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WORLD CUP 2022: WHO STOOD OUT FOR USMNT IN JUNE MATCHES?




After four games in 14 days, quite a bit. The first two matches, against fellow World Cup entrants Morocco and Uruguay, gave the Americans a good look at the type of competition they’ll be up against later this year in Qatar.To get more news about Bdlive, you can visit bdlive.vn official website.

The last two, CONCACAF Nations League contests versus Grenada and El Salvador, were useful in other ways, mostly as mental tests — especially Tuesday’s rain-soaked, come-from-behind, 1-1 tie in San Salvador.I think it's a good takeaway and a good end to the June camp, and [it] really brought the guys together in a good way," U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said afterward. "This is what builds teams."
Building a team is what this month was all about. It was a rare chance to get extended time together as a squad and the last one before the main event. Berhalter and his staff have just two tune-ups left (in September against a pair of Qatar-bound teams to be announced) before facing Wales on Nov. 21, the opening day of the World Cup.

Those September matches will be about fine-tuning details. The four June games were more about experimenting — partly with tactics (Berhalter tried a couple of formations) but mostly with personnel.You’ve heard it before, and it’s true: The diminutive Ferreira is not your prototypical center forward. It’s also true that the MLS goals leader leaves camp as he entered it: as the most reliable, consistent striker the USMNT have.

That might say more about Berhalter’s lack of alternatives than anything else. Outside of CONCACAF, Ferreira remains entirely unproven at the international level. He squandered opportunities against Morocco, Uruguay and Grenada before eventually exploding for four goals against the latter.Scoring chances at World Cups are rare. When opportunities arise, they must be converted.

There’s still room for a hotter foot to unseat Ferreira before Qatar. Daryl Dike, Jordan Pefok, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent and Haji Wright will all enter the European season knowing that a hot streak could get them back into the picture on the eve of the tournament.

It’s also possible that Berhalter moves a winger such as Tim Weah up top or uses a "false nine" — no dedicated striker at all. But based on what the coach has said, that doesn’t seem likely. For now at least, it’s Ferreira’s spot to lose.Hopes were high for Wright coming into camp. The 24-year-old arrived fresh off a scoring tear in the highly competitive Turkish league, and as a former U.S. youth international who came through the ranks with Christian Pulisic and several other current regulars, he fit like a glove in the locker room.

Wright scored off the bench in the 3-0 win over Morocco but didn’t do much other than bury that penalty kick in three appearances this month. His big opportunity came with a start Tuesday, but he didn’t take it; Wright was yanked at halftime.

"We're all rooting for Haji," Berhalter said. "We purposely played more direct in the first half because we thought he could be the force that would unsettle them. It just wasn't his night."

You have to feel for Wright; two days of rain made the field in El Salvador unplayable, and he shanked wide his only clear look at goal. Still, a hot start to the new season could earn Wright another look in September.

"It doesn't rule him out for anything in the future," Berhalter said. "It's about him going back to his club and then continue to score goals and do his thing. But it was an unlucky night for him tonight, for sure."