United States national team: 3 things learned at the Gold Cup
So far so good for the United States national team
The United States national team is through to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In many ways, it is mission accomplished for head coach Gregg Berhalter from this group.
A 1-0 win over Jamaica on Sunday night wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t even dominant from the Americans. But now with a semifinal match looming against guest-nation Qatar, the United States national team is now playing with house money.
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This is a young team, the overwhelming numbers on this roster likely won’t factor into World Cup qualifying this fall. But some important determinations can be made from the three group stage matches and now the quarterfinals.
And now to be within a match of the final given that this is likely a “B/C roster” according to pundits and fans is quite the accomplishment.
What we’ve learned about the United States national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup:
Hoppe can play – One of the surprising inclusions on the roster for the Gold Cup was Matthew Hoppe, the 20-year old striker who burst onto the scene last fall in the Bundesliga with Schalke. Hoppe’s debut with the national team has been eye-opening, answering any questions about him being a one-hit wonder.
The kid can play.
Physically, he is a blend of strength and speed. Technically, he reminds many of Clint Dempsey in terms of his willingness to go 1 v. 1. This showing at the Gold Cup, including his first international goal against Jamaica, may have vaulted Hoppe above Daryl Dike in the United States national team depth chart at striker. But his versatility up top in terms of being able to play wide has been impressive.
There is a role for the kid on this roster and Hoppe might be a starter in qualifying if he can build on his club form from last season.
Some much-needed backline depth – The questions at centerback were well-established coming into the tournament and, Walker Zimmerman’s injury notwithstanding, they were largely answered. Zimmerman looked good in his two games alongside Miles Robinson, who in his own right has looked steady and strong no matter who has been paired with.
James Sands has earned some comparisons to Thomas Dooley from his three appearances in the tournament so far. At outside back, Shaq Moore has been tremendous. Along with Hoppe, the emergence of Moore is probably the most significant development of this tournament.
Depth is needed for World Cup qualifiers and a likely World Cup berth next fall. Having seen Robinson develop and the growth of Moore and Sands is encouraging for this group and Berhalter.
Berhalter can coach – After the Nations League win over Mexico, Berhalter earned a lot of praise – all richly deserved. But the praise didn’t center on what he is very obviously building with the United States national team.
After the debacle to qualify in 2018, the national team as a unit needed its core rebuilt on and off the field. And while he’s had some missteps on both counts, Berhalter is now pressing the right buttons.
It is clear that, despite having a very young team in the Gold Cup, the United States national team, no matter if it is built with first-choice players or a younger group clamoring for playing time, is buying into what Berhalter is selling.
He has the team collectively playing well, even if the talent currently on the field might be lacking the bigger names. A lot is talked about the players who are stepping up in the Gold Cup but this tournament is also big for the head coach to learn to manage these moments, in matches against chippy opponents ahead of a qualifying process that is always interesting because, well, it is CONCACAF.