MEXICO CITY — When the final whistle blew, bodies started dropping. The Estadio Azteca was every bit the energy sucking force the young United States men’s national team had been warned of and after 90-plus minutes, there was nothing left in the tank. Even striker Jordan Pefok, a 60th-minute substitute, immediately dropped to the prone position, exhausted, after the U.S. secured a massive point in a 0-0 draw with Mexico. No one was spared.
Therein lied the dilemma, something U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter acknowledged. By playing what amounted to a first-choice starting XI, he risked wearing out those players — with just two days of recovery before a more pivotal game against Panama on Sunday — and getting nothing to show for it.
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For now, though, the point appears to be worth the cost. Had there been a momentary breakdown in defense, Berhalter would have been villainized. Had Christian Pulisic or Pefok put away their close-range chances, a World Cup qualifying win at the Azteca would have served as a crowning achievement.
The gap between resounding success and utter failure can be almost nonexistent.
“It was definitely a tough game. It took a lot out of us,” Pulisic said. “I’m really proud of the way that the guys just put in a shift and the effort to make sure that we got that point at the end was really big. We put ourselves in a position to play on Sunday and win and go to the World Cup.”
Ultimately, that is the lens through which the entire qualifying cycle will be viewed, and nothing else matters.
Berhalter maintains there is plenty of time to recover from playing at the Azteca, but other teams have fared poorly in…
Source : espn
