This USMNT team should be entering its prime. Now they need to prove it

Same sideline, different atmosphere. Last Thursday, Tyler Adams protested to Gregg Berhalter after being substituted during a difficult win over Jamaica. Three days later he celebrated exuberantly with his coach afterwards to score a stunning goal against Mexico to help the USMNT retain their Concacaf Nations League title.

The Bournemouth midfielder, fresh from a serious hamstring problem and making his first start for club or country since March 2023, was an unlikely candidate to fire a rocket into the net from 30 yards. It was only his second international strike. The other came in 2018, also against Mexico, but from much closer to goal and with far less ferocity.

The shot seconds before half-time felt like a year’s worth of injury frustration, all the pain and boredom released with one sweet and mighty swing of the boot. And it was the last thing the 25-year-old did of the match as he was substituted at half-time for his own protection. Much to his annoyance it turned out.

“Typical Tyler, we get into a fight in the locker room and he wants to play more,” Berhalter told reporters. “As much as I wanted him in the game, because I did, it’s a safety issue. We want to make sure he returns in a healthy way because he has many more games to play.”

For his part, Adams said that “It was obviously disappointing to come out at halftime, especially after scoring a goal,” but “I understand we have to be smart for the long-term plan.”

In the short term, fortunes turn quickly. An American side that should have lost to Jamaica at AT&T Stadium last Thursday and endured a somber period of soul-searching and wound-licking is instead cherishing a trophy and enjoying continued regional supremacy after Sunday’s 2-0 win at the same venue .

Gio Reyna, who last started a club game on Nov. 1 and had his first taste of competitive action in a month, was the Americans’ sharpest and most productive forward, with two assists against Jamaica and the second goal against Mexico on Sunday .

He is part of the coaching group at Borussia Dortmund and is on loan at Nottingham Forest, but the past two games have left little doubt that the 21-year-old playmaker is the Americans’ main act. He was named player of the tournament, marking quite a turnaround for someone whose future with the national team was in serious doubt following the fallout from his feud with Berhalter at the World Cup in Qatar.

What does it all mean? For a coach and a group whose defining moment won’t happen until the 2026 World Cup, perhaps not much. The Nations League semi-final and final were a colorfully eccentric confirmation of what we already know: Berhalter’s sides can be fluid and unfocused against stubbornly defensive Concacaf underdogs, but are reliably fiery and effective against Mexico.

More meaningful tests await in the summer, with friendlies in June against Colombia and Brazil ahead of the Copa América, when Berhalter’s tactics and formations will come under closer scrutiny in a tournament featuring some of the best sides in the world. It could be the month when the US moves from aspirants to contenders – or when Berhalter’s skeptics grow even fiercer.

The cases for Berhalter’s prosecution and for his defense have produced a draw in the last two matches, with the US conceding carelessly in the opening minute against an under-strength Jamaica, then tepidly failing to outwit a low block strategy until they were saved by an own-goal in the sixth minute of the allotted five-minute stoppage time. The US had a 3–1 victory thanks to two extra-time goals from Haji Wright, who had fallen out of favor with Berhalter since the 2022 World Cup and was only in the squad as a last-minute replacement for the injured Josh Sargent.

Despite the victory and the subsequent attempt by several players to portray the outcome as evidence of the team’s never-say-die attitude, it was a cathartic evening, a whimsical escape that had more to do with serendipity than with spirit. Berhalter admitted to reporters that the players had not absorbed his “normal Concacaf speech” about the need to take the opponents seriously. “Somehow it goes in one ear and out the other,” he said, sounding like an irritated parent. Perhaps a limited affection for the charms of Concacaf is inevitable among an American generation whose center of gravity is in Europe, with many players at leading clubs in England and Italy.

Still, it was a troubling admission given legitimate concerns that the team could grow stale — as any squad might — during the long tenure of a coach who has overseen 69 games since the start of 2019.

By contrast, the US more than deserved its victory against a toothless and aimless Mexico on Sunday, and Berhalter’s decision to start both Reyna and Adams paid off despite their questionable fitness. Although he scored sharply in the 63rd minute, Reyna, the US’s most ingenious striker, strangely spent much of the first half in a withdrawn position. Apparently there is work to be done on the training pitch to integrate him more effectively if he is to become a regular starter. His international form suggests he deserves that chance, despite concerns over his injury proneness, lack of club minutes and defensive limitations that could be detrimental against tough opponents.

The Americans missed a number of passes, but always seemed the most likely side to score. The rivalry is indeed becoming a matter of routine. Mexico last beat the US in September 2019 and the US have won five of seven matches since then, with El Tri scoring just three goals. (Two games took place last year under US interim managers.)

The final stages in Arlington, Texas, were plagued by homophobic chants from Mexican fans – who made up the bulk of the 59,471 spectators – who twice prompted the referee, Drew Fischer, to pause the match as part of a Concacaf anti-discrimination protocol. While the attempt to take steps to address a persistent problem was commendable, it did not act as a deterrent and, given the score and pattern of play, resulted in the American players being punished for the actions of Mexican supporters.

When the final whistle finally blew, the US secured their third consecutive Nations League title. The first, a 3-2 extra-time win over Mexico in the opening final in 2021, felt like a statement, a formative event for a fledgling group still forging its identity. For this win, numbers beyond the score told a promising story.

With an average age of 26 years and 63 days, this was Berhalter’s oldest line-up since 2019, and with an average of 37 caps per player, it was also his most experienced XI since that year. We’ve become accustomed to describing Berhalter’s cohorts as newcomers, but only four starters against Mexico were under the age of 25. In years and appearances, the team should be at its peak. It is up to them and their manager to prove this with performances of sustained excellence against high caliber nations. This summer would be a good time to start doing this.