Young USMNT squad gets reality check at World Cup qualifier in El Salvador
By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer
Two distinctly different sentiments emerged in the immediate aftermath of the United States men’s national team’s scoreless draw Thursday in El Salvador to kick off their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
"I think the first reaction is disappointment," veteran USMNT defender Tim Ream said. "The guys felt that we had more than enough to win the game."
Several minutes earlier, U.S. captain Tyler Adams — one of nine U.S. starters who had never played in a qualifier — sat in the same seat in the bowels of Estadio Cuscatlan and offered a different assessment.
"From a dissatisfaction standpoint, I'm not too dissatisfied, to be honest," Adams said. "We knew coming into this it was going to be a learning process."
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The players’ takes seem to directly contradict each other. Here’s the thing, though: Two things can be true at the same time.
Thursday’s contest was a missed opportunity for a young and unprecedentedly talented American squad. That's especially true considering that the team is desperate to return the U.S. to the grandest stage in sports next year in Qatar after an aging U.S. team didn't qualify for Russia 2018, the program’s first World Cup miss in more than 30 years.
Winning on the road in the CONCACAF region is difficult, but San Salvador isn’t Mexico City. The U.S. had the better of the play and produced almost twice as many shots as the hosts but just couldn’t get the goal they needed to take all three points.
Their passing was sloppy. They were disjointed in attack and didn’t create enough good chances. They weren’t sharp enough to finish the few genuine opportunities they had. Fans and players both have every right to be disappointed by that.
At the same time, without star Christian Pulisic (COVID-19 recovery) and starting goalkeeper Zack Steffen (back spasms), the U.S. picked up a valuable point away from home and kept the Salvadorans off the scoresheet. That’s nothing to sneeze at.
And while the tie increases the pressure considerably heading into Sunday’s home match against Canada in Nashville (8 p.m. ET, FS1 and the FOX Sports App), it doesn’t really change the fact that Gregg Berhalter’s team was always going to have to win that game. Anything less than victory on home soil is not acceptable in qualifying. Thursday’s result doesn’t change that.
With the opener now out of the way, youngsters such as Sergiño Dest and Giovanni Reyna, starters for European giants Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, respectively, will have a far better idea of what to expect when the U.S. hits the road again next week in Honduras.
On Thursday, U.S. players had to deal with debris being thrown at them during the match.
"There’s a lot you can take away," Adams said. "Gio going to take a corner … when he’s playing in Dortmund, he’s not getting hit with water bottles."
Dest and Reyna weren’t the only visitors who seemed slightly shocked by the conditions they encountered Thursday. Ream and right back DeAndre Yedlin were the only starters with previous qualifying experience. "A lot of these guys are used to playing on immaculate fields in Europe, and it wasn't going to be that," Ream said.
"You're always trying to make sure that the group is ready for the challenge ahead of them, but until you're actually in them, it's hard to understand," Berhalter said.
"Looking at this as a learning experience, I think the guys handled it well. But there needs to be a calm that sets in after that initial period where we start taking over, and we never really had that. I think collectively, the group learned what World Cup qualifiers are, for sure."
Sunday’s match will provide another lesson. Canada is faster and more physical than El Salvador. Led by Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies and Lille’s Jonathan David, their counterattack is deadly.
Berhalter has some personnel decisions to make over the next two days. John Brooks, whom the coach confirmed was rested for Canada and Honduras, will certainly play. So will Pulisic if he’s deemed sufficiently fit following his bout with COVID.
It’s less clear if Berhalter will stick with goalkeeper Matt Turner — one of the better Americans on Thursday — if Steffen is available. Berhalter might also opt for striker Jordan Pefok over Josh Sargent, who continues to do everything but score.
But while the coaching staff will pore over video and make the necessary adjustments, there’s not much time for reflecting beyond that. With this one done, the focus must shift to the Canadians.
"If you're not going to win the game, then you can't lose it," Ream said. "We look forward to Sunday."
One of the most prominent soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams in more than a dozen countries, including multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports, the New York City native was a staff writer for Yahoo Sports and ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
