Chicago Fire FC topped FC Montréal with one of the most jaw-dropping goals you’ll ever see in stoppage time.
In the extra minutes of Chicago’s regular season bout with Montréal at Soldier Field, midfielder Kellyn Acosta took a last-minute prayer shot from beyond the middle of the field to try and break the 3-3 tie and get his team its first win of the year.
Well, the wind gave Acosta’s shot an assist as it floated the ball down the pitch and right into the hands of goalie Jonathan Sirois, who was unable to stop the momentum and inadvertently knocked the ball right into the goal.
Seriously, they have to give the Chicago wind an assist on this absolutely spectacular goal. It won the game for the Fire and also proved, oh yes, they really don’t call this the Windy City for nothing.
As for Montréal, well, there’s only so much you can do when the elements get involved.
A new tradition got off to a somewhat inauspicious start
The Continental Clásico might produce some memorable games, but the first edition won’t be the subject of many fond looks back.
The U.S. men’s national team and Mexico scrapped their way to a 1-1 draw in Glendale, Arizona, with a late kickoff seeing the match end in the wee hours of Thursday morning on the east coast.
Jesús Ferreira nabbed a late equalizer from the one true moment of inspiration from the USMNT, leveling the scores after Uriel Antuna had pounced on a terrible giveaway to give El Tri a 55th minute lead.
Interim head coach Anthony Hudson started eight players that went to Qatar for last year’s World Cup, but after Jordan Morris nearly gave the USMNT an early lead by blocking a clearance attempt, both teams had little to offer in terms of class on the ball.
In truth, the first half was as uneventful as it was sloppy. With no real training time for either side due to the non-FIFA window timing of this event, interim coach Anthony Hudson set his side up in a mid-block. That conceded possession at the back from Mexico, and saw the USMNT look to hit on the break for the most part.
That approach didn’t result in an eventful match, but it did serve to bottle up El Tri. New manager Diego Cocca cut a frustrated figure on the touchline, with Sean Johnson only given a couple of worries (and literally nothing to save). The USMNT did have some worries while trying to hold possession in their own half, but invariably wriggled out of any jams created by Mexico’s press.
Finally things changed as the second half got underway, but not in a way the USMNT would want. A U.S. attacking move devolved into disaster as Kellyn Acosta’s attempt to pass back to Aaron Long ended up becoming a feed for Antuna instead.
Intercepting the ball virtually on the midfield stripe, the Cruz Azul winger raced clear of the entire USMNT defense, eventually tucking a low shot past Johnson in the 55th minute.
Turnovers were increasingly more of a factor for the USMNT in the second half, with Hudson eventually moving into a back three in the hopes that something could unsettle Mexico.
The adjustment did change the terms, opening up a game that needed some life. Ferreira slipped Morris into a great spot to pick out substitute Alan Soñora only for the Seattle Sounders attacker’s square ball arriving behind its target.
Still, there were risks, as El Tri remained the more potent attacking side. Another U.S. giveaway ended with Roberto de la Rosa pushing Johnson to his limits with a 23-yard shot, while Erick Sánchez flashed a shot inches wide of the top corner in the 79th minute.
Barely two minutes later, Carlos Rodríguez nearly mimicked Sánchez’s shot, only to go closer and smack his bid off the crossbar. That proved critical, as Sergiño Dest pushed play forward immediately with a mazy run.
Eventually Soñora fed Morris up the left, and Morris played a perfect angled pass in for Ferreira to redirect the ball past Acevedo. A turgid game had suddenly come to life with an utterly wild end-to-end sequence.
The USMNT seemed to have a little left in the tank in pursuit of an unlikely winner, but in the end couldn’t quite find the one last chance needed to make a surprise comeback.
These teams will meet again in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals in June, and all signs point to that being a very different sort of affair.
is there still time for the 32-year-old to carve out a USMNT role?
New U.S. citizen Ilie Sánchez has said he’d be “very proud and excited” to get a U.S. national team call-up — though he also admitted his position could make the possibility difficult.
The Los Angeles FC midfielder received his citizenship this week, six years after leaving his native Spain to sign with Sporting Kansas City.
