U.S. Men’s Soccer Team Closes World Cup Tuneups Looking Listless

The United States men’s soccer team on Tuesday night closed a week-and-a-half-long training camp in Europe that was meant to serve as a fine-tuning period before the World Cup. But it instead raised a plethora of questions that will simmer before the team’s first match in Qatar.

The Americans tied with Saudi Arabia, 0-0, in Murcia, Spain, four days after falling to Japan, 2-0, in Düsseldorf, Germany. With the American men returning to soccer’s biggest tournament this year for the first time since 2014, the two limp performances will be seen as missed opportunities to build confidence within the largely unproven team and its apprehensive fan base.

No player distinguished himself — not anyone among the core of young starters, nor the fringe players fighting for some of the final roster spots. Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, the team’s young, midfield linchpins, looked worryingly irresolute. Christian Pulisic, the star whose mood during a rough spell with his English club team has been breathlessly tracked by U.S. fans, missed the first match with an injury and failed to make any impact in the second.

What comes next? Those playing in M.L.S., which ends its season with a championship match on Nov. 5, are expected to be called in for a U.S.-based training camp in the weeks before the team’s opening match against Wales on Nov. 21. The many players based in Europe, though, will be arriving in Qatar directly from their clubs. That made it all the more important that the team show some growth this month in its last opportunity to play matches as a group — and all the more disappointing that it did not.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/27/sports/usmnt-saudi-arabia-world-cup.html