Reyna rules
That’s why it’s worth it for Gregg Berhalter and Gio Reyna to resolve — or at least quell — their well-publicized differences. The 20-year-old with the stunning blonde hair scored twice in a scintillating first half in Tuesday’s friendly against Ghana, his first goals for the USMNT since June 2021.
Until he was replaced at half-time, the Borussia Dortmund striker was literally and figuratively at the center of events, basking in the space afforded him in the center of the pitch by a Ghanaian side unable to resist the American attacks could handle. speed and movement.
He looked happy. Of course, as Fleetwood Mac noted in 1977, “Players only love you when they play.” Managing the oft-injured Reyna when healthy, in the starting lineup and scoring won’t be the hardest part for Berhalter, even if tension remains between them after last year’s family feud. The challenge will be to integrate Reyna in a way that delivers results against much better sides than Ghana, and fit the maverick into the system.
The best American performance at the 2022 World Cup, the goalless draw against England, came when Reyna was only used as a late substitute and the team was disciplined and defensively tight – not qualities easily associated with the ready-made playmaker. He provided a spark to the attack in the first half of last Saturday’s 3-1 friendly defeat to Germany, his first match under Berhalter since last year’s unsuccessful tournament, but at the expense of some solidity in midfield. that the ball missed badly. injured Tyler Adams.
As in the 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the round of 16 in Qatar, when the US tried to play an open and expansive style against a leading European power, they were outclassed: overrun in midfield and exposed at the back.
“The organization of defending in and around the penalty area must be there,” says Berhalter told reporters on Monday. “It’s not about the back four. It’s about collectivity. It’s about seven players, eight players who get into position and have good lines that are difficult to break through.”
It remains to be seen whether Berhalter can develop tactics that feature Reyna prominently and at the same time keep a clean sheet against a World Cup participant. In a squad already packed with exciting attacking talent, Reyna’s flair could prove vital in taking the US to a new level. Or a front three could threaten without needing a supporting attacker. One of the country’s most gifted players could even be a concession if the Americans’ smartest path to victory is to embrace the grind, know their limits and play an extra defensive midfielder.
“Gio scored two goals and, besides the goals, it was the way he brought players into attack, how he could be calm on the ball. He gives us the peace and balance that we sometimes need, but which is then decisive when making the final passes,” says Berhalter told reporters after the match.
The head coach praised Reyna’s attitude and his defensive efforts, seemingly opening the door to a permanent starting spot: “He had a very strong camp, a great mentality, great training. To me, it’s not just the offensive things he did. Tonight it’s more about what he does and what he did off the ball. I think it was brutal work. That’s what we talked about before the game, relentless work in defense, and he certainly did that. It was a good step for us.”
International window of two halves
Was Berhalter happy at halftime, with his team leading 4-0? Sure, but you wouldn’t have known it from his brief on-field interview with TNT reporter Melissa Ortiz. “There have been some good things, but it’s really about staying focused and disciplined,” said the head coach, his brow responsibly furrowed and lips gently curled as he remained focused on delivering canned responses after perhaps the most exciting first 45 minutes of his 70-match USMNT. administrative career.
If Berhalter had mixed feelings, that was understandable. On the one hand, a convincing victory was important to restore confidence after last Saturday’s setback. “We learned a lot of lessons against Germany,” Folarin Balogun told TNT. “We had a lot of meetings and decided we wanted a response tonight.”
But this was so simple that, as with last month’s friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman, it was difficult to meaningfully assess the newer players.
The US were as hungry as Ghana were unhappy, taking a 3-0 lead midway through the first half with a goal from Reyna, a penalty from Christian Pulisic and a neat finish from Balogun before Reyna grabbed his second six minutes before half-time. Although the pressure and pace were admirable, all four goals resulted from defensive errors.
Left back Kristoffer Lund and midfielder Johnny Cardoso were healthy, but the second half was a non-event, making it difficult to judge debutant Lenny Maloney, a 24-year-old Berlin-born Heidenheim midfielder who came off the bench in the 65th minute .
after newsletter promotion
Striking choice
The center back slots are up for grabs. For starters, it’s hard to imagine that Tim Ream, who started against Germany, will play in the 2026 World Cup. By the time the World Cup starts, he will be 38 years old. However, the trio does not seem to want to drop Pulisic, Tim Weah and Balogun. Balogun was relatively quiet against Germany, not least because his teammates did not give him any chances, but was lively against Ghana, with four of his five shots on target, and scored his third goal in his sixth US appearance with a sharp turn and shot. .
Ricardo Pepi is Balogun’s rival who will start as striker in the Concacaf Nations League quarter-final in Austin next month, with qualification for the 2024 Copa America at stake. But he was unlucky to only see action during a flat second half against Ghana, when the US eased up. Ghana improved and he failed to muster a shot. After a hot start to the season at PSV Eindhoven and two goals for the US last month, Pepi is now without a goal in his past five games.
That empty feeling inside
From the first minute, Ghana looked like they would rather be anywhere else. That was the case for the vast majority of Nashville residents, as Geodis Park was nearly half empty.
A crowd of 18,468 was a strangely modest turnout in a metropolitan area of more than two million people that unsuccessfully bid to host the 2026 World Cup matches and has a popular MLS club. Ghana – which has qualified for four of the past five World Cups and had memorable battles with the US – is also not an unattractive opponent.
This was the USMNT’s first visit to Geodis Park and their first trip to Nashville since 2021, when 43,028 saw a 1-1 draw against Canada at Nissan Stadium. Tickets were relatively affordable, with some available for around $40. After a full house of 37,743 against Germany in East Hartford, Connecticut, despite many seats costing well over $100, it was a reminder that games outside of a World Cup cycle are hard to sell to the general public, unless the opposition is star-studded.
Germany’s loss took hold 594,000 English speaking viewers on TNT – just 97,000 more than Wales watched against Argentina in the Rugby World Cup that morning. The highest-rated sports broadcast of the day, the Oregon-Washington college football game, drew seven million television viewers that same afternoon.
Head turner
On a night when scorers were in the spotlight, it would be remiss not to mention American goalkeeper Matt Turner, who had virtually nothing to do but still made one of the biggest saves of his international career. jumping to the right to deny Mohammed Kudus in the first half. Especially since Turner regularly plays for Nottingham Forest, goalkeeper is a position Berhalter doesn’t have to worry about.