It wasn't the prettiest performance, but it was effective nonetheless for the US Men's National Team. The 1-0 win over El Salvador in frigid Columbus, Ohio has them in great shape as far as qualifying for the World Cup later this year, as they find themselves in second place, by one point in the CONCACAF table.
Here are some of my thoughts and notes from this the ninth of fourteen matches in World Cup Qualifying for the US.
Weston McKennie was the best player for the US
The Juventus midfielder showed his class throughout the game, especially in the 1st half. His calmness on the ball in tight spaces was elite and he was key to the US keeping the majority of possession, and keeping it in El Salvador's half of the field. His ability to move the ball and pick out the right pass on the wing kept the attacks alive and set up the fullbacks to launch crosses into the box all game long.
McKennie bossing the midfield against El Salvador
Gregg Berhalter leaves Ricardo Pepi on the bench, prefers Jesus Ferreira
Ricardo Pepi has been all the talk since making his USMNT debut and scoring a couple of goals in the last qualifying window. But head coach Gregg Berhalter chose to start Pepi's former FC Dallas teammate Jesus Ferreira in his striker spot. I do not think Ferreira was poor by any means, (he got the assist on the goal) but he did miss two clear chances to score in the first half that might've put this game to bed a lot earlier. I understand the thinking from Berhalter, preferring a player in Ferreira who drifts deeper into the midfield to help set up Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah speeding down the wings in attack. But with the amount of crosses that came into the box from the fullbacks and wingers, it may have made more sense to have a striker like Pepi that can get his head on the end of some of those passes across the face of goal. I was expecting to see Pepi in the second half but Berhalter chose to bring on Gyasi Zardes after the goal, in front of his home team Columbus Crew fans, making his return to the national team after a few months away due to injury.
Interesting personnel decisions from Gregg Berhalter
Antonee Robinson gets the winning goal and shows he is vital in attack
Antonee Robinson has grabbed hold of the left back spot for the USMNT, and he doesn't want to give it back. For the second time in this World Cup Qualifying cycle, the man they call "Jedi" scored a massive goal for his country. His pace is elite and clearly his influence on the attack is so important to how this team plays. His position in the box for the goal was that of a winger, and so was his left footed strike that gave the US the lead in the 52nd minute. The goal was outdone though by his impressive back flip and hysterical fake injury during the goal celebration. A few minutes later he struck another ball on target that nearly went in for his brace, but the El Salvador goalkeeper kept that one out. A great performance by the young Fulham fullback.
Robinson scores the winning goal against El Salvador
The team needs to be better in their matchup against Canada on Sunday
In CONCACAF, no win can be taken for granted. Still, it wasn't the best performance overall from the US squad. They allowed a few chances in that first half that were very dangerous. Christian Pulisic struggled in his 60 plus minutes, and his connection with the midfield, in particular Yunus Musah, wasn't in top form. It doesn't quite matter who the opponent is, it seems the US struggles to get going early in matches, increasing the anxiety of not only the fans, but the players on the pitch as well. What is the reason for that? Greg Berhalter needs to answer that. In their upcoming matchup against first place Canada, even though they'll be without their best player in Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies, that kind of first half play can get them into big trouble. The USMNT can sniff their birth to Qatar 2022, and a win in the Great North would go a long way to booking their ticket.
