George Town, Cayman Islands — There’s no stopping Jordan Morris. The USMNT striker has been on a tear for club and country in 2019. After coming back from an ACL tear last year, Morris recently lifted the MLS Cup trophy with the Seattle Sounders. Just days later, he was back at USMNT camp. Morris scored twice against Cuba last night to help the USMNT punch their ticket to the next bout of Nations League matches. The USMNT also had two goals from Josh Sargent, who took only 34 seconds to score his first goal.
For Morris, the recent stretch of national team matches have been positive. Morris also tapped in the opening goal against Canada last Friday. The United States needed both victories to move on in the Nations League. Now, they’ll take on Honduras in the semifinals in June.
After the match, Morris said the victory was a group performance.
“These games are never going to be easy,” Morris said. “Sometimes the circumstances are tough. But, I thought that we had a good mentality, coming out fast… We wanted to get on top of them early. We were creating a lot of chances, pressing them hard… It was a really perfect start.”
Meanwhile, USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter called the team’s performance professional.
“We talked about the mentality being right, we talked about getting off to an early start and not letting off the gas,” Berhalter said. “We did that. It was really good to go into halftime at 3-0. I’m proud of the group, I’m proud of the response after a disappointing game in Canada and then coming back to get two wins in a real professional way.”
"It was all about the mentality." @JMoSmooth13 on the 🇺🇸 advancing to the @CNationsLeague Semifinals. pic.twitter.com/mnKKbZzxNW
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 20, 2019
Three Takeaways
- The rest test is yet to come: Nations League isn’t top-tier competition. That’s not a knock to other teams, because most of their chances to build and be more competitive are shot down by the folks in suits. However, to the original point, Nations League isn’t going to improve the USMNT over night. They need to be playing against higher, world-class opponents. Talking about growth is one thing, but showing it off against tough competition is another.
- Give Jordan Morris POTY: Jordan Morris made a triumphant return to club and country. He’s been on fire this year for both, winning matches and scoring like crazy. For someone who obtained offers from Europe right after college, Morris is showing that staying in MLS as a young player can truly help build and develop your game. He should be Player of the Year for his redemption story after a gruesome injury.
- Give Cuba some credit: The USMNT entered halftime up three goals and with a clean sheet. While they kept the clean sheet intact, the team had a hard time scoring in the second half. Sargent scored his second goal in the 66th minute and the the USMNT attack was silent. In their last meeting, the national team put up seven goals against Cuba. Give the Cubans credit for holding down a solid defense for the last 20 minutes.
"We have a tight group…we're a family." 🇺🇸⚽️@JoshSargent sums up his night and the #USMNT's November performances. pic.twitter.com/JP3OMVlAC0
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 20, 2019
What’s Next?
The U.S. Men’s National Team finished the 2019 year with a 10-5-2 record and scored 34 goals. There are no official matches planned for the team next year, as of yet. However, the program said a 2020 schedule will come soon.
The semifinals of the Nations League will be held sometime in June. Locations have yet to be determined.
