatasaray on Thursday — is not expected to arrive in Columbus until Wednesday due to weather-related travel issues leaving Turkey, so without a training session his availability against El Salvador remains in doubt.

If Yedlin is unavailable, then Reggie Cannon should be the next man up, with surprise inclusion Brooks Lennon also an option.

Projected starters vs. El Salvador: Antonee Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, Sergino Dest

play

2:20

Taylor Twellman explains why he believes playing in cold temperatures “evens the playing field” for El Salvador.

Midfielders

Unlike the other position groups, the midfield three selects itself at this point. When Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah — start together the team is significantly better than with any other combination. Individually, there is a wide gap between their talent levels and others on the roster, which is further enhanced by how complementary they are with each other.

Adams’ ability to put out fires in transitional moments allows McKennie and Musah to focus more on pushing the game forward and linking play with the forwards. This isn’t complicated. The team has won four games in qualifying with three of them (Jamaica, Costa Rica, Mexico) being the only ones Adams, McKennie and Musah have started together.

One of the more intriguing tactical elements against El Salvador will be to see the so-dubbed “MMA” midfield start the game with Christian Pulisic for the first time.

Projected starters vs. El Salvador: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah

play

0:57

Christian Pulisic looks ahead to the USMNT’s remaining World Cup qualifiers and their long-term goals.

Forwards

Ricardo Pepi, who completed a $20 million move from FC Dallas to FC Augsburg earlier this month, has cooled off since his breakthrough performances for the USMNT early in qualifying, but remains the team’s best option at striker. He is expected to start between Pulisic — with the Chelsea winger on the left — and either Timothy Weah or Brenden Aaronson, both of whom have been effective for the squad.

Weah missed about a month with a thigh injury he picked up in December, but returned recently for Lille and started and went 66 minutes on Saturday. Pulisic’s up-and-down season playing multiple positions for Chelsea isn’t ideal for national team purposes, but the most important factor with him is that he’s coming into this window healthy.

The striker debate behind Pepi (or perhaps including him) features a number of players who have done just enough to stay relevant without offering a convincing case they should be with on the roster or play consistent minutes. Berhalter called in Jesus Ferreira and Gyasi Zardes (both out of season in MLS) ahead of Joshua Sargent and Jordan Pefok (in season in Europe), which opened himself up to being labeled biased in favor of MLS players. For the 1-plus-1-equals-3 crowd, there is a conspiracy afoot, but the more boring reality is that none of these players have definitively earned their place.

Considering the options in front of them, if either Jordan Morris or Paul Arriola appear, it would likely come in a substitute role — and ideally to see out a game.

Projected starters vs. El Salvador: Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah

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Pulisic, Turner and the ‘MMA’ midfield means best chance vs. El Salvador

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After a two-month break, the United States men’s national team resumes World Cup qualifying with a game against El Salvador in Columbus, Ohio (Thursday, 7 p.m. ET; stream LIVE on ESPN2, ESPN+). It’s the first of a pivotal three-match window that includes a trip to Canada on Sunday before returning home to play Honduras in St. Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday.

Through eight of 14 matches, the United States is in a good position to qualify for Qatar 2022, but there is still lots of work to be done. With 15 points, the team sits a point behind first-place Canada and a point ahead of Mexico and Panama. Three teams will receive an automatic bid, while the fourth-place finisher in the region will play a one-off match against the winner of the Oceania Football Federation (likely New Zealand) in Qatar in June.

– How USMNT can qualify for the World Cup this week
– ESPN+ viewers’ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more
– Futbol Americas on ESPN+: MLS, Liga MX, USMNT, El Tri

On paper, El Salvador at home projects as one of the easiest games the United States will have throughout the entire cycle. The Americans are 18-1-6 all-time against El Salvador and have never lost to the Cuscatlecos in World Cup qualifying (5-0-4), but a win is not a given: the U.S. was held to a 0-0 draw on the road in the first match in September.

El Salvador has just one win (Panama at home) in eight matches and sits seventh out of eight teams. With six points, the team isn’t mathematically eliminated, but it’s far enough back where a draw is of little help. How that impacts manager Hugo Perez’s approach remains to be seen, but in the case the game remains level in the later stages, both teams will be incentivized to chase the winner.

United States manager Gregg Berhalter said Wednesday he doesn’t have a predetermined rotation mapped out for the three-game window and that the team’s priority is to get three points against El Salvador. While allowing for the possibility that anything a coach says about his lineup before a game could involve some level of gamesmanship, the implication was that he’ll field his best possible starting XI on Thursday.

