Gregg Berhalter emphasizes importance of ‘crucial’ Copa America to building USMNT momentum for World Cup

Preparation for the Copa América is officially underway as the United States men’s national team prepares to face Colombia. With doubts before the tournament surrounding the players’ physical preparation, who will be the starting right-back will not have Sergino Destand even if the team can compete against teams of the caliber of Colombia and Brazil, it is an important time for coach Gregg Berhalter to see what areas of improvement are needed ahead of a tournament with high expectations. Berhalter stated that he will make a strong lineup against Colombia and Brazil, with few changes, as there are plans to compete against Bolivia when the group stage begins.

“We seek that our actions give us information about where we are. We know that we are facing two top South American teams and we will learn a lot about our group and our opponents in these two games. ,” Berhalter said about what he’s looking for starting Saturday. “But for us what matters is how to get on the field and have a good level of performance? How to get on the field and compete? And then get the whole group ready and fit for the Copa América.”

Berhalter goes a step further when talking about the Copa América. While most view the tournament as an important litmus test of not only whether the USMNT can compete against top opponents, but also whether Berhalter is the coach who can lead this team in 2026, he does not appear to feel similar pressure on these games. . In some ways, he shouldn’t show that there is pressure because that just transfers pressure to the team, but figuring out how to evaluate the next tournament is key. Although fans would like to make it past the round of 16, in some ways this is It’s easier said than done without Destbut Berhalter had a few things to say about his thoughts on the tournament.

“I think the Copa América is essential for the growth of this group and I believe this is a very important tournament for this team. This is the last major tournament before the World Cup. We will have a Gold Cup, but the caliber of the teams doesn’t match the Copa América. When you think about the four big teams that are in this thing in ArgentinaBrazil, Uruguayand Colombia,” said Berhalter. “We’re playing two of them in the pre-tournament, one of them in the tournament and we can face them as we march through the tournament, so this is a great tournament for us and it’s a building block for us to enter the World Cup confidently. of the world. I think this could create huge momentum among the group. It can bring confidence to the team, so you know we are treating this seriously and want to put in good performances.”

He’s right that the USMNT will face some of the best teams in the world, but the part that gets left out is how disheartening a poor performance can be. If the team can’t adjust to the lack of Dest, they will face teams that will make them pay for it. It’s good to do this now to know where they stand before the Copa América, but there’s also not much time to shake things up if plan A doesn’t work this late in the game. Looking back, Berhalter has remained coy about what he plans to do.

“For the next two games, we will try different looks. We will give natural right-backs a chance in these games and then maybe we will look at other options for ourselves,” Berhalter said. “So far we have been able to see the performance of our right-backs on the field, but also with other players and really facing the game, opponent by opponent.”

When Dest can’t go, Joe Scally is often his main backup, but that doesn’t bode well, which could give Shaq Moore a chance to play too. In 33 national team appearances, the team has an 18-8-7 record when Dest starts with three of those losses at left back. With the USMNT suffering four defeats during Dest’s career in non-January Camp matches that he did not attend, his importance to the team is quite clear.

This indicates the need to try something new at right-back, but if that doesn’t work, it still leaves Berhalter looking for options. The match against Bolivia is approaching quickly, as June 23rd is just around the corner. The USMNT will have more time to train before then, but it will be critical to backtrack between other rotations now rather than continuing into the World Cup with issues looming.