MURCIA, Spain — United States men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter said there “weren’t many players who performed up to their level” in the just concluded international window, the last before the start of the 2022 World Cup.
Berhalter was speaking in the wake of his team’s 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia at the Estadio Nueva Condomina, one that was played before a crowd of no more than 1,000 spectators.
While the performance marked an improvement over the 2-0 defeat to Japan last Friday, a lack of precision in the attacking third meant the U.S. generated just two shots on goal and just 0.28 expected goals.
All told, there is little in the way of optimism heading into the World Cup, which for the U.S. starts on Nov. 21 with a match against Wales.
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“There’s not many players that performed up to their normal levels in this camp, and that’s just how it is,” Berhalter said at his postgame press conference.
“And it’s our job to get them confident so they can perform up to their normal levels. So you can ask about [the performance of the] center backs or full backs or forwards, anyone you want to ask. I’d say we were below our normal levels.”
With the World Cup being held in late fall, there is plenty about the run-up to the tournament that isn’t normal. Instead of having an extended camp leading into the World Cup, all of the teams involved will have as little as a week to prepare after players are released by their clubs.
Berhalter has said he will announce his World Cup roster on Nov. 9, and he feels that in the just concluded camp there was an added a sense of anxiety as some players tried to jockey for a spot on the final roster.