With that in mind, here’s a look at how the United States could line up against El Salvador and what factors are in play.

Jump to: Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |

Goalkeeper

After Matt Turner allowed three goals while starting the first five matches of qualifying, the New England Revolution goalkeeper was dropped in favor of Zack Steffen for the last three games against Costa Rica, Mexico and Jamaica. Berhalter indicated Steffen’s ability to play the ball with his feet led to the decision, but it doesn’t appear he’ll have a real choice to make this time around — certainly not against El Salvador. As of Wednesday afternoon, Steffen remained with his club, Manchester City, getting treatment for back stiffness.

While Berhalter said Steffen’s status was “day to day,” it’s probably safe to assume Turner — who has been linked with a possible transfer to Arsenal — will be between the posts for the next three games. Turner went the full 90 minutes in the United States’ 1-0 win in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in December and has not played a competitive match since the Revs were knocked out of the MLS playoffs by eventual champions New York City FC on Nov. 30.

Sean Johnson, who came up big in penalties to help NYCFC win the MLS Cup, figures to serve as the backup, while 17-year-old Chicago Fire FC youngster Gabriel Slonina is also in camp, though in what should be viewed more as a development opportunity.

Projected starter vs. El Salvador: Matt Turner

play

0:38

Matt Turner sheds some light on his love for soccer and the reason he started playing the game in the first place.

Defenders

The curious case of John Brooks’ exclusion remains a noteworthy talking point in the back, but the reality is the center back pairings without the VfL Wolfsburg man have been quite good throughout qualifying. Both Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson have been excellent for the USMNT and Chris Richards has been starting regularly for Hoffenheim, where he is playing on loan from Bayern Munich. Mark McKenzie is an option, too, but it will likely be some combination of Richards/Robinson/Zimmerman against El Salvador with the possibility for rotation among those three against Canada and Honduras.

Antonee Robinson has developed into the unquestioned first-choice left back and — especially considering the lack of natural left backs on the roster — could be asked to start all three matches. On Monday, Robinson said he didn’t think playing three matches in seven days would be an issue, and was hopeful that would be the case. On the other side, Sergino Dest is the obvious choice despite his struggle for playing time recently at Barcelona. His creativity in attack could be the key to unlocking defenses as the U.S. heads into three matches where it should have the bulk of possession.

DeAndre Yedlin — who terminated his contract with Galatasaray on Thursday — is not expected to arrive in Columbus until Wednesday due to weather-related travel issues leaving Turkey, so without a training session his availability against El Salvador remains in doubt.

If Yedlin is unavailable, then Reggie Cannon should be the next man up, with surprise inclusion Brooks Lennon also an option.

Projected starters vs. El Salvador: Antonee Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, Sergino Dest

play

2:20

Taylor Twellman explains why he believes playing in cold temperatures “evens the playing field” for El Salvador.

Midfielders

Unlike the other position groups, the midfield three selects itself at this point. When Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah — start together the team is significantly better than with any other combination. Individually, there is a wide gap between their talent levels and others on the roster, which is further enhanced by how complementary they are with each other.

Adams’ ability to put out fires in transitional moments allows McKennie and Musah to focus more on pushing the game forward and linking play with the forwards. This isn’t complicated. The team has won four games in qualifying with three of them (Jamaica, Costa Rica, Mexico) being the only ones Adams, McKennie and Musah have started together.

One of the more intriguing tactical elements against El Salvador will be to see the so-dubbed “MMA” midfield start the game with Christian Pulisic for the first time.

Projected starters vs. El Salvador: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah

play

0:57

Christian Pulisic looks ahead to the USMNT’s remaining World Cup qualifiers and their long-term goals.

Forwards

Ricardo Pepi, who completed a $20 million move from FC Dallas to FC Augsburg earlier this month, has cooled off since his breakthrough performances for the USMNT early in qualifying, but remains the team’s best option at striker. He is expected to start between Pulisic — with the Chelsea winger on the left — and either Timothy Weah or Brenden Aaronson, both of whom have been effective for the squad.

Weah missed about a month with a thigh injury he picked up in December, but returned recently for Lille and started and went 66 minutes on Saturday. Pulisic’s up-and-down season playing multiple positions for Chelsea isn’t ideal for national team purposes, but the most important factor with him is that he’s coming into this window healthy.

