Berhalter tells players to ‘throw away’ defeat
After a 1-1 tie against the Chicago Fire last Saturday, Crew SC coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter lamented his team’s missed chances on offense and called the performance “disappointing,” but was able to draw a couple of positive takeaways.
The Crew maintained its defensive shape for the most part. Rookie goalkeeper Zack Steffen showed poise in his debut and, above all, the team was able to salvage a point amid a rough second half.
After a 3-1 defeat to the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, in which the Crew trailed from the second minute, Berhalter said he and his staff wouldn’t attempt to glean positives from the one-sided affair.
“To be honest, we’re going to analyze it, but what I’m telling the guys is to throw this one away,” Berhalter said. “This is a game that we’ve got to get past and we want to put away. We’ll analyze it as coaches and see where we need to get better.”
Berhalter didn’t attribute the loss to poor defensive shape. A dangerous pass from Steffen set up the first goal, and absentmindedness by several players on a Dynamo corner kick set up the second. Houston then punished the Crew with its counterattack to build a 3-0 advantage on an Erick “Cubo” Torres goal.
Berhalter noted missed chances midway through the first half that changed the complexion of the game. Midfielder and captain Wil Trapp said the Crew had to change its game plan “a little bit” after Romell Quioto’s second-minute goal. Still, he said, the Crew had its opportunities to get back into the game.
“We have no one else to blame but ourselves in the fact that the chances were there to make up the difference of the two goals in the first half, and we just didn’t do so,” he said.
It’s early in the season and a long time before playoff races take shape, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult to move on from a bad defeat.
“Listen, it’s never easy,” Berhalter said. “We have a standard for ourselves that we didn’t meet tonight.”
Whether Saturday’s clunker merits week 3 lineup changes is a question Berhalter will grapple with in the coming days.
“We’re in professional sports, so every game when you step on the field, you’re going to be judged,” Berhalter said. “You have to be accountable for how you perform, so of course we’re looking at that.”
Meram confirms Iraq decision
A day after the Iraqi Football Association announced Crew midfielder Justin Meram will not participate in World Cup qualifiers against Australia and Saudi Arabia, Meram confirmed in a Facebook post Sunday what he called a “very difficult decision.”
IFA indicated Saturday that “recent decisions by the American government with regards to its relationship with the Islamic State” created security concerns that led to Meram’s decision.
Iraq is scheduled to play Australia on March 23 in Tehran — FIFA sanctions prevent Iraq from playing national team matches in Iraq — and Saudi Arabia on March 28 in Jeddah.
In his Facebook post, Meram cited “reasons outside of my control” for his decision.
“I wish I wasn’t in this situation. I’d love nothing more than to be there alongside my teammates in the upcoming games, but for reasons outside of my control, I will not be participating in the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers,” Meram wrote. “I have spoken with our manager, Radhi Shenaishil, and I appreciate his, and the IFA’s, understanding of my difficult situation.”