In the days after last Saturday’s 5-1 loss to Colombia, a game U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter called a “wake-up call” ahead of the Copa America, members of the U.S. team knew where the answers had to come from ahead of Wednesday night’s friendly against Brazil.
“We talked internally about what it takes, and we can’t just stroll out as the U.S. men’s national team and expect to win games, that just can’t be us,” goalkeeper Matt Turner said. “And that comes from within our locker room, that doesn’t come from anywhere else.”
There was no Kumbaya moment. No “players only” meeting, Turner said. Rather, a group that grew incredibly close over the last World Cup cycle, that praised the culture that was built within the group, felt that they could be honest with each other in meetings and moments around the training camp after the ugliest loss they had yet experienced.
“I think we have to demand more from each other, whether it be training, whether it be the way we’re acting around the hotels, whatever it is, we have to demand more from each other,” said Turner, who registered 11 saves in the draw, the most for an American goalkeeper since Tim Howard’s 15 saves against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup. “And I think in the preparation for this game, we were really, really demanding of each other and knew that we were going to have to be at our best to have a chance.”
The U.S. responded on Wednesday night with a 1-1 draw against Brazil. It wasn’t a perfect performance. There were still some sloppy mistakes, including one that led to a goal, and some wasted possession and missed looks at goal. Brazil created a number of good chances. Turner had some big saves. But the Americans, too, had a few good looks. Said Berhalter after the game, “it’s not a huge step, it’s a little step.” But what made it so much more of an acceptable performance went beyond the far more palatable scoreline.
The U.S. wasn’t completely flat. They weren’t run over nor run by against a better Brazilian side. They pushed the game in certain moments and didn’t crumble when Brazil asserted pressure. And for the U.S., a draw against Brazil is still a result worth applauding, in part because it’s the first draw the U.S. has earned against the global powerhouse. The result snapped an 11-game losing streak to Brazil and moved the Americans’ record against the Seleção to 1-18-1.
The U.S. prepare to face Brazil just days after a heavy defeat to Colombia (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Getty Images)
“We talked to the guys before the game and we just asked two things of them, we asked for teamwork and intensity,” Berhalter said. “And the way we framed it is, two things that are totally in their control. Right? It doesn’t matter about the opponent. It doesn’t matter about the field or fans or anything. Those are two things that they can control. And that’s the type of effort that we saw today.”
It isn’t about making too much of one game, and especially not one friendly. Just as the loss to Colombia shouldn’t be overblown, nor can a draw against Brazil. Friendlies are ultimately still friendlies. The team will be judged on what comes in the ensuing few weeks at the Copa America.
But after the way the performance played out on Saturday against Colombia, a response — any response — was critical in finding something out about this team.
“When we had our talks as a team for sure, I’m not gonna say exactly what went on, but it was just about it was time to hold each other accountable,” said U.S. star Christian Pulisic, who wore the captain’s armband in both friendlies and scored the equalizer against Brazil. “It was time to step up in a big moment, in a big game and I’m happy with the response of the guys, and you can see that the effort was there.”
If the U.S. is going to live up to the hype that has been piled around this group, there has to be an understanding that it still starts with the basics that have long been requirements for the USMNT to be competitive on the world stage. Yes, many Americans are now playing at big clubs in Europe. Yes, many of these players have gone over to European teams at younger ages. But this U.S. team and this pool of players still has so much left to prove. It starts with winning knockout games against teams like the Netherlands or Uruguay or Colombia, let alone powerhouses like Brazil, Argentina or France.
The loss on Saturday was a wake-up call because it showed that the U.S. needs to be at its very best to compete with those types of teams. As Turner said, the U.S. cannot take anything for granted, even with the rising expectations and labels of a “golden generation.”
“We hear the noise outside, but for us, we have to demand things from each other on the inside,” Turner said. “We’re only going to go as far as we take ourselves. So it’s cool to hear (things like ‘golden generation), but at the same time, we need to prove that. We need to have good performances. We need to have that intensity every time we step out onto the pitch. We need to win games and figure out ways to survive a knockout competition.”
The friendly against Brazil was about at least setting the bar to that very basic standard. The result, especially after Saturday’s loss, was a step in the right direction.
(Top photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
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