The striker debate behind Pepi (or perhaps including him) features a number of players who have done just enough to stay relevant without offering a convincing case they should be with on the roster or play consistent minutes. Berhalter called in Jesus Ferreira and Gyasi Zardes (both out of season in MLS) ahead of Joshua Sargent and Jordan Pefok (in season in Europe), which opened himself up to being labeled biased in favor of MLS players. For the 1-plus-1-equals-3 crowd, there is a conspiracy afoot, but the more boring reality is that none of these players have definitively earned their place.

Considering the options in front of them, if either Jordan Morris or Paul Arriola appear, it would likely come in a substitute role — and ideally to see out a game.

Projected starters vs. El Salvador: Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah

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Two trophies didn’t seem to have earned their respect

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CINCINNATI — United States men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter says that his side still has “a long way to go” to get the respect of rival Mexico.

Speaking to reporters on a Zoom call ahead of Friday’s World Cup qualifier between the two longtime rivals (stream LIVE on ESPN2, 9 p.m. ET), Berhalter said the two victories the U.S. enjoyed over Mexico last summer — in the CONCACAF Nations League and the CONCACAF Gold Cup finals — have done little to change Mexico’s perception of the U.S.

– U.S. vs. Mexico: Stream on ESPN2, Friday, Nov. 12, 9pm ET
– ESPN+ viewers’ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more

“When you hear things coming out from their camp, that we want to be [Mexico], where we’re looking at some mirror that’s Mexico and we want to see ourselves or something like that, it shows that we have a long way to go to get the respect of Mexico,” Berhalter said. “The two victories in the summer I guess didn’t do a lot to get that. We’re going to have to do it [on Friday] by our play on the field.”

Earlier this week, El Tri goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa told TUDN: “Mexico was the mirror in which the [U.S.] wants to see itself and wants to copy” while adding the pressure is on the U.S. to win at home, rather than on Mexico breaking a two-game skid in the rivalry.

Berhalter revealed that Christian Pulisic won’t start the match after making a recent return from an ankle injury, while Zack Steffen will start in goal ahead of Matt Turner.

Pulisic injured his ankle during the World Cup qualifier against Honduras in September, and has made just two substitute appearances for club side Chelsea since then. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel mentioned recently that he hoped Berhalter would be “responsible enough” with his use of Pulisic, a plea that left Berhalter bemused.

“He’s been training for four days [with Chelsea], and common sense is going to tell us you can’t start a guy in a game like this when he’s only been training for four days, and he’s been out for two months,” Berhalter said. “I understand Tuchel’s concern. Our idea wasn’t to play him 180 minutes in this trip anyway. He’s not going to start [Friday].”

As for Steffen, the Manchester City keeper has made just four league and cup appearances this season as the primary backup to Ederson, while Turner has been playing every game for the New England Revolution. Yet Berhalter opted to go with Steffen, whom he managed previously when both were with the Columbus Crew.

“They’re both great goalkeepers, no question about it,” said Berhalter. “We’ve seen that in camp this week. Zack is going to start the game [Friday]. But you know, there’s very little separating them at this stage and we could just as easily went with Matt. We decided to play Zack.”

Much has been made about the U.S. team’s choice of venue. The U.S. Soccer Federation has acknowledged being strategic, aiming to ensure that the crowd is pro-U.S. by placing the game in a smaller stadium and in a city farther way than some other locales with large Mexican-American populations.

“We take pride in having Latino fans and that’s something that’s important to us and we hope that in the future guys like Ricardo Pepi will help us get more Latino fans,” said Berhalter. “When you’re talking about a World Cup qualifier, it’s really important to have a pro-U.S. crowd, and whether that’s with Latinos in the stands or not, we want a pro-U.S. crowd and it’s not always easy to ensure that.”

Mexico figures to have a sizable advantage in experience, one that Berhalter acknowledged his side can’t make up. He estimated that Mexico’s average age will be 29 while the U.S.’s will be closer to 22 or 23. But he hopes that the experience his side has gained in recent years — including four matches against El Tri — will be enough.

“We’ve learned from that game, and it’s important that we’re taking all those lessons on board as we prepare for [Friday] night.”

As for Mexico, El Tri manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino said that he is focused on the winning and breaking the two-match losing streak to the U.S.

