Call it a soft opening – a very soft opening. The American men’s national team kicked off a busy and decisive 2021 series on Sunday night with an easy allocation and an emphatic victory, a 7-0 blow from a temporary Trinidad and Tobago team that barely belongs on the field .
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter named a mix of senior players and Olympic hopefuls and saw his team confirm its obvious superiority just seconds after the opening whistle. After three weeks of action against each other during the camp practice in January in Florida, the Americans clearly had the appetite to defeat an unknown opponent. After ten minutes in the Exploria Stadium in Orlando, the USA took a two-goal lead and achieved the easy victory.
It will be more difficult going forward. Berhalter hopes to plan some friendly matches in Europe by the end of March, at which MLS players could possibly be ruled out (if not, they will be in the pre-season). At the same time, the US U-23s will contest the Olympic qualifiers in Mexico. The games are becoming increasingly important. In June, there is the first final of the Concacaf Nations League. In July there is the Gold Cup, and then in September the road to Qatar starts with the first three World Cup qualifiers.
It’s hard to claim the case that Sunday’s game prepared anyone for it, but it certainly looked nice to the host, and the men who filled their state figures of the national team certainly enjoyed the evening. Here are three thoughts from the U.S. dress rehearsal for a critical year.
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Berhalter sends another message that the Olympics are important
There are still concerns that the Olympics may not happen, but if it does, American football desperately wants to be in Japan. The U.S. U-23s have missed the past two tournaments, and to increase their chances, Berhalter and U-23 coach Jason Kreis ran an unprecedented January camp that caused the two teams to shrink. More than two-thirds of the players invited to camp in Bradenton, Florida, were eligible for the Olympics.
Although several were sent home before Sunday’s game, Berhalter still started a team of six U-23s along with five senior players. That was a clear message – giving some potential Olympic contributors extra international flavor was more important than defeating Trinidad by an extra goal or three.
Three-quarters of the back line (Miles Robinson, Aaron Herrera and Sam Vines), the defensive midfielder (Jackson Yueill) and two-thirds of the top three (Jesús Ferreira and Jonathan Lewis) were U-23s. the victory as their older teammates. Vines, the left-back, made a particularly dynamic contribution as the USA pulled away in the first half, taking advantage of opportunities to move forward and playing several excellent passes that broke lines or created good looks for others. His winding, early cross in the second minute set the Americans’ first goal.
Yueill was a good organizer before the back four and showed good discipline. And Lewis and Ferreira (see below) were particularly active and confidently attacked. Each scored his first two senior international goals. Robinson also scored his debut goal on a short header early in the second half.
At half-time, the newly qualified midfielder Andrés Perea (20) replaced senior stalwart Sebastian Lletget. Perea recently made a permanent switch to the US after representing Colombia at the U-17 and U-20 World Cups. He was whistled on a high kick for a penalty kick in the 65th minute, but goalkeeper Matt Turner, who made his U.S. debut, retained Alvin Jones.
Ferreira returns Berhalter’s faith
The son of former MLV player MVP, David Ferreira, was apparently well on his way to stardom one year ago when he followed up an eight-goal rookie season with FC Dallas with his first senior cap in February last year’s win over Costa Rica. But 2020 was a difficult year for many, and it was a difficult year for the young striker. He scored just one goal and one assist in 20 games for FCD.
Nevertheless, Berhalter still saw something in the 20-year-old and invited him to this month’s camp. Berhalter announced on Saturday that Jozy Altidore, the third leading scorer in USMNT history, would be kept out of the Trinidad game as a precaution, hinting that a move away from Toronto FC was possible for the veteran. This leaves the door in the middle in front of Ferreira open.
“Jesus made his debut for us in January last year and we thought he was doing an excellent job,” Berhalter said this week. “He kept going where he left off in this camp. He did a good job, so we know what Jesus yields – very good to drop, very good to connect, really good defensive pressure, and then he is very calm in the penalty kick and can complete his opportunities.
Ferreira demonstrated everything Berhalter mentioned in a historic performance that ended with two goals and three assists. On Lewis ‘second-minute run, Ferreira ran on Vines’ cross and after cutting off his own shooting angle, he had the awareness to lay it down for Lewis for an easy finish. In the ninth, Ferreira opened his U.S. account with a first-time cut by Vines.
DC United veteran Paul Arriola scored for the first time on the night in the 22nd scoring after Ferreira carried his pass into the penalty area, pulled the goalkeeper and took out a defender and threw the ball back to Arriola. Ferreira put Arriola back in the 41st with a well-placed header, then scored his second of the game in the 61st when Arriola returned the favor and found Ferreira in the penalty area. Ferreira’s pleasant left foot touch and finish with the right foot made a perfect hood for his performance.
‘Since we started working with him last year, we’ve had a good feeling for him and a good impression and idea of what he could do in our system. We can not control what happens at club level. We really can not. “For us, it is still confidence in a player, believe in a player, and we are excited to have him back in camp in January,” said Berhalter. “He gives us a lot of options and a lot of flexibility, and we really like how he performs for us in the forward position.”
Ferreira left in the 64th room and made way for Chris Mueller of Orlando. He made an impression in a position that is still uncertain for the USA, by making good decisions in the penalty area, involving him in the build-up and completing several chances. He should be in the framework to help the U-23s in March.
“I think coach Gregg had an idea for us for this game. We had a long camp trying new things, getting to know each other, and as you can see in the game, it worked,” he said. Ferreira told FOX. games. “We’re all sitting together today.”
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The pandemic continues to wreak havoc, even as games resume
Trinidad was not supposed to be Sunday’s opponent. The original plan was to transfer Serbia, of which the junior university (this friendship was not disputed during a FIFA window) would present an even tougher challenge. But visa and travel problems prevented Serbia from coming, so the Soca Warriors were a last-minute replacement.
Berhalter’s team already had an inferior opposition in December, when El Salvador barely showed up for an ad-hoc friendship that ended in a 6-0 decision for the Americans. Trinidad was even worse. But it had every excuse – as many obstacles as the pandemic put in Berhalter’s path, it’s nothing compared to the devastation it caused on Trinbagonian football.
The national team, under new coach Terry Fenwick, has not played a game in 14 months. The national league has been closed since the pandemic took place in March. Some players have no clubs, and many have not played a game for almost a year. Fenwick brought 13 unlimited men to Orlando, and only three scored double figures. It showed and on both sides it was difficult. The match features water breaks halfway through both halves, a move made with respect for the visitors. Trinidad posed no threat and was hit, and the U.S. got stuck with an exercise that was probably less stressful than most of its workouts in Florida. The visitors had no defensive chemistry, but they did not seem to want to play deep and could pack it.
‘I feel bad for Trinidad. “It’s all things, it’s all the consequences of the pandemic and things we have to get used to and adapt to, ‘Berhalter said before the game. ‘It’s going to be fun for them to start a match. My expectation is that they will have some fitness issues. I think this is normal, since they are not playing, the domestic league is not even active. ”
It’s hard to argue with Berhalter’s calculation — a game is better than no game. But it’s also hard to imagine what the Americans achieved Sunday night, other than a goal celebration.
“You can only play against the opponent on the field,” Berhalter said. ‘And what I really liked about the guys was the focus and the intensity. After three weeks of training with a relatively new group, a young group, it is good to be able to see the elements on the playing field against a real opponent.
“We know this [Trinidad] was not a qualifying team of the World Cup, on the basis of which they had available, ”he continued. “But it was still good to see the focus of the team.”