CINCINNATI It wasnt a game that counted, but it was a game that mattered. There still are five months between the U.S. mens national team and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, so it might seem Wednesdays friendly against Morocco was just a small part of coach Gregg Berhalters plans to prepare these players for everything theyll encounter in Qatar. Thats not how the sport of soccer works, particularly not when how it works has been entirely subverted by the people in charge.
Instead, because the World Cup has been switched to November so it could be staged in Qatar and also because the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the qualification proce s https://www.commandersedge.com/chase-roullier-jerseys for most everyone the sports calendar has been squeezed like never before.
So the opportunity to play an opponent that likewise has qualified for the World Cup is precious, and the USMNT treated the Morocco game like the final score would be more than a footnote.
It was 3-0, by the way, with midfielder Brenden Aaronson, forward Timothy Weah and striker Haji Wright in his first cap at age 24 delivering the U.S. goals.
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We talked before the game about establishing a base line for this group about how we can perform against World Cup opponents, and I felt like the group went out and showed exactly good we can be but also, at times, vulnerable, Berhalter told the a sembled media at TQL Stadium. For us, I think were very happy with the result. We still know that we need to keep improving. It was a good opponent, a very dangerous opponent. We controlled the match pretty well and were able to create a number of chances against a good defensive opponent.
Berhalter wants to see his team continue to grow into his system, but that has been a challenge because of frequent injuries forcing players https://www.commandersedge.com/washington-commanders-pet-gear to function in different positions or, as in the case of established defender Miles Robinson, sit out entirely and leave another vacancy to fill.
So while there were many familiar faces, not all of them were in the same places, and there were many more absent. And that had an impact on how players either raised or lowered their stock for the Qatar trip in November.
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Stock upChristian PulisicIt would have been an amazing night for the USMNTs singular star if hed done nothing beyond standing at the spot after drawing a penalty from Paris Saint-Germains Achraf Hakimi, leading everyone to believe he would take the kick that could extend the lead to three goals, and then handing the ball to Wright for the chance to score his first-ever international goal.
Berhalter called it https://www.commandersedge.com/matt-ioannidis-jerseys really great leadership from Pulisic to give up the chance to add to his career total of 21 goals in 49 caps. It shows how selfle s the leaders are on this team.
That was not Pulisics only magnanimous moment. With the game still scorele s in the 26th minute, defender Walker Zimmerman spotted a chance to play a long, floating pa s over the top of the Morocco defense that Pulisic fielded as if he were Cooper Kupp. Except he caught the ball with his foot.
I gue s for you guys it might not be easy, but its what Ive done since Ive been my whole life, Pulisic said, chuckling. For me, thats a touch I expect myself to make, but maybe not for everyone.
Pulisic then tortured defender Samy Mmaee with a cutback move and rolled a pa s into the path of Aaronson, who slammed it into the back of the net.I think I had just once chance to shoot, really, but I thought the guy was really close to me and I thought that he would bite if I cut it back, Pulisic told The Sporting News. In that situation, obviously, just a pa s over to Brenden.I saw him running, him and Antonee (Robinson) both there, and just laid it there for him.
Pulisic ostensibly was positioned on the left side of the three-man front line, but he operated much of the time in a https://www.commandersedge.com central, playmaking position and was dangerous throughout his 65 minutes. He played like he was ready to matter at a World Cup.
I think he had a really strong performance, Berhalter said, But its more than the actions on the field. Its intensity in warmup that he showed Not needing the spotlight and thats Christian. When you have leaders like that, youre lucky.
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Brenden AaronsonMost frequently installed as a forward, either on the left or the right side, Aaronson was dropped back to the midfield in place of regular starter Weston McKennie, who is recovering from an injury but was able to play more than 20 minutes.
Aaronson declared with this performance that Berhalter will have to find a place for him somewhere in the U.S. attack. Aaronson was a terror.
I play it at my club Red Bull Salzburg . I love being in the middle, Aaronson told reporters. Tonight I think it showed that I can play in these spaces, and I can turn, and I can create the game. Maybe I might be the worker sometimes, but I have this creative side to me people dont normally see.
Like Pulisic, Aaronson spent a lot of his time pulled well off the sideline. That occasionally created room for Morocco to attack, but it also allowed the U.S., when in po se sion of the ball, to overrun their opposition and create opportunities.
I was impre sed. I really was. I thought he gave us energy. He gave us bite. He won some good duels, Berhalter said. To arrive in the penalty box like that on Christians play that he https://www.commandersedge.com/russ-grimm-jerseys ended up scoring shows great effort and tenacity. So I think he did good.
Matt TurnerNot every shutout in this sport requires an exceptional effort from the goalkeeper. This one was a sensation. Turner made eight saves against Morocco, only a few of them routine.
Berhalter and several of the players acknowledged they allowed too many significant scoring chances for Morocco, but Turner cleaned up every one of them. He is in competition for the starting job against Manchester Citys Zack Steffen, who is not with the team because of family reasons, and Turners shot-stopping in this game was at a level Steffen rarely has reached.
Its preparation. It https://www.commandersedge.com/saahdiq-charles-jerseys s focus. I definitely had a lot of energy for this game, Turner told TSN. I was definitely excited to put the crest on again after four months away with an injury, mi sing out on the qualifying moment. So I knew I wanted to go out there tonight and put on my best performance.
I always have a certain amount of self-belief regardle s of the performances. Obviously, I was happy with how I played tonight. But soccers a busine s of what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, so well see how it all turns out.
Stock downCameron Carter-VickersIn his first cap since 2018, Carter-Vickers played an entire half for a team that did not allow a goal. But he did
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