“We’ve looked at the games against the U.S. and we’ve worked on doing things differently. We never think of not winning or playing for the draw,” Martino said. “Set pieces were a big factor in the previous games, it is how they won those matches.”

As for the location of the match being a factor to limit Mexico fans, Martino added: “We always feel the support of Mexicans, in whichever place that we play.”

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USMNT’s World Cup qualification is off to a rocky start, but here’s why it’s not time to panic

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Christian Pulisic looked tired. Disappointed. Frustrated.

His shoulders were bowed as he slid into a chair late Sunday night. His words were weary.

Questions came about why the U.S. men’s national team is struggling to score, why it can’t do better than one goal in 180 minutes against two teams ranked 59th and 64th in the world (the U.S. is 10th). Why this group full of young talent, full of potential, full of skill, can’t do better than 1-1 against Canada in front of a home crowd in a critical World Cup qualifier.

Pulisic was asked about his own fitness and about the absence of his teammate, Weston McKennie, who was dropped from the team after violating U.S. Soccer COVID-19 protocol.

Then Pulisic was asked about what two draws — one even more aggravating than the other — makes him and his teammates feel. Essentially, he was asked, how bad is two points from two games when you’re headed to Honduras desperately needing to win the third?

“Of course we expect more,” he said. “But this is the position we’re in now.”

He didn’t say the last part of that sentence because he didn’t have to. Everyone knew.

“This is the position we’re in now …”

Again?

First, some perspective: Two World Cup qualifiers out of 14 is the same as 23 games of a baseball season. Or 11 games of an NBA season. Or 10 holes of the Masters. It’s not nothing, but it’s hardly defining.

Even more, World Cup qualifying is an enigma even in a regular year, and this year’s coronavirus-affected, ultra-compressed schedule is outrageous. In the midst of the already congested club calendar, the U.S. and its CONCACAF colleagues will play 14 games in 209 days in this version, compared to the 10 games in 333 days required the last time, according to soccer stats guru Paul Carr. That means it is inevitable that the variance from team to team and game to game is going to be even more drastic.

The U.S. tied Canada and El Salvador, and that isn’t great. But you also see outlier results in World Cup qualifying all over the globe: European champion Italy tied Bulgaria. Ireland tied Azerbaijan. Austria didn’t tie Israel; it got battered by them, 5-2.

World Cup qualifying is hard. Sometimes that needs to be said out loud. U.S. Soccer leans on the “you don’t even know how brutal CONCACAF is” trope a little too often, but even if it has become a well-worn excuse — Mexico didn’t seem to have much of a problem winning at Costa Rica this weekend, after all — there is at least a little bit of truth there. Maybe the shoddy fields, physical play or the hostile fans, especially in Central America, make games like Wednesday’s in San Pedro Sula trickier than they might seem.

And yet, they are still winnable. Clearly winnable. And if the United States is able to get a victory on Wednesday night against Honduras, it will have taken five points from its first three games and will likely be squarely in the qualifying positions coming out of its first window of games. Given that scenario ahead of time, anyone would have taken it.

So, in a lot of ways, the sky isn’t falling. But here’s the thing: Memories linger. Nearly four years ago, in October 2017, the U.S. played Panama in a World Cup qualifier in Orlando. The energy in the stadium sizzled. Pulisic scored in the eighth minute. The fans were full-throated and delirious. The atmosphere was proper.

I remember the whole thing feeling like a cresting wave: qualifying had started off so poorly with two bad losses, but that Panama match — it ended in a 4-0 victory — was supposed to be the start of everything finally falling into place. Panama was the first step; all the U.S. needed was a result in Trinidad and everything that came before didn’t matter.

We all know how that went.

Watching the U.S. against Canada in Nissan Stadium on Sunday, it was hard not to think this game was going to be another Panama, another night when the U.S. began pushing its wave toward the crest. Instead, it felt like the ugly aftermath once more. The U.S. couldn’t move the ball, couldn’t test Canada’s defense. It had three-quarters of possession but only two shots on goal. Without Gio Reyna (out injured) and McKennie (out for bad judgment), the U.S. — as Pulisic said — was desperately “in need of some new solutions” because this felt all too much like what we’d seen before.

The script felt old. U.S. Soccer can (and should) come up with all the “Only Forward” slogans it wants, but even Pulisic couldn’t help but reference, unprompted, the last qualifying failure as he talked about Sunday’s disappointment. It is emblazoned on his mind the way it is emblazoned on ours.