Sánchez has carved out an excellent career in MLS, becoming one of the league’s top holding midfielders while being named an All-Star in 2018 and 2022.
The 32-year-old spoke to the media on Thursday, saying how happy he was to become a citizen of his adopted homeland.
“I know and I understand that I will never be the same [as] someone who was born here, but for me, I don’t feel different. The way that people treat me since day one, even before becoming a citizen, has been amazing,” Sánchez said. “Partly I think it’s because of the place I landed, Kansas City, but also nothing changed when I moved to Los Angeles. I just experienced different situations. I’ve met different people, but the treatment or the relationships have been amazing as well.
“I’m just happy. Nothing changed from yesterday when I wasn’t a citizen to today when I finally became one of you guys. But still, I hope in the next years to come I can keep building relationships and moments and memories here in the U.S.”
Sánchez also addressed the possibility of a USMNT call, saying that he felt his position could hinder his chances.
“If soccer brings me there, I would be very, very proud and excited about the opportunity,” Sánchez added. “But at the same time, I also think the U.S. national team, their strongest line on the field it’s probably the midfield, right? It’s difficult for that to happen.
“I’m open to everything. It would be an opportunity for me to improve and to have a better career. But I’m also focused on what we do here every day and keep building a successful season or time here in LA.”
The USMNT does have depth at central midfield but in terms of a true No. 6, the path to a call-up may not be as difficult as Sánchez believes. His LAFC teammate Kellyn Acosta was the only real backup holding midfielder taken to the World Cup and at the club level, Acosta plays further up the pitch to allow Sánchez to fill the No. 6 role for LAFC.
Acosta’s moment came in the ninth and final minute of stoppage time, with the game tied 1-1. USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner came way off his line to head away a long ball over the top.
It looked like a heads-up clearance by Turner, until it landed right at the foot of the exact player the U.S. didn’t want it to find: Gareth Bale. Five yards into the USMNT half and with Turner miles off his line, Bale was set for a dramatic empty-netter to complete his brace and win the game for Wales.
Seriously, look where Turner is here.
But that’s when Acosta did the only thing he could at that moment: the LAFC midfielder manhandled his club teammate and sent him tumbling to the ground.
Acosta earned the greatest yellow card of his career, and the match ended 1-1.
“It’s a great foul,” U.S. defender Walker Zimmerman told reporters after the game. “It’s professional. It’s important to prevent moments of transition like that so I have no problem with that.”
Amazingly, Acosta kind of called his shot before the game. When asked about Bale, the U.S. midfielder said: “He’s a guy that we definitely have to have eyes on, a guy that we literally [have to] start kicking him around the field and make him feel us and limit his time and space.”
When Bale needed to be kicked, Acosta was there to deliver. The USMNT may just survive the group stage because of it.
Berhalter: “The starting point is…matching their intensity”
AL-RAYYAN, Qatar – The U.S. men’s national team expect to get stuck in, and be stuck into in kind, when they make their long-awaited return to the World Cup against Wales on Monday night.
As long as the eight years since their last run at this event may have felt for fans of the United States, the Welsh have been waiting an actual lifetime for this moment — their last World Cup bow was in 1958 — and their current squad has amassed substantial tournament know-how in the last two European Championships.
Then there’s the iconic, still-deadly Gareth Bale.
“I’ve said all along, you’ve probably heard me say this, that I think they’re underrated,” USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said of Wales at a press conference one day before the game. “They’re an experienced team, international competition experience, solid back line, robust players, very physical, talented difference makers up top with Bale, [Daniel] James, Kieffer Moore.
“Solid midfield, wingbacks that get forward. So overall, I think it’s a really solid team. And for us, the starting point is again — I’ve said this six times already — but it’s just matching their intensity and coming with a competitive mindset, because we know that’s going to be needed in the match.”
Acosta: Bale ‘a catalyst’
Wales’ current generation has showcased collective spirit and tactical intelligence to reach this point. And with most of their players regulars in the top two divisions of English soccer, the Dragons are familiar with the rough-and-tumble side of the game. It was Bale’s LAFC teammate Kellyn Acosta, however, who spoke of the need for a muscular approach to the Welsh talisman in hopes of limiting his impact on the match.
