Gregg Berhalter: “I’m Pleased With the Performance Against Ecuador”

The United States men’s soccer team defeated Ecuador in the friendly international match, which took place in Orlando last night. The Yanks fought out a minimal 1-0 win against the tough South Americans who defended throughout the whole 90 minutes.

Gyasi Zardes’ strike from some 20 yards ended behind the back of Ecuador’s goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez. With a lot of luck, we need to add.

After Zardes’ shot, the ball deflected off one of the defenders and went up high. Dominguez tried to reach it, but he narrowly missed his target, and the Orlando City Stadium erupted.

The player described what went through his mind in those moments.

“In the air, I was like, ‘Go in, go in, go in!’ Sure enough, it went in,” Zardes said with a laugh.

For the coach Gregg Berhalter, this is the third straight win since he sat on the bench of the American team. After beating Panama and Costa Rica, they were successful against a much tougher opponent. What is noticeable is that all three wins came with clean sheets.

https://twitter.com/NewHorizons_SB/status/1108913534321209344

After the match, he expressed satisfaction with the way his team played.

“I credited the guys in the locker room,” said Berhalter. “I’m really proud of the effort, I’m really proud of the openness to try things and to try to execute the movements.”

Unlike the previous two matches in which he couldn’t count on the players who are in European clubs, the US team coach now had all the guys at his disposal.

He was trying many new things and didn’t want to pressure his players with the result. According to Berhalter’s words after the game, it is nice to win, but the most important thing for him was to see the chemistry on the field, for the players to understand what are their new assignments.

It seems that the youngsters passed their first test.

“Overall, when you look at the amount of information we’ve given the guys in the last two days, we’re pleased with the performance,” the coach stated at the post-match press.

It wasn’t easy to defeat the guests. They were well organized, especially in the back line, and for the whole 80 minutes, the US team couldn’t find a way towards the net.

Ecuador’s players stood firmly behind the ball waiting for the chance for a counter-attack. On the other side, the US had the ball in their feet more than 63% of the time, which is how Berhalter wants his team to play.

Besides that, the back line of the home team didn’t allow a single shot on target for the guests, and that is another aspect of the game which pleased the 45-year old.

“Our collective defense I thought was good,” Berhalter said. “We didn’t really give them many openings.”

The only thing which spoiled the mood of the American team after the win, was Weston McKennie’s injury. The midfielder who plays for the Bundesliga’ Schalke 04, had to leave the game in the 68th minute. After one aerial challenge, he hurt his ankle, and couldn’t continue to play.

Berhalter told the reporters that he saw one of the Ecuadorian’s bending over while McKennie jumped to reach the ball, and that caused the injury. It was a polite way of saying that it was an illegal move.

All in all, the American team had a good performance last night. But a long way is ahead of them, and they have another tough challenge coming up this Tuesday.

One of the best teams in South America, Chile, comes to Houston to test the young American crew. This rival is totally the opposite of the US team. Tough, defensive-minded, with a bunch of experienced veterans who are playing together for the last 10 or more years, including names like Arturo Vidal from Barcelona, Gary Medel from Besiktas and many others.

It will be interesting to see how young American midfield handles them.

The game will be played at the BBVA Compas Stadium, the home of the Houston Dynamos. Kick off is scheduled at 7:55 PM EST.