Pulisic was a kid back then, a rising star among a veteran group. Now, at 22 — just 22! — he is among the more seasoned players; he’s the captain, the one others look toward. This U.S. roster is young — only two players on the roster have ever played in a World Cup game and only six had ever played in a qualifier coming into this window — but then, sometimes I wonder if any of that really matters at all. Sometimes I wonder if maybe it isn’t just better to push forward with (relatively) blind talent and verve and whimsy. Sometimes I wonder if ignorance isn’t a blessing instead of a problem.

After all, the U.S. team in 2017 was filled with battle-tested, grizzled veterans like Tim Howard and Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley. They had all the experience you could want. They knew just how hard playing in CONCACAF really was. They were not, in any way, overwhelmed by the situation.

And what did it get them?

There is an idea in some soccer circles that all of this is just one long run-up to 2026. Soccer’s growth as a sport in the U.S. over the past three decades has been astronomical, and the joint hosting of the World Cup in five years’ time (with Canada and Mexico) is seen as a natural pinnacle. Even Gregg Berhalter, the U.S. national team coach, has already spoken about how he believes the U.S. could build itself up to the kind of group that could “shock the world” in 2026.

That sentiment is ambitious and optimistic and all the things that a U.S. fan should want — can you imagine the magnitude of the U.S. playing a World Cup semifinal on home soil over July 4th weekend? — but that way of thinking also glosses over what is happening right now. Even with the frustrating results of the past week, there is — or at least should be — a type of pleasure in all this.

As maddening as these two performances have been, these games actually matter. When the U.S. scored its first goal of this cycle on Sunday, the 40,000 fans here exploded in a way that is different than a Gold Cup crowd or a Nations League crowd. The players celebrated differently. Why not? The U.S. doesn’t have a Euros or Copa America every few years. It doesn’t have a competition that grabs the attention of the entire sport. It has only the World Cup. So these games — the games that are the bricks on the road to get there — are some of the only ones the U.S. national team plays that feel as if they are truly special.

Now comes another one on Wednesday. And while the U.S. goes to Honduras with problems, to be sure — injury problems (Sergino Dest ruled out with an ankle injury), substitution problems (Konrad de la Fuente coming on too late), discipline problems (McKennie sent home after violating team protocols), leadership problems — it also goes there with exactly the same opportunity it had a week ago.

Sure, Christian Pulisic looked tired on Sunday. Disappointed. Frustrated. But he also looked determined. He looked like someone who knows this is still the beginning. Like someone who knows there is still time for this group to write the ending the last one couldn’t.

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USMNT World Cup qualifying Christian Pulisic & Co. look strong, but watch out for El Salvador, Canada

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The time to exorcise demons — or try to, at least — has finally arrived. Exactly 1,423 days after a loss to Trinidad & Tobago prevented the United States men’s national team from qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, qualification for the 2022 competition finally begins. The USA’s 14-game path to Qatar begins on Thursday against El Salvador in San Salvador’s Estadio Cuscatlan and finishes on March 30 in Costa Rica.

– USMNT roster: Pulisic, Reyna, McKennie all in
– Bonagura: USMNT has big talent, bigger expectations

The first three matches of this rapid-fire schedule take place in September before things resume in October. Here are a few stats and notes to keep in mind as the competition finally begins.

The goal is 24 points

The past six CONCACAF World Cup qualification tournaments all featured six teams playing 10 matches each. While the 2018 qualification run was particularly strange — not only did the USA fail to qualify but Panama qualified with just 13 points — the dividing line has typically been around 15-17 points. Earn 17 or more and you qualify without exception. If you get 16 or fewer, you’re relying on circumstance to carry you through.

Due to the coronavirus, the format changed this time around, and now eight teams are playing 14 games each. With a couple of weaker teams in the field, there might be a couple of extra easy-win opportunities for the more high-quality countries, and that might alter the math a little. But 1.7 points per game is still a pretty high bar and would almost certainly result in a top-three finish and automatic qualification. Over 14 matches, that projects to about 24 points.

This compressed sprint of a schedule means the U.S. will play eight matches between now and Nov. 16; with 1.7 points per game as the guideline, the bar for this batch is therefore 13-14 points, equivalent to four wins and one or two draws. Of course, the USA’s schedule is pretty back-loaded in terms of quality, so perhaps the early bar should be a little bit higher.

