USMNT: Responding to the Gregg Berhalter slide
By Daniel Garza
Following yet another disappointing international break, when November rolls around, the USMNT must regroup to avoid a trending slide under Gregg Berhalter.
Yet another shocking loss has left the United States Men’s National Team in a spot of bother. This time around, they are faced with not reaching the semi-finals of the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League.
Following a 2-0 loss to Canada, they sit second in the group of three and will need to rally for their final two matches of the group stage. Those games, against Canada and Cuba once again, will come in mid-November. But the Nations League is not the only competition in jeopardy.
It has now been two years since the USMNT failed to reach the World Cup finals. And now they are on the cusp of not reaching a semi-final that they should definitely be a part of. Are you sensing a theme?
All of this has set the stage for a massive gut check for the young USMNT roster. They will need to not only win both of their final group-stage matches; they will need to do so convincingly. Despite losing to Canada, they can still reach the semi-final of the Nations League on goal difference.
At the moment, they trail Canada by four goals in goal difference. This margin can certainly be made up over the course of the final two matches.
Right off the bat in November, the USMNT face Canada. They must win to give themselves a chance of qualification. The U.S. must first win, and then look to win handsomely, the margin of victory realistically needing to match the two-goal difference between the teams in October.
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Canada will bring everything they have. It is a great opportunity for their players and the federation as a whole, especially considering that they need to FIFA Rankings points to secure passage into the Hexagonal World Cup qualification. The U.S., then, will need to be at their best, which is something rarely seen under head coach Gregg Berhalter.
And next year, qualifying for the 2022 World Cup will commence. The USMNT are looking like they could be in trouble once again. After a strong performance against the other CONCACAF nations at the Gold Cup this summer, they appeared to back near the top of the region. But the October defeat to Canada showed signs of weakness. There are going to be some very tough away fixtures during the World Cup qualifying round. There is no guarantee that the USMNT have the quality and character to win these matches.
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The upcoming international break is going to show if the USMNT have the resolve and fight to establish themselves one of the top three countries in the region. CONCACAF is becoming tougher and tougher with every year and the USMNT must progress as a result. For November, then, they must bring everything they have to set the tone for 2020 and beyond.