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Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondent
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The stakes in Monday’s Copa América group stage finale pitting the U.S. males’s nationwide group in opposition to Uruguay could not be a lot increased. Not solely is that this a very powerful must-win recreation for the U.S. because the 2022 FIFA World Cup, however it could possibly be the most important till the following World Cup, too.
As a result of the U.S. is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico, there isn’t any World Cup qualification, and mixed with a crowded worldwide calendar, the Copa America represents the one alternative this cycle for the USMNT to play high-quality opponents in a event setting. The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup will not come shut competitively.
Suffice to say, the chances are stacked in opposition to the USMNT. The U.S. principally must beat Uruguay to have the absolute best shot to advance. The best method to consider it’s the USMNT wants a greater outcome in opposition to Uruguay (the group’s finest group) than Panama will get in opposition to BolÃvia (the group’s worst group) to ensure advancing.
Which means beating Uruguay alone won’t even be sufficient. If Panama beats Bolivia by a number of objectives — the most certainly situation based mostly on Bolivia’s performances thus far — the U.S. could possibly be heading in the right direction to lose the aim differential tiebreaker except it beats Uruguay by a number of objectives. All of these scoring possibilities that the People squandered late of their 2-0 tournament-opening win in opposition to Bolivia — which looks as if ages in the past — might come again to hang-out the USMNT.
With that in thoughts, listed below are the 5 large questions — with some predictions — heading into Monday’s conflict at Arrowhead Stadium.
1. Who replaces the suspended Timothy Weah?
Timothy Weah‘s loss cuts deep in just a few methods, however the greatest is the pure pace he possesses that may stretch defenses, one thing that no different attacker on the U.S. roster has to the identical extent. With that in thoughts, U.S. supervisor Gregg Berhalter would seem to have two choices for changing Weah.
He may plug Haji Wright right into a spot on the left wing whereas shifting Christian Pulisic to the appropriate. Wright performed in that place extensively for Coventry Metropolis this season, and Pulisic spent most of his time at AC Milan on the appropriate. There can be a stage of consolation within the change for each gamers.
The opposite chance is that Gio Reyna slides into Weah’s spot — the place he is performed for the U.S. previously — and Berhalter brings Yunus Musah into the lineup in a bid to reprise the “MMA” midfield with Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams.
Uruguay performs an intense, chaotic fashion, epitomized by midfielders Manuel Ugarte and Federico Valverde (assuming they are not rested). Including Musah would supply a bit extra physicality in the midst of the park. This may have the additional advantage of decreasing Reyna’s defensive duties, and permitting him to tuck inside to play-make when the chance arises.
The latter strategy appears the extra probably choice.
2. Matt Turner stated his harm wasn’t severe. Does he play?
Initially, it did not seem like goalkeeper Matt Turner would get better in time within the Uruguay match, regardless of his insistence after the Panama match that he can be “all proper.” Turner did not take part within the begin of Saturday’s coaching session, the one half that was open to the media. A U.S. Soccer spokesperson stated he would participate in “restricted coaching” afterward within the session.
However Turner participated within the begin of Sunday’s session and did not seem like he was restricted in his actions in any method. That stated, Berhalter stated at Sunday’s information convention that Turner was a restricted participant and the group would “proceed to observe his standing.”
In the end it should rely upon how he feels and the way the teaching workers thinks he appears. As long as his aim protection — particularly when diving to his proper — is not affected, he’ll begin. But when he is compromised in any method, then Berhalter must go together with Ethan Horvath.
There’s some hesitation with the Horvath choice. Whereas there was loads of blame to go round on José Fajardo‘s decisive aim within the People’ 2-1 loss to Panama, the shot was savable, which does not precisely give Horvath lots of momentum by way of supplanting Turner.
Search for Turner to be within the lineup.
3. Does Ricardo Pepi get one other probability regardless of poor ending?
Let’s be clear. At this stage, nobody is changing Folarin Balogun within the beginning lineup. The AS Monaco ahead has been one of many few brilliant spots on this event for the U.S., and Berhalter can solely hope that he continues his stellar kind in opposition to La Celeste.
The query focuses on whom Berhalter goes with if he appears to his bench seeking a late aim. Ricardo Pepi has gotten minutes on the sphere, however has but to transform on a number of wonderful possibilities over the 2 video games. There’s the outdated cliché that not less than Pepi is placing himself ready to attain, however in some unspecified time in the future, he must convert.
The seek for alternate options results in one other question: How wholesome is Josh Sargent? He did come on for a late cameo in opposition to Panama, however just for 4 minutes, which amounted to simply two touches. The stint was so quick that it did little to reply the query about Sargent’s stage of health.
Lastly, is Wright an choice centrally, or is he restricted purely to the wing? His shows within the Concacaf Nations League confirmed he may play in a central position. If the U.S. is chasing a aim, Wright ought to get first crack.
4. Can the USMNT hold its self-discipline?
Over the previous two years, the U.S. has proven that it’s inclined to the opponent’s “darkish arts,” that are a staple of worldwide soccer. Because the summer time of 2022, the U.S. has seen gamers ejected on 5 totally different events. The stat spans 21 aggressive video games, together with the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup when the U.S. despatched a B group.
That isn’t a wholesome ratio with regards to maintaining all 11 gamers on the sphere.
Youth cannot be supplied up as a motive for why that is taking place both. This group has been by means of the pains of a World Cup qualifying marketing campaign in addition to the World Cup itself. At membership stage, gamers on the U.S. roster have performed in among the greatest leagues on the earth and been concerned within the recreation’s most intense derbies. Retaining their composure should not be a problem, and but it’s.
Is it the teaching? There have been three totally different managers throughout this era — interims Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan — in addition to Berhalter. It actually comes all the way down to the gamers harnessing their feelings and maintaining their collective head.
5. Who will win? What would be the rating? Will the U.S. advance?
Underneath Berhalter, there have been moments when the U.S. has responded effectively when its again is in opposition to the wall. Assume Honduras away and Panama at residence throughout World Cup qualifying. There was the conquer Iran within the USMNT’s final group stage recreation on the World Cup.
On this occasion, the U.S. has some benefits over Uruguay. The People are enjoying at residence, and whereas Uruguay have not completely clinched a spot within the knockout rounds, their superior aim differential means they’ll probably get away with resting some gamers. Uruguay supervisor Marcelo Bielsa can be suspended for the match on account of his group twice being late to come back out for a second-half kickoff, leaving the group within the palms of assistants Diego Reyes and Pablo Quiroga.
The USMNT will even be wanting to make amends for the poor efficiency in opposition to Panama.
All of that stated, Uruguay aren’t precisely going to lie down, and their trademark competitiveness might be on show. Our prediction? The U.S. will make a recreation of it and draw 1-1, however it will not be sufficient to achieve the knockout phases.
If that occurs, it should virtually definitely imply the tip of Berhalter’s tenure as U.S. supervisor. Or not less than, one would assume.