World team ratings tend to separate the eight teams in the field into three approximate tiers: Mexico and the United States in Tier 1, a rising Canada and slipping Costa Rica in Tier 2, and El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica and Panama in some order in Tier 3. This first batch of matches, then, features two Tier 3 road trips (El Salvador and Honduras) and a Tier 2 home game (Canada). October’s three-match swing features a Tier 2 home game (Costa Rica), a Tier 3 home game (Jamaica) and another Tier 3 road trip (Panama). Mexico doesn’t show up until the seventh match of qualifying (Nov. 12 in Cincinnati), while the USA’s first Tier 2 road trip doesn’t come until Jan. 30, 2022, at Canada.

It would save everyone some anxiety, then, if Gregg Berhalter’s team kept the dropped points to a minimum out of the gate.

A first-choice(ish) lineup

It’s incredible to think about the small number of opportunities you get to use your genuine first-choice lineup in international play. In the past two years, Berhalter has been at the helm for 23 matches: 11 friendlies, six Gold Cup matches and six CONCACAF Nations League matches. He got a look at 74 different players in that span, 48 of whom played at least 100 minutes. (Only one, midfielder Sebastian Lletget, played more than 950.)

These matches have come primarily against lesser competition and rarely (if ever) in a genuine road setting, and the U.S. has performed well, winning 18 of 23 with two draws. But the heart of the roster — the quartet of attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic, winger Giovanni Reyna, midfielders Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams — played together just once in those 23 matches, in the Nations League victory over Mexico in June.

How the U.S. plays against Mexico does not typically pair up with how it plays as a favorite against a lesser team, but two other matches from this sample could be telling as we figure out what to expect over the next week: the closed-door friendlies against Wales and Panama from last November.

With Pulisic quickly trying to regain his fitness after a positive coronavirus test in August, we might not see the core foursome in action all that much over the coming week. But the trio of Reyna-McKennie-Adams should see an extended run, at least, just as it did against Wales and Panama when Pulisic was injured.

Berhalter’s possession preferences are clear. When possible, he wants the U.S. to hog the ball, pragmatically build play from the back and apply pressure in certain areas of the pitch. He proved flexible with his tactics this summer — with a second-choice lineup, the U.S. won the Gold Cup by beating Mexico with the more vertical, counter-attacking approach preferred by American coaches in decades past. But his preferences are obvious, and with his first-choice lineup (or close to it) on the field, we should see the U.S. indeed attempting to hog the ball over these first three matches.

Against Wales, that approach provided about as much sterility as the empty stadium in which they played. The U.S. controlled 61% of the possession and averaged 6.2 passes per possession to Wales’ 3.9. It began 19% of their possessions in the attacking third, while Wales began only 3% there. But against a hunkered-down opponent, it generated almost nothing in attack. With as much of the ball as the team could possibly want, the U.S. managed just seven shots at a middling 0.11 xG per shot. Only two of the shots provided any danger whatsoever — a miss from Konrad De La Fuente in the 33rd minute and a short-range shot from Lletget in the 45th minute that was saved by Danny Ward.

The Americans did effectively limit Wales’ counter-attacking potential (just four shots worth a total of 0.34 xG), and having McKennie (90 minutes) and Adams (71) in the midfield makes a significant difference in that regard. While the goalkeeping from each of the first-teamers — Manchester City’s Zack Steffen, the New England Revolution’s Matt Turner and Nottingham Forest’s Ethan Horvath — was stellar, the ability to snuff out attacks before they generate shots to begin with is among the most important attributes in the sport.

Against a more aggressive opponent, the U.S. thrived. Playing Panama in Austria, it faced a lot more pressure and occasionally struggled with it: Panama began 11% of its possessions in the attacking third. But the U.S. recovered quickly, allowing zero shots in those nine possessions and when it survived bouts of pressure, it created loads of opportunities. The U.S. attempted 15 shots at 0.18 xG per shot and scored six times — three times off of possessions that it began in the attacking third.

Granted, the most successful creators and attackers in the Panama match — Caen’s Nicholas Gioacchini (two goals on three shots) and PSV Eindhoven’s Richie Ledezma (two assists on four chances created) — did not make the roster for the September qualifiers, but McKennie was an outright wrecking ball. He’ll be in uniform.

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Herculez Gomez compares Christian Pulisic to Landon Donovan as he discusses whether the 22-year-old should be the USMNT’s captain.

