September 27, (THEWILL) – In their final pre-World Cup friendly game against Saudi Arabia, the United States’ men’s national team fired blanks in a fixture played at the Estadio Enrique Roca de Murcia in Spain.
Unfortunately, Gregg Berhalter’s team continued its goalless streak, ending September international break with more doubts and unanswered issues than when it began and after finishing the CONCACAF qualifying series for the Qatar World Cup in impressive fashion.
Following a 2-0 defeat to Japan, the USMNT were held back by the Saudi Arabia side, who outshot their American opponents, especially in the second half. The undergirding USMNT failed to score in what was their final window to get their strategies and tactics ready before the World Cup.
Berhalter’s squad will now have to hope that in less than two months before their November match against Wales, they can turn things around positively to put up a worthy challenge when hostilities begin in Qatar.
In his post-match comments, Berhalter displayed an understanding of the situation they face: “We’re not as confident as I’d like. We’re playing tentative. The connections are not there like we want. The intensity, effort was excellent today. … We need to keep improving.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
