U.S. team ready for qualifier
Six-goal cushion bolsters Americans
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — American soccer’s harrowing memory of the loss in Trinidad 4½ years ago remains omnipresent, if no longer raw.
Denied a berth in the 2018 World Cup by a 2-1 defeat to an already-eliminated opponent, U.S. players try not to think about the fact they will qualify for this year’s tournament as long as they don’t lose to Costa Rica by six goals or more in Thursday night’s qualifying finale.
“The guys have told us, that have been here and through this path before, that we thought we qualified last World Cup,” midfielder Tyler Adams said Wednesday. “The fans thought we did, as well. But we hadn’t when we realized our game was finished and we lost.”
Just four players remain from that American roster: Christian Pulisic, DeAndre Yedlin, Kellyn Acosta and Paul Arriola.
“I know this and Christian, too, better than anyone: It’s not over until it’s over. We can’t be too complacent. We can’t be too relaxed. We’ve still got a job to do,” Yedlin said. “Obviously, we’re in a good situation and we know that. but I think going into the Trinidad game, we thought we were in a good situation, as well.”
Canada (28 points) has clinched one of the three automatic berths from North and Central America and the Caribbean, the U.S. (25) is second ahead of Mexico on goal difference and Costa Rica (22) is fourth. Because the Americans have a plus-13 goal difference and Costa Rica is at plus-three, the U.S. could be denied only by a defeat of at least six goals.
“The media has classified us as the golden generation and the generation that’s going to qualify for the next World Cup,” 22-year-old winger Tim Weah said. “We do carry a lot of that weight on our shoulders, and qualifying for the World Cup, it’s not only for us, it’s for the group before, it’s for the Clints [Dempsey], it’s for DeAndres, for Jozy [Altidore], all the guys that didn’t get to do it again.”
Using one of the youngest rosters in international soccer, the Americans began in September with a 0-0 draw at El Salvador and a 1-1 draw at home against Canada, then gained strength over the five qualifying windows.
“It was really lack of experience,” coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We got kicked in the teeth that first round, and that’s what it was. We were potentially overconfident, not understanding what qualifying was about, and we learned that lesson quickly.”
If the U.S. qualifies, Berhalter has little time to prepare for Friday’s draw. He and his staff have plans to catch a late flight to New York and a connection to Doha, Qatar. Coaches and players usually try not to think ahead of a game but Berhalter was forced to.
“They want us there at the draw, so it’s going to be important that if we qualify, we’re there,” he said.