There’s only so much to pull off from matches like the one played by the U.S. men’s national team on Sunday, which saw the Yanks beat Trinidad and Tobago 7-0 in their friendly in Orlando.
USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter is well aware of the warnings: the T&T group that played in the United States for almost a year had not taken the field together, placing them far behind the curve in terms physically and chemically, which was evident throughout the night. Still, as the program prepares for 2021 full of jams, Berhalter said after the game that taking the score line with a little grain of salt should not diminish some of the positive plugs.
“You can only play against the opponent on the field against you,” Berhalter said. “What I really liked about the boys was the focus and intensity. After three weeks of training with a relatively new group, a young group, it’s good to be able to see those elements on the field against a real rival.
“We know it wasn’t a qualifying team for the World Cup based on who they had available. But still, it was good to see the team’s focus.”
The Yanks were dominant from the first whistle on Sunday, scoring the first goal of the game just two minutes into the game courtesy of Jonathan Lewis and never looking back. Jesús Ferreira, from home at FC Dallas, was arguably the biggest star of the show with two goals and three assists, but Berhalter said it was the collective effort that has most impressed him, not just the Sunday, but throughout the January camp.
Sam Vines, Aaron Herrera, Miles Robinson and Lewis joined Ferreira as young players who made outstanding performances. Even New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner found a way to leave his mark on a night where there was virtually nothing left to do, making a penalty in the second half to ensure the USMNT would end up with the clean sheet.
“The whole team for the last three weeks has impressed me: attitude, mindset, focus and intensity were there for three weeks,” Berhalter said. “When I look at today, when you talk about Jonathan Lewis and Jesus Ferreira, they did a great job getting assists and goals. Sam Vines did a great job. The central defenders were strong throughout the game, Aaron Herrera played well.
“It’s very difficult to pick a player who hasn’t played well since the starting XI, so overall satisfied with the boys, satisfied with the effort of the group and, above all, the concentration and focus they showed.”
The games promise to be much tougher later in a huge year for the show, but Berhalter said Sunday’s camp and friendlies were building blocks, whether for emerging youngsters who wanted to defend more leagues. forward, or the more established players who have already been part of the rotation.
In that sense, Berhalter said, he believes the team’s first mission has been accomplished.
“There are players on this field who are part of the whole team,” the coach said. “When you look at Sebastian Lletget, Aaron Long, Paul Arriola, Walker [Zimmerman] has been part of it, Jackson [Yueill] it’s been a big part of what we’ve been doing lately.
“So for us we used this camp as an integration camp where we were able to mix senior players with under-23 players and really work with both teams and prepare both teams for the future this year. When I look at it, when I look at the goal of the camp, it was a success based on that. “