The USA males’s nationwide group has gained its third straight CONCACAF Nations League ultimate with a 2-0 win over Mexico at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex.
Tyler Adams opened the scoring simply earlier than halftime with a long-range thunderbolt on his first begin for the U.S. in a couple of 12 months and a half, whereas Gio Reyna added america’ second after offering two assists within the semifinal vs. Jamaica.
Listed here are our takeaways from the match.
Tyler Adams, from lengthy vary
After two hamstring operations and a complete lot of rehab work and ready, Tyler Adams began for america for the primary time in 478 days. But because the midfielder continues to work again to full health, he nonetheless was restricted, with U.S. supervisor Gregg Berhalter solely in a position to play him 45 minutes.
He used each final bit.
As the primary half neared stoppage time, middle again Tim Ream ran down an errant nook kick and moved the ball to Tim Weah who discovered Weston McKennie additional extensive. McKennie then slid the ball to Adams who was round 30 yards from Guillermo Ochoa’s aim. Adams took one contact then launched a right-footed rocket by way of the legs of diving Mexico midfielder Erick Sanchez and previous the diving Ochoa for a powerful opening aim.
TYLER ADAMS FROM THE PARKING LOT ARE YOU FOR REAL??? 💥🚀🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZrK7PoxCST
— CBS Sports activities Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 25, 2024
Even earlier than his golazo, Adams had made his presence felt in the midst of the sphere, closing down opposing defensive midfielder Edson Alvarez when the West Ham United participant received on the ball with time and dropped again to assist the U.S. move out of stress when Mexico ahead Henry Martin was attempting to win the ball off the American middle backs.
Nonetheless, the strike, Adams’ first profession aim from exterior the field, shall be what everybody remembers from the efficiency.
“I’ve been at coaching passing him balls to hit from 30 yards out … I’ve by no means, ever seen him hit a ball like that,” Jesse Marsch, Adams’ former membership coach, mentioned on the Paramount+ broadcast.
Not a nasty solution to make a mark in 45 minutes of play. – Jon Arnold
Reyna’s attention-grabbing position
It’s truthful to say that Gio Reyna loves the CONCACAF Nations League.
After scoring within the 2021 ultimate and aiding on each targets in final 12 months’s ultimate towards Canada, Reyna discovered the again of the online with a end within the second half of this 12 months’s ultimate to double the USMNT’s benefit.
Reyna spent elements of the primary half, although, dropping deep in possession on the left facet attempting to start out the U.S. build-up from that deeper place. It’s the same position to 1 performed by Weston McKennie, who received on the ball in that house usually on the World Cup towards England and in a number of different U.S. video games, together with the semifinal win over Jamaica.
The vast majority of Reyna’s touches within the first half got here nicely away from the attacking third, and the choice to play him in that position prompted some criticism at halftime from the CBS analysts, together with Marsch, who was a candidate for the U.S. teaching place final 12 months, and former U.S. ahead Charlie Davies.
“I simply don’t perceive why we make all these sophisticated rotations and for me they had been placing gamers into place that doesn’t entry their greatest qualities,” Marsch mentioned. “We determined to place (Reyna) virtually in a buildup place as a left middle again, and what you’ll see is he doesn’t even look that comfy…he’s making passes that Tyler Adams might simply make, that Tim Ream might simply make, that gamers which have much less high quality than he has can simply make. I feel what makes Gio particular is whenever you put him up the sphere and you set him in troublesome spots the place he has actual choices forward of him to make significant performs.”
The U.S. had pretty first rate management of the sport within the first half, and at last received rewarded when Adams lasered his end house. Reyna did get extra concerned up the sphere within the second half, although Adams’ aim modified how Mexico needed to strategy the ultimate 45 minutes. Reyna’s positioning additional up the sphere allowed him to get on the tip of a poor clearance from Mexico and volley the end into the decrease nook to make it 2-0.
GIO REYNA. DOS A CERO. 😤🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/xgJLAA6T2o
— CBS Sports activities Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 25, 2024
Reyna, who was beginning a aggressive recreation for the primary time since Nov. 1, 2023, was subbed out within the 79th minute for Yunus Musah because the U.S. regarded to shut out the consequence. – Paul Tenorio
The outcomes will determine
For almost 90 minutes throughout Thursday’s semifinal towards Jamaica, it felt as if america’ Nations League marketing campaign could be considered as a catastrophe. The group by no means shook off the sting of conceding early in that recreation, and appeared unable to even formulate a possible reply till deep into second-half stoppage time. Typically, a late equalizer would trigger TV pundits to tear up their speaking factors and simply acknowledge the chaotic game-breaker for the spectacle it was.
Not Clint Dempsey.
“That was hectic,” Dempsey mentioned minutes after Cory Burke’s personal aim. “I haven’t actually seen the U.S. play good for the reason that final CONCACAF Nations League, to be trustworthy with you. After which earlier than that, the final time I noticed them play nicely was towards England within the World Cup. I simply haven’t been impressed with their play. They give the impression of being drained immediately. We’re nonetheless in it, however man, it was virtually panic stations.”
Sunday’s win in a 3rd consecutive Nations League extends a powerful file towards Mexico lately, however these searching for model from this iteration of the nationwide group could be forgiven for being underwhelmed by this window.
5 years in the past, discussing Berhalter’s strategy to the position centered round a method of play; buzzwords like “verticality” had been all the craze, and patterns of play had been rigorously dissected to trace this system’s progress. Because the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, nevertheless, these emblems are much less evident. It’s what pundits like Dempsey and CBS Sports activities desk peer Jesse Marsch have fixated on in questioning Berhalter’s credentials to guide this group into the Copa América and, finally, the 2026 World Cup.
Such is life as a second-term worldwide supervisor. Poor outcomes that will’ve been excused away as “studying moments” a cycle in the past are actually graded on a move/fail foundation. There’s (virtually) at all times a earlier event efficiency that serves as a benchmark, and solely assembly or surpassing these milestones shall be sufficient to bypass a possible different on the touchline.
Berhalter’s gamers proceed to again him. Having gained one other Nations League and once more asserted dominance over the area, there’s indeniable proof that the challenge is on monitor. At this level, both Berhalter’s group will proceed to rack up the wins — and due to this fact justify a extra pragmatic strategy than some would really like from these gamers — or they don’t. Solely then is there an open query needing a solution.
We’ll verify again throughout Copa América. – Jeff Rueter
The mantra persists
Because the match approached the ninetieth minute with america main 2-0, followers might be heard shouting a discriminatory phrase on aim kicks that FIFA, CONCACAF and the Mexican federation have labored to eradicate. After every occasion, a message was learn over the stadium’s public tackle system in English and Spanish reminding followers of the federation’s coverage regarding that chant.
Because the shouts persevered after aim kicks taken by U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner, Canadian referee Drew Fischer lastly moved to Step 1 of that anti-discrimination protocol, which requires the match to pause, offenders to be faraway from the stadium and the sport resumed.
When it appeared that the match was over, and a few followers even directed chants at Mexican shot-stopper Ochoa, Fischer as soon as once more put a pause to proceedings quite than ending the match – which the referee additionally could do underneath the protocol.
Earlier than Turner might take the ultimate kick of the match, 40 seconds after the second pause, the referee ended the match as followers streamed out of the stadium. – Jon Arnold
(Photograph: Omar Vega/Getty Pictures)