AL KHOR, Qatar — First came the deflating finish against Wales. Then came the not-quite-sure-how-to-feel-about-it stalemate with England.
Now comes the only game that matters.
That was the only thing to take away from Friday’s scoreless draw with the Three Lions here, the only truly meaningful talking point. Tactics? Personnel? All fun to debate, of course, but strip it all away and there’s only this: On Tuesday, the United States men’s national team will play a match against Iran that in many ways will define Gregg Berhalter’s tenure in addition to sending this young core of American players on a collective trajectory of precocious success or disheartening failure.
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Is that a brutal reality? Maybe. But so it goes in international soccer, where sometimes — often, even — a team’s story takes years to reach a climax that consists of a naked 90 minutes. For this US team, it is that simple: Win and they go to the knockout rounds. Lose and they go home.
“It’s clear now,” Berhalter said afterward. “I think anytime you’re in a World Cup and you get to go into the last group game controlling your destiny, that’s a good thing.”
He added: “We want to capture the public’s attention. We want to perform at a high level, we want to give them something to be proud of. A night like tonight helps, but there has to be more to come. And that’s the focus as of right now.”
That has been Berhalter’s mantra since taking over in 2018, when he assumed responsibility for a floundering program mired in embarrassment after failing to qualify for the last World Cup. He has talked about changing perceptions, both in the United States and abroad. He has talked about making an impact. About making history.
In some ways, he has already done that. He has nurtured (and in many cases, recruited) a generation of young stars. He has developed a playing style. He has found a way to bring the best out of his players, asking for — and receiving — their best efforts.
Look at Friday: When Berhalter changed things up tactically against England, going to a 4-4-2 that would require Christian Pulisic to defend more than usual on the wing, it was a risk — but one that Pulisic paid off by running and digging in with grit and determination.
“It’s amazing to see our biggest superstar being one of the hardest working guys on the field,” Berhalter said. “When you have that, something’s going right on the team.”