El Salvador and Canada can press

Combining the stats from the 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League and 2021 Gold Cup, only two teams began more possessions in the attacking third than the United States: Canada (10.3) and El Salvador (9.8).

With Bayern’s Alphonso Davies healthy and forward Jonathan David (Lille) and wingers Cyle Larin (Besiktas) and Tajon Buchanan (soon on his way to Club Brugge) all available, Canada boasts as much pure attacking speed as any team in the group. When all four of these guys were in the lineup during the preliminary World Cup qualification rounds in June, Canada outscored four opponents by a combined 15-0. Zooming out a bit and looking only at when the Davies-David-Larin trio is together, the team has won six of seven games by a combined 23-3.

Was the competition level dreadful in this sample? Absolutely. The Canadians lost to the only decent opponent on the list — 3-1 to Mexico in 2019 — but this is the most exciting young roster core Canada has potentially ever had, and only Larin is older than 22.

Even if the U.S. has more overall talent, Canada can create matchup advantages you have to address. If anyone can effectively pressure an American back line that’s usually, but definitely not always, stable on the ball, it’s John Herdman’s squad. In this regard, it was a bit surprising that Berhalter didn’t bring another steady-passing midfielder into the fold for these matches — someone such as Greuther Furth’s Julian Green, perhaps, or Venezia’s Gianluca Busio.

Mind you, El Salvador will also try like crazy to fluster America’s back line. This isn’t a team the U.S. has traditionally struggled with — America has won 14 of their past 16 meetings, with two draws and a scoring margin of 49-8 — but La Selecta play with energy and a strong identity, and it has brought solid results of late. El Salvador swept through six preliminary qualification matches without defeat, and although it lost a combined three times to Qatar and Mexico over the summer, each was by just a one-goal margin. Seattle Sounders right-back Alex Roldan (younger brother of America’s Cristian Roldan) and Houston Dynamo defensive midfielder Darwin Ceren give the team upside and defensive solidity, and although it doesn’t score a ton, it can frustrate the hell out of you in build-up play.

Among these first three opponents, Honduras is by far the most likely Wales of the bunch. It certainly looked the part in its 1-0 Nations League loss to the U.S. in June. Honduras created only 0.19 xG from seven shots and occupied 36% of the possession. Its primary goal was to hoof balls out of dangerous areas and bunker down, and while the Americans had all the possession they could possibly want, they didn’t find a breakthrough until Jordan Pefok’s 89th-minute goal.

Creating quality chances against packed-in defenses will be key

While opponents such as Mexico, Canada, El Salvador and Jamaica will at least selectively take the fight to the U.S., advancing stress-free through qualification will require strong execution against parked buses.

On the perimeter of the attack, the USA’s quality and potential are undeniable. Reyna, still only 18, has scored 14 goals with seven assists in all competitions (for club and country) over the past 12 months, and 20-year olds Brenden Aaronson and De La Fuente appear to be thriving with new clubs — Aaronson is a pressuring machine in a pressure-friendly Red Bull Salzburg system, and De La Fuente has been exciting early in his first season with Marseille (four chances created, two assists and an 89% completion rate in the attacking third in 268 minutes). Of course, this says nothing of Pulisic, who remains the most complete attacker in the player pool even if he’s been unfortunate from an injury and fitness standpoint.

Without a commanding presence at centre-forward, though, the team just didn’t have enough ideas for cracking open a stubborn defense like the one Wales features, which has been a problem for the U.S. player pool for a while now. Daryl Dike’s emergence as a (nearly) world-class poacher in 2020-21 was intriguing, but he’s still working back toward fitness after some minor injury issues and will miss this September go-round. Berhalter did select serviceable options such as Werder Bremen’s Josh Sargent and Young Boys’ Pefok, but maybe the most interesting name on the roster this time around is Ricardo Pepi.

The 18-year-old has scored 11 goals in 21 matches for FC Dallas this season and recently chose the U.S. over Mexico. He’s not a commanding physical presence at 6-foot-1, 163 pounds, but he is showing massive promise. How much of a run will Berhalter give him?

Projections

Via FiveThirtyEight’s Soccer Power Index, here are the USA’s odds for each of the first three qualifying matches:

– at El Salvador: 42% win, 32% draw, 26% loss
– vs. Canada: 51% win, 27% draw, 23% loss
– at Honduras: 52% win, 26% draw, 22% loss

Average expected points from this group of matches: 5.2.

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