“Don’t let him get to his left foot! Simple as that, right?” cracked Acosta in a conversation with reporters earlier this week. “No, I mean, special players make special plays, and he’s a guy who you definitely have to worry about. Because once he gets into the game and finds space and becomes comfortable and confident, he’s very dangerous.
“And he’s going to be a catalyst for them, so he’s a guy that we definitely have to have eyes on, a guy that we literally [have to] start kicking him around the field and make him feel us and limit his time and space.”
“I tried to avoid [Acosta] kicking me the last two weeks before we came!” joked the former Real Madrid star, who also claimed he’s “right where I want to be” in terms of fitness in Wales’ press conference. “So no, it’s nothing, I’m used to getting kicked on the field. So yeah, nothing’s changed as far as the referees there. Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be a fair but difficult game tomorrow that both teams are looking forward to, and I’m sure it’ll be played in a great spirit.”
Bale’s persistent history of soft-tissue injuries continued after his midsummer arrival in MLS, limiting him to 370 minutes and three goals. Then again, one of those goals was the sensational late equalizer in extra time of the MLS Cup final that proved decisive in LAFC’s championship win.
“Obviously an amazing player, a legend. We know he’s extremely skilled, you can see it in the MLS Cup final when he comes on,” said USMNT defender Aaron Long on Saturday. “And he comes on for not that much time and makes a huge impact. So if he’s healthy, I’m sure he’s starting, and yeah, an amazing player, extremely dangerous.”
USMNT not sleeping on Moore
Bale’s threat is well known. A teammate with a smaller reputation, but a substantially larger frame, was another topic of conversation in the leadup: Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore, a towering 6-foot-5 target man who provides the Welsh with a useful outlet up top in addition to a finishing nous that’s reaped eight goals across English Championship and Premier League play this calendar year.
(Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)
“He’s a big threat. We [Leeds United] figured that out playing against Bournemouth this year,” said Tyler Adams of Moore. ““He provides a completely different game plan to any team that you put him into. So yeah, obviously, he’s amazing in the air, but he’s probably very underrated in his technical ability and finishing around the goal. So for our center backs, I’ve even already had a word with them. We talked about it in our scouting meeting already: you got to have a body on him at all times.”
It adds up to a substantial first test in Qatar for the US youth movement that’s raised so many hopes across American soccer since the dark days of 2017’s qualification failure.
“It’s a fantastic group of guys. And what I’ve seen is the maturity grow over the last three and a half years with this group,” said Berhalter. “Now I see a tremendous amount of focus within the team. And I think this focus is going to help us go for success. And time’s going to tell if we’re able to play with the best teams in the world.”
An impossibly eventful game ended with LAFC taking MLS Cup
An indescribable MLS Cup ended with LAFC showing calm nerves on penalty kicks, with Ilie Sánchez ending an indisputable classic from the penalty spot after an astounding 3-3 extra time draw between his side and the Philadelphia Union.
An unreal spectacle featuring everything good and bad about MLS stomped on the gas pedal at the opening kick and never let up. MLS Cups of the past have been dramatic, with the very first final memorably being decided on a golden goal from Eddie Pope back in 1996, but they’ve never been like this.
LAFC took two leads on set piece goals, only for the Union to reply each time with a dead ball goal of their own. The Union, deep in to stoppage time in extra time, thought they had a winner, only for Gareth Bale — of course! — to head home an even later goal to send a 3-3 epic to penalties. From there, former Union goalkeeper John McCarthy, who was only in the game due to an injury to Maxime Crépeau, saved two Philadelphia penalties to lead LAFC to their first-ever MLS Cup victory.
The Union wanted and got the frenetic sort of game they enjoy, but LAFC had the better of the exchanges, taking the lead in the 28th minute. An ill-advised foul from José Martínez gave LAFC a free kick from a great location, 24 yards from goal.
Philadelphia prepared for a Carlos Vela left-footer, but Acosta stepped up instead from the other side, firing a shot that Jack McGlynn — who started over Alejandro Bedoya due to the veteran’s questionable status after an injury — could only glance past the wrongfooted Andre Blake.
