US Men’s Soccer Team Off to a Fresh Start Against Ecuador and Chile

The United States men’s soccer team is about to have two friendly international matches, against Ecuador on Thursday and Chile on Tuesday.

This will be the first time for the newly appointed coach Gregg Berhalter to have a chance of seeing the entire potential of his team.

In the previous two games couldn’t count on the players from overseas, and he didn’t get a clear picture of all the resources he has.

Though, the guys who played did a good job by defeating Panama 3-0, and Costa Rica 2-0.

Still, this is what the public wanted to see — the new US team, built from youngsters who have enormous potential.

The current squad has more than a half the players aged under 25, and only three of them with 30 or more years.

Three 20-year old guys are expected to be the cornerstones of the new team, who has the ambition to make results like none other generation before them did.

Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie are foreseen to lead the US to new heights. All three have enormous talent, who already made them widely known among soccer fans in both the States and Europe.

Pulisic is, of course, the biggest name, as he already established his reputation at the German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund. Starting next summer, the creative midfielder will become the new leader of Chelsea. He already signed a deal with the Blues, and it is expected from him to replace Eden Hazard, whose intention is to join Real Madrid.

He spoke about the plans of the USMNT, saying that their mission is to form a team which will be recognized and “respected” all around the globe.

“We want to be respected around the world,” Pulsic said. “We’re going to continue to work at that.

Following a huge disappointment when team USA missed the last World Cup held in Russia, the US Soccer Federation decided to change a lot of things and completely turn towards the future. The unconditional support for giving the opportunity to these guys came from the fact that they have talent, and also because of the need for a fresh start.

There is a new coach, lots of new faces in the squad, and it seems that there will be a whole new system and philosophy of play.

Gregg Berhalter is the new mentor of the team, and he already indicated several changes in the lineup. It seems that the American team will use the energy and the creativity of the young players to dictate the tempo of the game and to be more offensive.

“What we’re trying to do with the ball, how we want to disorganize the opponent, using the ball to create goal-scoring opportunities, that’s going to be who we are,” Berhalter said at the press conference held at the camp.

The 45-year old coach is aware that the process of growth will be tough, especially in the first few games. Because of that, he expects to see some mistakes against Ecuador and Chile, and nobody should be upset about it.

“We hope to see some of the things that we’re talking about, but we also know that it’s not going to be perfect,” Berhalter said. “We will lack fluidity at times. It’s natural.”

Gregg Berhalter's first match with the full #USMNT is Thursday

With Pulisic, McKennie, Adams and Yedlin, is it the official start for a golden generation? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/lS0QRYjebF

— GOAL (@goal) March 21, 2019

One of the four players from the previous qualifications and the person who recorded 143 appearances for the national team, Michael Bradley, stated that young players need support from all sides, and that the public and the media need to give them time to click together, without pressure or anyone like that.

“Let these guys play,” Bradley said. “Let’s give them all the time and see how it comes together. I think if we do that, we’ll all be pretty pleased with it.”

The game against Ecuador is set for today at the Orlando City Stadium. The kick-off is at 8 PM EST, while the second friendly international versus Chile is scheduled for Tuesday at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.