The USMNT crashed out of the 2022 World Cup in the Round of 16 after suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands. The Americans put together a strong performance throughout the tournament, but were ultimately unable to make it as far as they would have liked, and it resulted in them bowing out after a tough outing in the knockout stages.
There was a ton of turnover on the American squad from the last time they were in the World Cup back in 2014, and that included on the sidelines as well with head coach Gregg Berhalter. Berhalter had a tall task ahead of him finding a way to get America out of the group stage after a tough draw in Group B, but they managed to fight their way out before getting sent packing by the Netherlands.
USA wasn't expected to win the tournament, and while they managed to achieve their expectations entering the tournament by advancing to the knockout stages, it was disappointing to see them lose. And while Berhalter typically did a good job managing the team, he made some mistakes that came back to bite him. Let's take a look at three of those mistakes and see why they were so harmful for the USMNT.
3. Not using Timothy Weah as the central striker
Timothy Weah is a promising young talent, as he's already found a way to make an impact in France's Ligue 1 with LOSC Lille despite being just 22 years old. Considering Weah started every game for the Americans in the tournament, it's safe to expect him to be a part of the USMNT for quite some time.
Weah is at his best playing as a central striker, but Berhalter curiously only employed him in such a role once, with that time coming in their goalless draw against England. Weah was often employed on the right wing while Berhalter opted to go a different route with the main striker, and in retrospect, it's tough to say that was the correct call.
Weah did score USA's only goal in their opening draw against Wales, and he certainly has the speed to play on the outside, but it felt like it would have been better to have him going against the opposition's centerbacks in the middle of the field rather than their fullbacks on the outside. Weah is still young and has time to grow, but he would have been better utilized as the central striker for Berhalter's squad in Qatar.
2. Failing to push for a win against England
It was a surprise to see England and the United States battle to a 0-0 draw in their second group stage match, especially considering England obliterated Iran in their first group stage match 6-2. It was a game that was closer than anyone could have expected, and you can make a case that the Americans deserved to win the game.
At this stage in the tournament, a draw and a loss were basically the same thing for the USA, because Iran had beaten Wales 2-0, meaning that if America didn't beat England, they would have to beat Iran in their final group stage match in order to move out of the group stage. They eventually ended up doing that, but it felt like Berhalter should have been more aggressive in pursuing a win over England in this game.
The USMNT had the best chance of the game when Christian Pulisic hit the crossbar of a blistering left foot shot, and had the USA won this game, they would have ended up winning their group and drawn a much more favorable matchup in the Round of 16 against Senegal rather than the Netherlands. USA ended up getting out of the group stage anyways, but had they pushed for a victory here, they could still be in the tournament right now.
1. Not playing Gio Reyna more
Easily the biggest mistake from Berhalter in the tournament was his puzzling decision to not utilize Gio Reyna more than he did. Reyna, one the USMNT's brightest stars, played sparingly throughout the tournament, and it's no surprise that his best outing came against the Netherlands, when he was subbed on at the start of the second half.
Reyna has the attacking creativity in his game that could have helped the USMNT unlock their opponent's defenses and score more goals throughout the tournament. And while he was dealing with fitness issues thanks to a hamstring injury, if he's included on the squad, he should play. If his injury was such a concern, he should have been left home in the States.
Considering how the USMNT only scored three goals in four games, it's clear they could have used some more help on the attack, and it's hard to believe that Reyna wouldn't have made a difference had he played more. The World Cup only comes around once every four years, and Berhalter's odd decision to play it safe with Reyna was easily his biggest mistake of the tournament.
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