For Acosta, the goal comes at a perfect moment. It will probably help media members figure out what team he actually plays for, but this final was also his final game to make his case for a U.S. men’s national team spot to Gregg Berhalter before the World Cup roster reveal next week.
A free kick in a similar spot came 10 minutes later, but this time the Union wall did its job, blocking Cristian “Chicho” Arango’s initial shot. Vela floated the rebound to Diego Palacios, but the Ecuadorian defender’s angled shot was spectacularly saved by Blake, keeping the Union in the game.
Fittingly for a series in which the last six leads have all been answered with an equalizer, the Union pulled level on a set piece of their own. Martínez, after LAFC had half-cleared the initial service, scuffed a 58th minute shot from over 30 yards out.
It wasn’t a good hit, but it rolled straight to Dániel Gazdag, who was kept onside by Palacios and easily finished past Crépeau.
Set pieces remained the order of the day. With the Union tightening the screws, LAFC had barely mounted an attack in a 10-minute span only to take a stunning 83rd minute lead. Vela’s corner found Jesús Murillo — who had escaped Martínez to get wide open — for a free header at the near post, and the center back sent a bullet past Blake.
Save for a large, blue-clad contingent in the upper decks, Banc of California Stadium was in full party mode, but their celebrations were cut short. Two minutes later, the Union won a free kick deep on the left flank, and Kai Wagner’s service to the near post was driven into a perfect location.
LAFC’s marking scheme somehow completely left the six-foot-six Jack Elliott unaccounted for, and the tallest field player in the game strode forward to head past Crépeau.
LAFC brought in some rarely-used big names for extra time, with Bale entering for Vela shortly after Cristian Tello had replaced Acosta. While Bale is the bigger star, Tello was more immediately influential, with Blake making a huge save to deny his long-range shot.
A wild game took a deeply unfortunate turn in the 109th minute. An under-hit back pass from LAFC gave Cory Burke a potential one-on-one with Crépeau, who raced off his line hoping to save the day. The players collided outside the box, with Crépeau missing the ball, clipping Burke, and being apparently badly injured in the process.
Referee Ismail Elfath initially gave him a yellow card for the foul, but as Crépeau was stretchered off to receive further medical attention, the card’s color was changed to red for a denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Burke would also need a substitution after trying to play through it, and Elfath had to give nine minutes of stoppage time after the lengthy break. That’s not a lot of time, except in a game like this, where it was time for both teams to score.
Four minutes into stoppage time, Wagner bent a corner in, and LAFC half-cleared…and half-cleared…and half-cleared again. Bale tried to acrobatically get the ball away, but ultimately Wagner got another chance to cross. He found Julián Carranza, and though his shot didn’t get through, Elliott was there to sweep home on the line, stunning Banc of California Stadium.
Elliott had broken an MLS record that his center back partner Jakob Glesnes had only set last year, when the Union eliminated the New York Red Bulls. The Union were just minutes from their first MLS Cup.
And yet.
Four minutes later, LAFC broke that record again, with Bale — who had barely even gotten a touch beforehand — soaring up to beat Elliott to a Palacios cross, as the 10-man home side conjured up a goal 128 minutes into MLS Cup.
In penalties, as much as the game had been even, only one team was ready for the moment. LAFC recovered from Tello’s opening attempt being saved to convert their next three attempts, while the Union disintegrated. Gazdag slipped, firing over, while Martínez and Wagner both had rather meek shots denied by the confident McCarthy.
There are many ways to find out which team a player represents.
Google is a very handy resource, for starters. You could also ask a friend or colleague. In the case of Kellyn Acosta’s pre-MLS Cup press conference on Thursday, there was also the sign in front of him that had the LAFC logo next to his name.
But a very confused reporter nevertheless managed to ask Acosta a question under the assumption he played for LAFC’s opponent in MLS Cup, the Philadelphia Union.
“How exciting is it to be in Philly right now?” he asked a man who hasn’t been to Philly for a long time. “The Phillies are in the World Series, the Eagles are undefeated and you guys are playing in the MLS Cup. Has it sunk in?”
Acosta was probably within his right to get annoyed. This was, after all, a press conference before the biggest event his league has to offer. A little basic research wasn’t too much to ask, surely.
