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MEXICO CITY — Among professional athletes and coaches, there is a tendency to underline the sense of opportunity when faced with the hype of high-stakes competition.
A big game, they might say, actually just another game. It is futile to look at a series of daunting competitions; Better to go one day at a time.
But that’s when the United States men’s soccer team assembles this week in preparation for the final three qualifying games. 2022 World CupCoach Gregg Berhalter was unusually outspoken with his squad.
“This is probably the biggest week of our lives as professional coaches,” Berhalter told them. “It’s just honest.”
In Mexico City on Thursday, Berhalter and his team kicked off a series of matches — three in three countries — that will determine whether they will return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014. The fate of both is unlikely. The United States or Mexico will be decided on Thursday night; results in other games can change the math, injuries and absenteeism It has complicated both teams’ plans, and two more games remain after Thursday, offering either confirmation or a final lifeline.
Taking part in the world’s biggest sporting event is often enough motivation. But Berhalter and his players are trying to make up for the failures of their predecessors, squander a ticket Strikingly to the 2018 World Cup.
The current group, the vast majority of which played no part in the failure five years ago, started the day in second place in the regional qualifiers – the top three teams automatically taking part in the tournament and the fourth placed team has a chance to succeed in a play-in. But the Couva, Trinidad disaster of 2017 means that the US has long since given up its privilege of calm optimism.
After their game against Mexico on Thursday, the Americans will play against Panama in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday before heading to Costa Rica for Wednesday night’s final qualifying.
“We just have to qualify – there’s no other option,” said midfielder Tyler Adams. “I think when you’re in big games, big games, you always have to remember what motivates you and why you’re doing it. And for us, we do this for all US fans. We do not want to let our nation down.”
American players have been repeating the word “responsibility” all week, realizing that their fortunes in these games will fluctuate far outside their group and into the future.
This remains one of the intriguing aspects of national football teams: their reputation, their standards, their expectations, how people perceive them to play, how people evaluate their character – these things are passed down through the generations, even as players, coaches and other personnel change. .
The same can be said for their trauma. In 2017, the Americans went to Trinidad knowing that a win or a draw would guarantee them a World Cup ticket. Instead, they lost, and a series of possible outcomes in simultaneous matches on the last day made them look outside for the first time in a generation. American players finished the night by slumping onto the field, some with tears in their eyes. A few, like star Christian Pulisic, haven’t made their disappointment public for months.
Time moves slowly in international football. Images and feelings of that night—heartbreak, disgust, and nausea—continue to follow the show. Adams talked about watching the game on his couch at home this week. He said he spent the following years wondering if he would have been able to sneak into the World Cup squad had the team qualified for Russia.
“I hope we’ve all learned from the past that we have to be better,” said midfielder Paul Arriola, one of the few current players to be part of the final qualifying campaign.
When the final phase of that effort kicked off at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Thursday, the United States and Mexico found themselves in the unusual, uncomfortable position of looking up the rankings and seeing another long-held person – Canada – at the top. claimed it was theirs.
Mexico is ranked 12th in the world by FIFA. The United States is in 13th place. Canada is in 33rd place. But while Canada, undefeated by the USA and Mexico (2-0-2) in the qualifiers, appeared to be the safest, most dangerous team in the region in recent months, the two more traditional powers have battled openly. with the ups and downs of months of tough competition.
The Americans started this process with a young bully last September. Never mind that most of them have never experienced the stress and tension of World Cup qualifiers in this region. Midfielder Weston McKennie announced that the team will try to “dominate” the tournament. Adams stifled his lofty goals: “Nine point week, result,” he said as he entered the team’s first three-game window.
Those things didn’t happen. The team’s first two games were unsuccessful, and they finished the first window with five points instead of nine – no need to panic, but a cold reminder of the challenge ahead. Since then, combining the team’s many raw talents into a cohesive group has been an instant learning process.
Clearly amazed at the difficulty of managing such a young team in such a difficult situation, Berhalter has gone through a learning process of his own.
“When you’re in a club, it’s a building type thing,” said Berhalter, who coached at club level for almost a decade before being hired by US Soccer in 2018. “When I was in a national team, I think it’s a winning thing. My mind had to change more and more about winning every game. We want that too. Obviously that’s what the public wants. Winning also means qualifying.”
The urgency of this mission was felt most by people who were in the field four years ago. Pulisic, for example, was one of the players who cried after the defeat in Trinidad.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for years,” she said about getting rid of the bad taste of the experience. “Of course we use it as motivation. We are extremely sorry. And now we want to qualify. Now we have the opportunity. We certainly don’t want to experience that again.”
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