USMNT’s Berhalter says win over Mexico ahead of CONCACAF qualifying “big step for this group of young players”



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The United States Men’s National Team heads to the CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with strong momentum, as the winner of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup and Premier League of the CONCACAF Nations against rival Mexico during the summer.

USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter spoke with Jim Rome on “The Jim Rome Show” on CBS Sports Network to discuss the culture he instilled, which was instrumental in revitalizing the team. His 26 wins are tied with Steve Sampson for the fifth most of any USMNT coach, and it took Sampson 52 games to reach that total while Berhalter did so in 35.

As Berhalter’s squad continue to feel comfortable with win and pressure situations, he expects an even bigger leap in qualifying.

“I think the guys are getting used to winning and really understand what these games are like,” Berhalter told Jim Rome. “That was the goal this summer. We used two different groups for the two tournaments, and we wanted to expose these guys to what CONCACAF competitive games look like. When you lose two minutes in the final of Nations League and you have to come back and then you come back down and you have to go back and eventually you win in overtime. It shows a lot how these guys can stay calm in times of pressure and handle any kind of situation. ”

You can listen to the full interview here:

On August 1, Miles Robinson led the USMNT to a 1-0 victory over Mexico in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup with a winning header in the 117th minute. USMNT beat the Mexicans 3-2 in the Nations League final in June. These two victories marked USMNT’s first over Mexico in the final since 2007.

The United States have found their rhythm with an unusually young formation. His 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup starting 11s had an average age of 24 years and 236 days, the second youngest in the USMNT in a tournament final. Youngest: 24 years, 206 days – the average age of USMNT when they won the Nations League in 2021.

Berhalter believes his young team will only get better thanks to their successes and experience this summer.

“I think it’s a big step for this group of young players,” said Berhalter. “We have one of the youngest national teams in the world right now. And for these guys getting used to winning – but also believing they could do it – is really important. Our next step was now. World Cup qualifiers in the fall There are 14 games in the World Cup qualifiers, it will be 14 finals. I think as coaches the only thing we are happy with is is that these guys have been in this situation before, and we’re ready to go, ready to handle it. ”

USMNT will begin its qualifying campaign in El Salvador on Thursday, September 2 at 10 p.m. ET on Paramount +, your home for up to 79 games (including away games for USMNT) on its platform. Below is the full qualifying schedule for the United States.

Thursday September 2 (match day 1)

  • El Salvador v United States, 10 p.m. ET (Paramount +)

Sunday September 5 (2nd day)

  • US vs. Canada, 8 p.m. ET

Wednesday September 8 (3rd match day)

  • Honduras vs. United States, 10 p.m. ET (Paramount +)

Thursday October 7 (4th day)

  • United States vs. Jamaica, 7:30 p.m. ET

Sunday October 10 (5th day)

  • Panama vs United States, 9 p.m. ET (Paramount +)

Wednesday October 13 (day 6)

  • United States vs. Costa Rica, 7 p.m. ET

November 11-13 (day 7)

November 14-16 (day 8)

Thursday January 27 (match day 9)

  • United States vs. El Salvador

Sunday January 30 (Matchday 10)

Wednesday February 2 (11th day)

  • United States vs. Honduras

Thursday 24 March (12th day)

  • Mexico vs. United States

Sunday March 27 (13th day)

Wednesday March 30 (14th day)



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