Winning a soccer game requires two things: an off-field plan and on-field execution. The first part is a coaching challenge; the second is one for the players, who need to prevail in dozens of individual battles all over the field.
Against Canada in October, the United States men's national team had the first in head coach Gregg Berhalter's much-discussed "system" but failed in the latter. All over the field, the Americans lost to their northern opponents in specific moments. There were obvious failures, such as Alphonso Davies' outworking Aaron Long and DeAndre Yedlin to the back post to tap in Canada's opener, and subtler ones, such as 50-50 ball after 50-50 that went to the Maple Leafs.