But instead, he tried to give the reporter an out
“Just playing against a Philadelphia team you’re saying?” Acosta asked.
Given a chance to save himself, the reporter instead doubled down by asking a similar version of his original question.
At this point someone finally intervened, informing the reporter that Acosta actually plays for LAFC.
Acosta then added with a smile: “I don’t play for Philly. It’s exciting for them I guess.”
“I’m a Cowboys fan, I don’t like the Eagles,” the Texas native continued. “I know they’re undefeated so shout out to the Eagles I guess, the Phillies are in the World Series so congratulations, and we’re playing against the Union.”
It was all very magnanimous stuff from Acosta, who will likely be heading to Qatar later this month to represent the U.S. at the World Cup. At least the reporter got that part right.
LAFC delivered a message to the rest of MLS in a dominant win
LAFC made sure that the MLS Cup final will be at their house, and in emphatic fashion.
The Supporters’ Shield winners dismantled Austin FC, winning 3-0 on a day where they could have probably doubled their margin of victory. From the opening whistle to full time, it was a truly dominant performance, with goals from Chicho Arango, Kwadwo Opoku, and an own goal from the unfortunate Maxi Urruti.
It spoke to the attacking menace LAFC offers that even a team so defined by a front-foot, aesthetically pleasing style as Austin opted to defend out of a low-ish 4-4-2 block rather than their normally more open approach. Josh Wolff wasn’t asking his players to hoof long balls — a spell of possession between the 7th and 8th minutes saw them connect nearly 20 passes, including one from Ruben Gabrielsen within 40 yards of the LAFC goal — but the men in green were certainly defending for long spells.
While Austin were having some success at luring the home side into unsuccessful pressing attempts, LAFC were still creating all the danger. José Cifuentes crashed a shot off the post in the 17th minute, and as Austin started to move their line up after weathering the initial storm, Brad Stuver had numerous worries on balls in behind for all three LAFC forwards. The biggest of those threats by far saw Stuver misread a diagonal towards Denis Bouanga. The Gabonese winger beat Stuver to it, but his angled shot towards an empty net was blocked behind for a corner.
Unfortunately for Austin, that corner resulted in a goal. Chiellini drew some extra attention on Carlos Vela’s delivery, allowing Arango to slip past Moussa Djitté and head home for a 29th minute opener.
Austin’s choice to stand off of LAFC’s defenders was repeatedly ending with longer-range passes that picked out runs from Bouanga and Vela; if anything, the visitors were in pure survival mode. Stuver made difficult saves on Cifuentes and Vela in the final minutes.
Halftime arrived, and Stats Perform had credited the Verde with just one shot attempt:
The second half continued in the same pattern, with Stuver making saves and Crepeau a spectator. Appropriately, LAFC padded their lead in the same manner, as their set piece dominance all year long paid off again. Urruti had just been sent on as an attacking substitute by Wolff, but his first touch was an unmitigated disaster: unsighted on Vela’s in-swinging service, the ball found his forehead, and he couldn’t react in time to do anything but nod it past Stuver.
Austin were adrift. Even when it seemed that they might be thrown a lifeline when Sebastian Ibeagha stepped on Diego Fagundez’s foot in the LAFC box, referee Armando Villarreal deemed it a clean play, and stuck to his call despite a VAR check revealed clear contact.
For the second-year club, it was just that kind of day. A minute after Crepeau made his first (and only) save of the day, an utterly bizarre bounce gave Opoku a gift at the top of the box, and the young Ghanaian gleefully fired past Stuver in the 81st minute.
Bouanga lashed home a potential fourth with virtually the last kick, only for an offside call to keep the scoreline from more closely reflecting just how big the gulf between the teams was on the day.
LAFC’s win guarantees an MLS Cup final at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday, November 5, with kickoff set for 4:00pm Eastern.
The USMNT and Saudi Arabia sure did play a game of soccer
The U.S. men’s national team fanbase was hoping Tuesday’s friendly against Saudi Arabia would wash the taste of a dispiriting defeat to Japan out of their collective mouths.
