US eager for crucial World Cup qualifier
For the United States men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter, he isn’t fazed by the historical similarities that stick out ahead of Sunday’s crucial match against Panama at Exploria Stadium at 7 p.m.
For the second time, the U.S. and Panama will meet in the penultimate match of World Cup qualifying.
But unlike the last time both sides met, which saw the United States cruise to victory in Orlando in 2017 before a stunning loss to Trinidad and Tobago that ended the Americans’ 2018 World Cup ambitions, Berhalter was wary about comparing this year’s match against the Central American nation to the last time they played.
“Staying in the moment, staying present, it’s really important not to get ahead of ourselves,” Berhalter told reporters on Saturday. “We can only control what we can control, and that’s what we’re focused on. It’s literally doing what we’ve been doing and preparing and doing the necessary things to play well, and that’s it really.”
“I know there are similarities to last time, but we’re looking forward,” added Berhalter. “I don’t think this is a group
that looks back. We acknowledge what happened in the past; it’s part of who we are as U.S. men’s national team players and program. We acknowledge that but we have to forge our own path, and [Sunday] is a good time to do it.”
The USMNT could clinch a World Cup spot for the upcoming tournament in Qatar in November should the following scenarios fall in place: if the U.S. defeats Panama and Costa Rica draws or loses to El Salvador or if the U.S. ties Panama and Costa Rica loses at El Salvador.
Sunday’s game will be televised nationally on FS1 and TUDN, and the game will be played in front of a sold-out crowd.
The United States played Thursday to a scoreless tie against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.
Berhalter, however, was keen about how he expects Sunday’s match to unfold, saying the team will look to score goals but doesn’t have high expectations the game will be high scoring. The last time they played, the U.S. defeated Panama 4-0 on Oct. 6, 2017.
“We want to score goals, there’s no question about that,” said Berhalter. “But I don’t think we’re presumptuous enough to think that we’re gonna win this game in a blowout. I don’t think that’s going to happen. Panama is a good team, well-coached team, physical team, and they’re going to put up big resistance. Our goal in the game tomorrow is to win the game; it’s a home game.”
The top three teams in CONCACAF will
qualify directly to Qatar, with the fourthplace finisher facing a playoff against the winner of Oceania’s qualifying to determine the final spots.
Following Sunday’s game in Orlando, the U.S. will travel to take on Costa Rica in the final qualifying game on Wednesday.
Roster update
Defender Reggie Cannon will miss Sunday’s game after testing positive for COVID-19 while DeAndre Yedlin is suspended because of yellow-card accumulation.
Right back Shaq Moore reported to training camp on Thursday and participated in the team’s training session on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Zack Steffen, defender Miles Robinson, midfielder Tyler Adams and forward Jordan Pefok could be suspended for Wednesday’s game at Costa Rica should any of them earn a yellow card against Panama.
Here’s how the U.S. roster has looked for the March qualifiers:
Goalkeepers (3): Ethan Horvath, Sean Johnson, Zack Steffen.
Defenders (10): George Bello, Reggie Cannon, Aaron Long, Shaq Moore, Erik Palmer-Brown, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, James Sands, DeAndre Yedlin, Walker Zimmerman.
Midfielders (6): Kellyn Acosta, Tyler Adams, Gianluca Busio, Luca de la Torre, Yunus Musah, Cristian Roldan.
Forwards (8): Paul Arriola, Jesús Ferreira, Jordan Morris, Jordan Pefok, Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Tim Weah.