Is this USMNT team better or worse than the World Cup team?

When American men’s national team bow and leave in 2022 World Football Championship In the round of 16, there was disappointment but also excitement about what could lie ahead. The squad is the youngest at the tournament in terms of minutes played, with more players getting significant game time in top competitions than before. With the World Cup now underway, it is thought that the USMNT will continue its ascent.

With America now moving in Copa Americastarting with the group stage opening match last Sunday Bolivia, the question now is: Is America better off now than it was at the end of the last cycle? Of course that depends on the number you use as well as the subjective eye test. It is not always an easy assessment. The last two friendly matches with Colombia (lost 1-5) And Brazil (One 1-1 draw) provides fodder for both sides of the argument.

“We have had the opportunity to prove ourselves against top opponents since the World Cup, and there have been times when we have played really well, and there have been times when it is clear that improvement is needed,” said the goalkeeper. Matt Turner said during a roundtable meeting with reporters.

“So I think the biggest thing we’ve learned from each other is that we can’t accept the status quo. I think we have to demand a lot of each other on the field, whether it’s practice or games, whenever we’re together, because as talented as we are, we’re only as good as we are. I’m strong.”

Based on FIFA and Elo rankings, the current version of the USMNT is slightly better. At the end of 2022, America’s FIFA ranking was 13th from 1653 points, while the country’s Elo ranking was 23rd from 1819 points. Eighteen months later, the respective rankings were 11th for FIFA from 1677 points and 21st for Elo even with the points count reduced to 1790.

That’s right, the draw against Brazil, not to mention winning the championship Concacaf National Federation twice, which helped make up for the embarrassing loss to CNL Trinidad and Tobago. And it’s worth remembering that due to the limitations of the international soccer calendar, the USMNT’s schedule will primarily involve the Concacaf opposition.

Looking at the numbers from the US game listings this cycle compared to last cycle tells a similar story, although it’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison. Because the US co-hosts the 2026 World Cup with Canada And MexicoThere are no World Cup qualifying matches to fill the schedule, so this cycle’s 23-game stretch has a slightly larger proportion of friendlies (43.5%) than the 56 games before the World Cup 2022 (37.5%). ).

That may explain why most attack metrics per 90 minutes are up compared to the 2022 World Cup, including goals (2.1 in the 2022 cycle compared to 2.25), chances created (9.09 to 11.38) and shots on goal (5.1 to 5.75). The worse stat is xG (1.7 to 1.9).

Defensively, the trend is mostly positive. Goals allowed per 90 minutes have increased (0.56 in the 2022 cycle to 0.88) – the heavy loss to Colombia didn’t help – although xG against is down slightly (0.96 to 0, eighty seven). The same was true for chances conceded (7.59 to 6.46), while shots on goal conceded (3.21 to 3.17) were essentially even.

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However, not everything can be explained by numbers. Some of the things that will happen over the next month are in terms of available personnel and current form. Defensively, it’s hard to argue that the USMNT is better. Goalkeeper Turner’s lack of playing time seems less than ideal, despite his performance against Brazil.

The bigger concern is the injury-riddled season the quarterback is having Tyler Adams. His skill set had a major impact on the US midfield, thanks to his ability to cover ground and disrupt attacks. In an exclusive interview with ESPN before the friendly against Brazil, Adams said he was “ready to play his role” and that he was on the field for 14 minutes. But the USMNT will need Adams to be at his best in destroying midfield if they want to go far in the tournament.

Like so many things that happen to the United States, the attack has had some positives and negatives. The negative was Sergiño Dest’s torn ACL injury. Although ostensibly an outside full-back, Dest’s ability to join the attack and cause problems with passing and dribbling is irreplaceable, leaving the US with fewer attacking options to deploy. declare.

The striker position has long been a sore point for the US team under coach Gregg Berhalter. For a long time, no player could win that position. It’s worth remembering that Jesus Ferreira started a World Cup match for the United States

That dynamic has now changed. While it would be an exaggeration to say that the USMNT is now in trouble for being rich in this position, at least Berhalter now has options. Balogun folarin is said to be the savior up front, although he has yet to make a big impact. That said, his talent is clear, and part of the problem is that his teammates can’t seem to find him with passes like that behind opposition defenses. he thrives.

Josh SargentHis larger frame and versatility make him an attractive option, but a lingering leg injury has barely healed in time for him to make the Copa squad and it is unclear if he will How big a role can it play? Ricardo Pepi has proved adept in the super-sub role – five of his 10 international goals have come from the bench – although he will have to play corners for a few more minutes. Haji Wright has been selected as a winger, although he could take on a more central role.

Quality service will determine how successful the strikers are, and creativity is the area where the United States appears poised to make the biggest improvements. Issues related to Berhalter and Gio Reyna has been well documented, but with the two having moved past their World Cup feud and its aftermath, Reyna now looks ready to take on a bigger role, either by scoring or assisting create. Similar to Adams’ availability, his ability to meet the timing of this tournament will have a huge say in how far the US goes.

How Reyna will be used is also a factor. Berhalter sometimes had to rely on Reyna to drop deep to help start the attack. But there is also a desire to take Reyna further and into dangerous spots.

“Now, I’m looking for the balance of going deeper, but at the same time being involved in the attack at third and still creating transition for whole team, scoring goals and getting assists”.

“So over the last few days we’ve been working a lot on that, [just] the balance between going deep and staying higher up, but he just wants me involved in some different aspects of the game and the build-up is something he wants me involved in a bit more.”

There also appears to be more depth now than the USA in 2022. The addition of players like Johnny CardosoPepi et Malik Tillmanall have European experience, adding further experience to those just starting out Chris Richards and Balogun.

Then there are intangible assets. The World Cup gives this team a level of experience that they did not have before. The United States should be wiser in managing the game and navigating a tournament. The two friendly matches mentioned above highlight this is an ongoing process and requires playing as a unit.

“I think a lot of times, especially playing games in Concacaf, we can get away as individuals,” Richards said.

“I think you saw that against Colombia. That’s why we got killed because we just played as if it was a regular Concacaf match. I think it was a warning to us, an eye-opener, that if we want to be able to beat the big teams, we want to be able to compete with the big teams, that we can’t play the way you want. You have to play as a team.

Add that in, and by all accounts, the current version of the USMNT looks a little better than the 2022 World Cup version. But results in the Copa América will be the ultimate measure.