We have three key takeaways to get into, but as you can probably guess if you watched the game or simply read the three paragraphs preceding this one, none of them is good news.
Opponents to USMNT center backs: Here, have the ball
Saudi Arabia plays a markedly different game from Japan: they attack in a 4-3-3 formation that becomes a 4-1-4-1 out of possession, maintaining a high defensive line without a corresponding high line of contention up front.
The object here is simple: let the other side’s defenders have the ball, stay compact from back to front, and leave teams few options other than to play perfect diagonal switches or balls into the space in behind. The10 Saudi field players, from the deepest defender to the highest attacker, were often only 30 or so yards apart, leaving no space to pass into the midfield and build that way.
Interestingly, this much different approach still left USMNT center backs Walker Zimmerman and Aaron Long (and eventually, in this game, Mark McKenzie) with the same problem they faced against Japan. They were on the ball, with an opponent who took all their simpler options off the table. The challenge, in both cases, was that the center backs had to play passes that solved a problem rather than simply finding a midfielder or fullback to do that.
While the turnovers weren’t as costly — Saudi Arabia has less athleticism than Japan, and were less forcing turnovers with tackles than they were intercepting errant passes at midfield — they were still a pretty regular factor in this game, and while the USMNT piled up possession, they were often completely muted when they tried to do anything with it.
Berhalter’s side has figured this problem out before. It’s not like teams in CONCACAF have never heard of “let the center backs have all of their possession” as a tactic before. Yes, Japan and Saudi Arabia would have also qualified out of the Octagonal, but there’s an issue with execution right now on the USMNT side.
For one, Zimmerman and (especially) Long seemed to struggle on some very straightforward passes that they have both probably completed literally thousands of times in professional games. Secondly, the USMNT seemed unable to shift the angles to open Saudi Arabia up, which means the problem extends to what movements are being offered by the other eight field players.
No Musah no party
Yunus Musah was in the stadium for this one, watching from the stands after making the trip down the Mediterranean coast to Murcia. Unfortunately for the USMNT, his stock ended up rising despite him being in street clothes, because for the second straight game, it became clear that the “MMA” midfield doesn’t function anywhere near its best without him.
Kellyn Acosta has had some fine moments with the USMNT, and his set piece taking ability actually makes him a pretty valuable member of the squad going into a tournament where prep time is low (side note: the USMNT wasn’t particularly threatening on dead balls in this window, but they probably didn’t want to show any of their designed plays off yet either).
However, he’s more suited for a game where the USMNT is going to be on the defensive, needing that extra ball-winning and positional sense more than other, more flashy traits. In a midfield with Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, against a mid-block opponent who was always going to be a puzzle to solve, he was redundant.
Photo by JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images
The MMA midfield isn’t even a perfectly ideal balance of roles, as there’s no true playmaker and no true expert in terms of occupying spaces without the ball. Adams and McKennie make up for this latter issue with ferocious effort, but even when Musah — who thrives as a facilitator and ball-progressing midfielder rather than as a true No. 10 — is in, it’s a case of hoping the three can emphasize what their games do have to such an extent that what they lack isn’t a big deal.
When you take Musah out of the mix, that scenario doesn’t play out. The USMNT were sluggish in terms of their tempo, and so much of their time in possession saw Saudi Arabia keep their collective shape, herding possession back to the center backs or even to Turner. The USMNT wasn’t suited to play without their best player in terms of shifting an opposition shape in the middle third. Most teams will miss that player, but it feels like the U.S. learned today just how severe that absence is for them.
Berhalter more or less acknowledged this with his final pair of subs, with Brenden Aaronson coming into Acosta’s spot. Nothing much came of this spell, with the best USMNT chance largely coming down to the FC Dallas connection between Jesús Ferreira and Paul Arriola, but the moves alluded to what was missing in this one.
Right now, it’d be very smart for the USMNT to seriously look at making sure Aaronson has the reps to step in for Musah (or for that matter McKennie, as neither player has a spotless injury record). It could be that Musah, Adams, and McKennie are good to go for 270 minutes in eight days in a desert climate where temperatures are famously very hot, but you don’t want to walk into Group B with all your eggs in that particular basket.
