The harrowing memories of American soccer’s loss in Trinidad four and a half years ago are still omnipresent.
The U.S. team was denied a place in the 2018 World Cup after a 2-1 loss to an already eliminated opponent. However, they try to not think about the fact that they will be qualified for the tournament this year as long as they don’t lose to Costa Rica by six or more goals in Wednesday night’s qualifying finale.
Tyler Adams, a midfielder, said Tuesday that “the guys have told us that they thought we qualified last World Cup,” he added. “The fans believed we did,” Adams said. We didn’t realize our game was over when we lost.
Only four American players are still on the Couva field, including DeAndre Yedlin and Kellyn Acosta.
“I know this, and Christian, too, more than anyone: It’s never over until it’s done. We cannot be too relaxed. We shouldn’t be too relaxed. Yedlin stated that we still have a lot to do. We know we are in a good place and that’s obvious. But I believe that we believed we were in a good position going into the Trinidad match.
Canada has won one of three automatic berths from North America, Central America and the Caribbean with 28 points. The U.S. (25) is currently second behind Mexico (22) on goal difference while Costa Rica (22) is 4th. The Americans have a plus-13 goal differential and Costa Rica is at +3. This means that the U.S. can be denied if they lose at least six of their games.
Tim Weah, a 22-year-old winger, said that the media had deemed us the “golden generation” and the one that will qualify for the next World Cup. “We carry a lot of weight, and qualifying to the World Cup is not just for us. It’s also for DeAndres, Jozy (Altidore), and all the other guys who didn’t get the chance to do it again.
In 1957, the United States lost six competitive matches by six goals.
Coach Gregg Berhalter stated, “We don’t take anything for granted.” “We are here to win the soccer game and be aggressive in the game. This is our goal. We are not going to be timid. We won’t sit back. We won’t play for a tie.”
The U.S. has suffered nine losses and one draw at San Jose qualifiers, while the U.S. has one victory, two defeats, and three draws at road qualifiers this cycle. The Americans have one of the most youthful rosters in international soccer. They began last September with a draw at El Salvador and a draw at home against Canada. After that, they gained strength through the five qualifying windows.
Berhalter stated that it was because of a lack of experience. “We were kicked in the teeth the first round, and that was what it was. We were possibly too confident, didn’t understand what qualifying meant, and that was quickly corrected.
Pulisic scored five of the 21 goals for the Americans, including his first international goal in Sunday’s 5-1 win over Panama.
People had high expectations of him growing up as a kind of the golden child in U.S. soccer. Adams stated that Adams has dealt with these situations better than anyone else. “In every situation, he’s expected do things that people like (Lionel] Messi or (Cristiano] Ronaldo are supposed do.”
After COVID-19, Reggie Cannon has returned to the team. Gio Reyna remains not ready for 90 minutes, while he is being treated by 30 staff members and players for a stomach bug that he contracted last week in Mexico. Berhalter revealed that nerve problems were also addressed in the Reyna hamstring injury, which kept him out of action from September to February.
Berhalter will have little time to prepare for Friday’s draw, where the Americans would take place in pot 2. He and his staff will be flying to New York at 11:54 p.m. and connecting to Doha, Qatar, on the match’s final hour. Although coaches and players try to avoid thinking ahead to a match, Berhalter was forced.
Berhalter stated, “I got over it weeks ago because I know that that’s an essential evil of what we are trying to accomplish.” “They want us to be there at the draw. It’s important that we are there if we qualify. These are the arrangements we need to make.
27 of the 44 U.S. qualified players are currently with the team. Berhalter had planned to reach out to those who weren’t in Costa Rica to express his gratitude.
National Stadium was a place where players were ready to celebrate, at least in one way. Sam Zapatka, team administrator, purchased a JBL Boombox 2, which is a portable Bluetooth speaker that can be used outdoors. Weah is the DJ.
Yedlin stated, “Since my time with the national team we’ve had a tiny Bose speaker. Every camp we talk about, we need a new speaker. We need to get new speakers.” It took us eight years, or whatever length it took, to finally get a nice speaker that can be played.
Notes: Costa Rica will not be punished for losing to the Oceania champion, probably New Zealand in June’s playoff. Nine Ticos are also issued yellow cards by Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges. Luis Fernando Suarez, Coach, said Sunday that he would not risk any of the players being suspended for a playoff. Drew Fischer from Canada will serve as referee.
