George Town, Cayman Islands — Tomorrow night, the 2019 season comes to a close for the U.S. Men’s National Team. It’s been a year of change for the USMNT, with Gregg Berhalter taking the reins.
There’s also been change in regard to qualifying for the World Cup. FIFA introduced the Nations League for CONCACAF. A total of 41 teams compete in the Nations League, split up into three leagues. These leagues are based on points and CONCACAF Ranking Index. To make it to the Hexagonal, teams must survive their groups.
Right now, the United States are looking to survive.
Usually a power house in CONCACAF, the United States is playing catch up. With a new coach in Berhalter, the USMNT has been testing different players and systems in the Nations League. Right now, the United States holds six points, while Canada is in the lead with six.
The two sides faced off once again on Friday, with the USMNT extracting revenge for last month’s loss. Gyasi Zardes scored twice, while Jordan Morris and Aaron Long also found the back of the net. That match was Canada’s final contest in the Nations League. Now, the USMNT have their own fate in their hands.
If they prove victorious over Cuba tomorrow night, they’ll take over first place. They already lead Canada in goal differential, as Canada stands with +6 while the USMNT has +8 goals in their favor.
However, in correlation with the USMNT’s slogan, the job is not done yet. As fans know from previous World Cup qualifying bouts, it’s never a smart move to underestimate your opponent. While the United States did defeat Cuba by 7-0 in their meeting last month, the team can’t throw in reserve players to take their foot off the pedal.
#MondayMotivation: The #JobsNotDone for the 🇺🇸 in the @CNationsLeague. 💪👊
We go for another three points and the top of the group in Tuesday's finale vs. 🇨🇺>> https://t.co/hoEOfzr0w9 pic.twitter.com/FtnzVO2M91
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 18, 2019
Thoughts from Gregg Berhalter on Leadership
After Friday’s match, Berhalter acknowledged the pressure of Nations League head on. However, his message was simple.
“It is what it is,” Berhalter said. “I mean, I understand that everyone has a job to do and my job is to coach the national team. I also understand that they’re parallel paths. There’s the path of getting results and there’s a path of developing a really young team. Sometimes, those paths go in different directions. You don’t always get the results, but the development is still there.”
Berhalter said that the last two weeks, despite pressure, the team remained calm. He brought in some veteran presence, including European-based defenders John Brooks and DeAndre Yedlin. He also added goalkeeper Brad Guzan, giving him the start over Sean Johnson and Matt Turner of the New England Revolution.
Turning back to Brooks, Berhalter said he encouraged the Wolfsburg defender to show his leadership skills with the USMNT.
“The conversation I had with John before the game was that, ‘I watch you in Germany all the time and you’re a leader in your group. Let that come out here as well,'” Berhalter said. “It was important that we take advantage of those qualities that he has.”
Some #USMNT faces ready to head to the Caymans for Tuesday’s @CNationsLeague group stage finale vs. 🇨🇺. pic.twitter.com/1ocpBdgQbX
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 17, 2019
What’s Next?
There’s one final tilt of 2019 tomorrow and it’s happening in the Cayman Islands. Cuba will not host their “home” match on their own soil. However, the match will happen in George Town at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex.
The match will air on Fox Sports 1 at 7:30 p.m. EST. It will also air on UniMás and TUDN.
