Wow! Does this team have some fight in them or what? No matter the storm, they found a way to weather it. The character needed to deal with the circumstances in the match vs. El Salvador is hard to come by.
3 Positive Takeaways:
Adversity: The USMNT is not scared of any obstacle. Away vs. El Salvador in a mud bath pitch is no easy task. Add on top of that, going down 1-0 and having the courage to get a late equalizer. This game didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, and the team’s best players were still grafting from whistle to whistle.
Midfield Depth: Weston McKenzie, Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, Yunus Musah, Luca de la Torre. We saw each of these guys show what they are capable of. I'd be troubled to find another group of central midfielders that cover as much ground as this crew. Not only that, but they also displayed a blended balance of defending, simplicity, progressive passing, and forward ball carrying.
Competitiveness: No matter the game’s stakes, this team gave it their all. You may say, well, a 5-0 win over Grenada isn’t impressive, but they punished them for what they are. We see time and time again in the international game that teams don’t give 100% effort. For example, in this break, we saw England lose to Hungary twice. While these wins don’t necessarily mean much, giving that effort will only allow this young team to grow.
3 Worrying Takeaways:
Positioning: Throughout each game, I noticed a few tactical errors in position in this USMNT side. We could chalk this up to the group not having much time together, but I believe it’s a bit more than that. On multiple occasions in the game vs. El Salvador, I noticed our lack of positioning defensively. A few of the El Salvadorian counterattacks came from the absence of a defender in front of the center-backs, especially late in the game. Likewise, the positioning of the outside backs when attacking led us to be very vulnerable in behind. If the plan is to attack with these attack-minded wingbacks, then the team needs to counter-press.
Excessive Dribbling: I am the first to admit that I love creative, attacking, and threatening football. However, in today’s game, players need to pick and choose when or when not to take on defenders. This particularly caught my eye on the left side with Antonee Robinson and Christian Pulisic. Both players are outstanding going forward, but both have a tendency to get dribble-happy. The way to move the opposition is by moving the ball, as the ball always moves faster than the player. Once they beat one or two players off the dribble or drive into a space to make a defender commit, they should combine to get in behind.
Finishing Chances: At all levels, the teams that usually win leagues, tournaments, or competitions always have a few attacking players who are clinical in front of goal. While the USMNT do have some fantastic, creative, and attacking players, there is a lack of finishers. Clinical finishers are not easy to come by; that is why goalscorers are the highest-paid players in the world. Not finishing your chances in a World Cup has proven to be deadly. With a lack of finishers, the World Cup in Qatar could be more of a “what coulda been” instead of a celebratory ending.
Overall Takeaway: The team is lacking experience which shows in the aforementioned lack of positioning and decision-making in attacking situations, however, their heart will carry them places. As the famous quote goes, hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard...
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