Struggle for fullback balance
Musah wasn’t the only normal starter whose absence was keenly felt. Antonee Robinson may be back very soon for Fulham, but without their normal left back, the USMNT seemed to struggle with the balance between its two fullbacks.
Without Robinson, and after Sam Vines struggled to really make the same kind of impact that Robinson does against Japan, Berhalter moved that responsibility over to right back. Sergiño Dest, normally seen as an attack-first fullback, was asked to not push so high, and to dip inside to help change the angles in possession. DeAndre Yedlin had the job of providing that serious width on the other side.
The problem here is that the USMNT’s best attacking right back is, you know, Dest. He’d have thrived on the right with that kind of assignment, and ended up being the more dangerous attacking fullback despite having to pick and choose when he got forward.
Yedlin wasn’t poor, but he wasn’t influential either, and the USMNT system needs the player with this responsibility to be a constant factor. Particularly against a team playing a mid-block like this, this fullback role is a major factor in pulling the opposition out of their shape, and Saudi Arabia’s comfort without the ball starts with there being no true danger from Yedlin being higher up the field. The timing of his runs made him easy to defend, and he wasn’t getting much help from Acosta to open that space up either.
As with the midfield quandary, Berhalter addressed this with a sub. Joe Scally came in not long after Yedlin was caught by a bad tackle from Saud Abdulhamid that deserved a harsher punishment than the yellow card it got, and was pretty quickly more of a factor in the attacking third than Yedlin had been.
Perhaps that’s the benefit of the USMNT coaching staff having an hour-plus to analyze the game and tell Scally exactly what to look for, or perhaps it’s just a fresh player coming in against a tiring opponent.
Either way, the situation underlined how much the USMNT’s hopes hinge on unbalancing teams by using their fullbacks. It’s not good news that Robinson’s health is right up there with Musah’s, and Pulisic’s, and Reyna’s, but that’s where the USMNT is at right now.
We know they can hit a high enough level to be a serious threat to advance when everyone’s healthy, but is everyone going to be healthy in November? There are now 55 days for Berhalter to figure out how to make sure the answer to that question is positive.
“We’re competing for a World Cup roster spot, but that doesn’t mean that the relationship has to deteriorate”
The battle for spots on the final U.S. men’s national team roster for the World Cup is arguably at its most intense at right back, but Reggie Cannon and Kellyn Acosta say the group dynamic between everyone fighting for that job is healthy.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the USMNT’s CONCACAF Nations League match against Grenada, Cannon said that Sergiño Dest, his direct competition for a roster spot, is encouraging him to be at his best. “Sergiño is not currently playing in this camp, but he’s messaging me,” said Cannon. “That type of camaraderie within the group kind of helps us compete.
“Sergiño and I are in the same position. We’re competing for a World Cup spot, we’re competing for a World Cup roster spot, but that doesn’t mean that the relationship has to deteriorate.”
Just five months away from Gregg Berhalter having to select a final roster for Qatar 2022, Cannon and Dest are just two of his options at right back. While Dest is not in this squad, he’s the projected starter at this point. DeAndre Yedlin is also in camp, while Joe Scally moved from left to right for the final half-hour of the USMNT’s scoreless draw with Uruguay. In the final game of the Octagonal, Shaq Moore got called in to bolster the squad when Cannon tested positive for Covid-19 and Yedlin was suspended.
Acosta, himself vying for a spot in a jam-packed midfield, agreed.
“A word to kind of describe it is like ‘frenemies,’ right? Where, you know, we’re friends off the field, but on the field, we’re competing, and I’m bringing it, you’re bringing it, and I think that’s positive,” said Acosta, adding with a laugh that when he battles with Cannon in training, “I’m trying to tackle the mess out of him.”
Cannon said that the right back pool is particularly tight as a group, even as they compete for a potential once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “Especially as deep as the right back position is, I think personally I can [say] the relationships we all have are so good. They’re my closest friends on my team, but we’re super competitive when it comes to training.”
“When the person is getting playing time, you’re still rooting for the person ahead of you, still rooting for the team,” explained Cannon. “I think that depth and that competition in friendly relationships is what’s kind of helped this team along.”
