The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) kicked off its 2022 Qatar World Cup campaign in Group B on Monday against Wales. The U.S. led after a dominant first half thanks to a Timothy Weah goal, but a resurgent Wales clawed back the deficit with a late Gareth Bale penalty, leaving the final score knotted at 1-1. Elsewhere in Group B, England smashed Iran 6-2.
Samuel Cicci: Greetings, soccer fans. Delighted to have you here for our local World Cup coverage at the Memphis Flyer. I would like to thank my employer for letting us host our quadrennial soccer blog, The Workmanlike Performers, on the site. Every four years, I convene with my acquaintance Matthew Hein to give updates on all things World Cup, but for this column we’ll just be focusing on Team USA’s exploits throughout the tournament.
So let’s get started! There were a few question marks surrounding who would make the starting lineup, but you felt that the Wales opener was certainly a winnable game. How do you feel about the 1-1 result after leading for the first 80-odd minutes?
Matthew Hein: Honestly, it was a frustrating result. We didn’t know what to expect going in, since the USMNT’s form had been uneven leading up to the tournament. But instead of a flat performance, we really took control of the game early on, looking calm in possession and not giving Wales any chance on the counter.
However, it felt that a switch had been flipped at halftime, and the U.S. just was trying to hold on for the last 45 minutes. To give away an equalizing goal on a rash penalty always feels bad but, in the end, the result was probably fair.
SC: I agree, but it rankles after going through the first half in cruise control. It’s been a long time since the U.S. has looked so confident in possession, but that’s on us for not adding another goal while we were on top. The goal was fantastic, with Josh Sargent holding up play to make space for Christian Pulisic, who dribbled forward and slid a clever pass in for Weah to convert. But beyond that, I’d argue that many of our players were guilty of overcomplicating things, always looking to make an eye-catching, yet low-percentage pass, rather than building up play organically. And there were certainly plenty of opportunities to do that in both halves.
Defensively, I was supremely impressed in the first half with how we throttled service to the Welsh frontmen of Bale and Daniel James. They couldn’t get a kick! Centerback Tim Ream at 35 years old has had an impressive career renaissance and was a big part of our dominance. But in the second half, it was almost as if we hadn’t done any scouting on Kieffer Moore. The 6’5 Welsh mountain of a man pretty much had his way with our defenders, Ream included, whenever he was on the ball. Is it worrying that we couldn’t cope with direct play once Wales had a big man up front? Or was this a product of the U.S. being too passive after gaining the first-half lead?
MH: Overall, I think our centerbacks may well be the weakest part of the team, and while Moore is certainly a handful physically, they will have a much stiffer test with England’s Harry Kane next time, so I do think it is a cause for concern. I couldn’t really tell if the USA’s passivity was an intentional play to protect its lead or the product of some mental and physical struggles that pushed us on to the back foot.
SC: Worth noting, too, that we have one of the youngest teams in the tournament, and they were getting the stuffing kicked out of them all game. Not that that’s an excuse, but it does play a role.
MH: Our forwards and midfielders had done a lot of running to close down Welsh possession early in the game, and that led to some tired legs in the 2nd half. This left more for defensive midfielder and captain Tyler Adams to do, as he was far and away USMNT’s best player. Adams was everywhere, from thwarting Welsh attacks before they started to cleaning up sloppy mistakes. Even Berhalter seemed to recognize his players were tiring, making four substitutes before the 75th minute. Do you think those substitutes were the right move?
SC: For the most part, I think so. We were clearly tiring, and there were some injury concerns too, with both Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah looking banged up. Bringing on Brendan Aaronson is a no-brainer, since he’s a human battery and has been performing well in the English Premier League this season. Haji Wright in for Josh Sargent gave us some extra legs up top and a more pronounced focal point when we were under pressure, and the forward got his head to a couple of crosses. Kellyn Acosta in midfield was … okay?
MH: Hey, Acosta made one of the biggest plays of the game! If he doesn’t take down Bale late on, the U.S. might have even more regrets about this match.
SC: That’s true! When our goalkeeper Matt Turner charged out to clear a long ball forward, he left the goal wide open, and with Bale gearing up for a long-range strike into an open net, Acosta hacked him down and potentially saved the point. But overall, I just think Acosta’s level is noticeably lower than our other options in midfield. I can understand DeAndre Yedlin coming in at right back, since Sergiño Dest had started to fade. But sending on … Jordan Morris? Where, oh where, in the world was Giovanni Reyna?
MH: Many pundits predicted that Reyna, the 20-year-old attacker playing for Borussia Dortmund, would start the game, as he is the most skilled playmaker on the roster. While he also has had injury issues, he was healthy and available for this game. Hopefully, we can see him soon.
SC: He is by far our best weapon against low block defenses like Wales had today, but the only excuse I can think of is that Berhalter was afraid he would be kicked into the ground and aggravate one of his many injuries. But a low block likely won’t be what we’re up against when we face Group B powerhouses England on Friday. They raced out of the blocks with a 6-2 victory over Iran on Monday. Do we have a shot? What key pieces do we need out there to compete?
MH: We’re the clear underdogs, but in a single game, we always have a shot. We have a lot of young talent who can cause problems for the England defense in transition. It’s hard to know if we should be impressed with England’s win — Iran may just be a bad team, or were distracted by everything going on at home for them. The England match might call for a start for Aaronson, whose ceaseless running and quick decision-making will be necessary as the USMNT try to play on the counter.
SC: Plus, Aaronson plays against those English guys every week. I just hope that everyone who had a niggling injury is okay in a couple days’ time. Our best players are notoriously injury-prone, after all. But we’ll end on a positive note. We’re back at the World Cup after missing out in 2018, and we got a point in our opening match! And just this morning, we saw Saudi Arabia upset tournament favorites Argentina. It’s all to play for.
USMNT plays England on Friday, November 25th, at 1 p.m.
