Pulisic and Adams are vital for the future, but lack of depth remains a serious problem

The conclusion of the Gold Cup has aroused mixed feelings for the US Men's National Team. The 1-0 defeat of the Mexican rival was disappointing, especially as tournament organizers spoiled several scoring chances.

At the end of the game, El TriThe talent advantage of the team made its way, but in the context of the competition, there was a minimum of satisfaction for laying the groundwork. Relationships have begun to be established and the manager's methods, Gregg Berhalter, are better understood.

Look long enough at the foundation and you can dream of what is possible. But potential pitfalls are also visible.

– Gold Cup Final: Mexico offers a tough lesson in the United States
– American odds: Bradley, Morris too slow
– Carlisle / Marshall: Are the United States and Mexico still interested in the Gold Cup?
– Freddy Adu exclusive: "I'm not ready to give it up"

There is a tendency to think that Berhalter's work over the coming months should determine the relative success or failure of American men. This is true to a certain extent, but it is not only in Chicago that the fortune of the American team will be decided; Cities like Bremen, London, Gelsenkirchen and Leipzig will also be active. The same is true in MLS cities such as Dallas, New York, Washington, D.C., and San Jose.

In fact, the club season in Europe and the ongoing MLS campaign are arguably the most important in the history of the US national team. If players like Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Josh Sargent and even Christian Pulisic can continue to play a bigger role with their clubs, then Berhalter's task becomes easier. Otherwise, we basically ask him to build a house without the necessary tools.

Progress can not fall entirely to these players either. The United States remains a team lacking depth of quality, and others will emerge.

As is often the case for the United States, the defensive part of the ball is ahead of the attack in terms of progression. In fact, the goalkeeper and the other four players seem to be progressing well. Zack Steffen has been quite successful in ordering the No. 1 jersey. The United States is also accumulating some depth along the back line, especially at the back, especially with Aaron Long, Walker Zimmerman and Matt Miazga . It's worth remembering that John Brooks stays in the mix. There are also options at the right back with Reggie Cannon and Nick Lima alongside DeAndre Yedlin, who, like Brooks, missed the Gold Cup because of an injury.

The left rear remains a problem. Tim Ream has fulfilled the roles perfectly, but it can not be denied that he is a central advocate and an imperfect choice for this role, especially given his limitations. One can only hope that U20 left-back Chris Gloster or Antonee Robinson will progress enough and give Berhalter the assurance of being part of the present and not of the future.

Further upstream, questions about this American team become more complicated. The biggest problem ahead is where Berhalter plans to play Tyler Adams. The best aspect of the emergence of Lima and Cannon is that it could perhaps make Berhalter more willing to abandon the idea of ​​playing Adams as a right-back.

There is the impression that Berhalter is attached to the idea of ​​playing Adams in this hybrid role of the right back / central midfielder. But during an interview with ESPN FC before the tournament, Berhalter hinted that he was flexible on the subject, saying that he thought the entire skill set of Adams was "more central than broad" and that his best position is "something we have to analyze".

Adams may not have the same range of passes as Michael Bradley or Wil Trapp, but he seems born to play the role of midfield destroyer given his autonomy, his pace of work, his tackles and of his abilities. A central partnership between Adams and McKennie seems powerful in the future, provided that the Schalke man can find greater coherence, especially as regards the quality of his handling of the ball. The continued development of Paxton Pomykal with FC Dallas will be watching, as will Duane Holmes of Derby County.

As for the continued involvement of Bradley, 31, his defeat remains his strength even though he's eroded in the second half against Mexico. Defensively, he became a question mark because his legs are no longer what they were. His positioning is clever, but his tendency sometimes to switch to "hero mode" has brought to light the lack of cohesion that he sometimes had with McKennie, hence the calls to Adams for what he assumes his role in front of the bottom line.

The positions of the wings are also fluctuating. Paul Arriola remains a tireless worker on the left flank and this is valuable, but the United States needs more creativity on the opposite side. Jordan Morris had big problems in the final while Tyler Boyd was mysteriously absent. The competition for this position remains open, with Tim Weah too.

As for the striker's position, Jozy Altidore showed his worth in the Gold Cup, although Berhalter's confidence in the striker seems tenuous, as he seemed to ration the scorer's minutes of Toronto. For the moment, he seems to be the de facto starter, but everything will depend on the development of Sargent. The Werder Bremen faded during the latter part of the season, unable to replace Claudio Pizarro, 40, as the bench's first striker. He will have to do his job in the Bremen club to achieve a similar breakthrough internationally.

For now, establishing greater depth is a top priority for Berhalter, and there are many opportunities to move this process forward. The next group to come is a CONCACAF Nations League group with Cuba and Canada, whose matches will be played in October and November. It seems like the kind of competition that will not necessarily see Berhalter collect all his top-tier lineup, although testing the depths of the pool of players is not a bad thing.

The development of the Olympic Alignment under the leadership of Jason Kreis is perhaps even more critical for USMNT's progress towards the 2022 World Cup. This is a competition that often elicits club disdain. Europeans, who are reluctant to release their players, but it still offers an international experience to future artists. The composition of the 2010 World Cup was composed of six players who participated in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (Charlie Davies, injured, would have made seven.)

Maximizing each of these competitions should give Berhalter more work material and help ensure that the work done over the past month remains valuable in the future.