“If this is as good as it gets, then it’s not good enough.”
Former US Men’s National Team player Alexi Lalas, now an analyst for FOX’s coverage of the Copa America tournament, made that statement in the middle of a two-minute tirade following the USMNT’s 1-0 loss to Uruguay on Monday night in Kansas City.
With the defeat, the US failed to make it out of the group stage for the first time in a tournament that was hosted stateside (the 19 previous saw the team advance to the knockout stage).
After the US failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in one of the most embarrassing moments for the US Soccer Federation, there were plans for a resurgence. It was going to be a so-called “Golden Age” of US Soccer. Young players like Christian Pulisic (19 in 2018), Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Sergino Dest, and others were ready to bring the USMNT back to the forefront and compete at a high level in international competition. In 2022, they looked to do that as they rebounded and advanced to the Round of 16 in Qatar before running into a better Netherlands squad and falling out.
However, there was a sense of promise walking away from that. Qatar was viewed as a building block for the US, one that would carry them into the Copa America in 2024 and into the 2026 World Cup, one that they are hosting along with Canada and Mexico.
Or so we thought.
After winning your opening match of Copa America against Bolivia, things looked promising for the US as they had Panama waiting in the wings four nights later. However, a red card issued to Timothy Weah in the 18th minute put them at an early disadvantage that they never truly recovered from as they gave up a late goal to fall 2-1. That loss forced a very uphill climb that included a result against Uruguay and some help as Bolivia needed to draw or defeat Panama.
Early on, it appeared that the US had life after holding Uruguay to a scoreless first half and Panama only leading Bolivia 1-0 at halftime. Then, early in the second half, Bolivia evened the matchup, which set the US up to advance with a draw. Seconds later, Uruguay scored on a controversial free kick that was just one of several poor calls from the game’s referee, but after a review from VAR, the goal stood and the chances of the United States advancing to the quarterfinals were bleak once again. It then got worse as Panama added a pair of late goals to defeat Bolivia 3-1 and advance to the quarterfinals along with Uruguay.
People will certainly look back at the matchup from Monday night and blame the officiating for the defeat, but at the end of the day, the performance the United States displayed wasn’t good enough to advance. They were sloppy in possession, weak in getting back for counter attacks, and just didn’t take advantage of the opportunities that were given to them.
So the million-dollar question becomes: how can the US Soccer Federation fix this?
You can start by making a coaching change.
Gregg Berhalter has a sub .300 winning percentage against the top 30 nations while leading the 11th-ranked team in 2024 by FIFA. His overall record in those matches is 6-10-8 (.250 winning percentage). He just hasn’t been able to get the full potential of his players, which has created a disconnect. Also, coaching is all about adjustments. After the first half against Uruguay, it didn’t look like the USMNT made any adjustments and were okay with playing for a draw and hoping that Bolivia would help you out.
More than this, however, the blame falls on the players.
There comes a point in every sport where the coaching staff can only gameplan so much; the players have to be able to go out on the pitch and execute. Also, players like Christian Pulisic are expected to make adjustments based on what they see on the field. Have a discussion with your coaching staff in the game and make the changes you think are best for the team. This team failed to do that, especially Pulisic as captain.
For now, the US Soccer Federation has two years to turn things around before they host the 2026 World Cup. If you thought 2018 was embarrassing, can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to be bounced from the World Cup that you host before the Round of 16?
The obvious change is to move on from Gregg Berhalter and find a new leader for the US Men’s National Team, and that move needs to happen sooner rather than later.
Matt Miguez is the host of the Miguez Mindset Podcast on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles’ YouTube channel. He is also a digital contributor for ESPN Southwest Louisiana.