There is much to be deduced from games like the US men’s national team on Sunday, which saw the Yankees beat Trinidad and Tobago 7-0 in a friendly in Orlando.
USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter is well aware of the caveats: the T&T team the US played hadn’t been on the pitch for almost a year, which put them well behind the curve in terms of physical and chemical preparation, which was evident during the night. Still, as the program prepares for a packed 2021, Berhalter said after the game that winning the score with a grain of salt should not detract from some of the positive results.
“You can only play against the opponent on the field, against you,” said Berhalter. “What I liked most about the crowd was the focus and intensity. After three weeks of training with a relatively young group, a young group, it is nice to be able to see these elements on the field against a real opponent.
“We know it was not a team of the caliber of World Cup qualifiers based on who was available. But it was still good to see the team’s focus.”
The Yankees dominated since the opening whistle on Sunday, scoring the first goal of the game just two minutes after the start of the match, courtesy of Jonathan Lewis and never looking back. FC Dallas honoree Jesus Ferreira was arguably the show’s biggest star with two goals and three assists, but Berhalter said it was the collective effort that most impressed him, not just on Sunday, but throughout the January camp.
Sam Vines, Aaron Herrera, Miles Robinson and Lewis joined Ferreira as young players who had outstanding performances. Even New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner found a way to make his mark on a night when he had practically nothing else to do, scoring a penalty in the second half to ensure the USMNT finished without conceding a goal.
“The whole team has impressed me for the past three weeks: the attitude, the mentality, the focus and the intensity have been there for three weeks,” said Berhalter. “Looking back to today, when you talk about Jonathan Lewis and Jesus Ferreira, they did a great job of getting assists and goals. Sam Vines did a great job. The defenders were strong throughout the game, Aaron Herrera played well.
“It is very difficult to choose a player who has not played well since the first eleven, so in general he is pleased with the boys, he is satisfied with the group’s efforts and, most importantly, the concentration and focus they have shown.”
The games promise to become much more difficult later in a huge year for the program, but Berhalter said the camp and Sunday’s friendly were all about building blocks, whether for promising youngsters looking for more matches. going forward, or the more established players who have already been part of the rotation.
In that sense, said Berhalter, he considers the team’s first mission accomplished.
“There are players in this field who are part of the full team,” said the coach. “When you look at Sebastian Lletget, Aaron Long, Paul Arriola, Walker [Zimmerman] has been part of it, Jackson [Yueill] it’s been a big part of what we’ve been doing lately.
“So for us, we used this camp as an integration camp, where we were able to mix the senior players with the under-23s and really work with both teams and prepare both teams for what is to come this year. When I look for that, when I see the objective of the camp, it was a success based on that ”.