At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the USMNT had two game plans: a ball-dominant possession-orientated game plan and an against-the-ball defensive game plan. This was easiest to see in the games versus Wales and Iran. As I pointed out in, “USMNT- Unlocked” (chasingacup.com/usmnt-unlocked), the team under Berhalter could only play well when they had almost all or all of their best players on the field. Berhalter finally recognized this or as the games meant more, stopped experimenting with players that couldn’t execute. To play his best 9 players for 270’ apiece wasn’t practical and a few of the players weren’t able to go 90’ in any game.
Raising the Floor
