There was a time in the not-too-distant past when the United States would win games by defending aggressively, getting great goalkeeping and being opportunistic in attack. It was an approach that tended to drive opponents — Mexico in particular — to distraction, and the complaints afterward became utterly predictable.
“We played the better soccer,” was the standard reply, to which the U.S. would respond with a massive shrug of the shoulders and point to the result and the three points in the standings or the tournament bracket that saw the Americans move on, and basically say, “Who cares?”
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So Sunday’s World Cup qualifier was a bit of a role reversal. It was Canada that bit and scratched and clawed its way through the match, and took its opportunities with a ruthless efficiency. And when it was over, and Canada had claimed a 2-0 victory that all but clinches the Reds’ qualification to Qatar, it was U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter who was left to bemoan how the U.S. lost a game that in some respects his side dominated.
“I think it was an entire team effort that was outstanding,” he said. “We asked them to be dominant. We asked them to embrace the conditions, embrace the physicality and I think we did that and more. It’s hard for me to remember a performance away from home this dominant without getting a result. So the result hurts. The performance doesn’t hurt. I’m proud of the guys, proud of the way they competed.”
Berhalter then insisted that while the narrow width of the field — 70 yards officially — wasn’t an excuse, he proceeded to bring it up multiple times.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” he said. “But also that…
Source : espn
