Multiple Layers on a National Team Night in Kansas City

There were a confluence of things that were simmering around last night U.S. Men’s National outing in the Concacaf Gold Gup on a fairly simmering evening at Children’s Mercy Park. It was the first really typically steamy Midwestern night of the season, but not uncomfortably so, at least for the fans. Certainly, it was a lung-busting atmosphere for the players in the doubleheader in Group D, in which in reality there wasn’t that much to be decided.

     Those warm fans had come out in fine numbers, which was good for Kansas City, which showed out well at the beautiful stadium. If there was any negative, it was set up by Concacaf, because the pricing structure appeared to be a missed guess, since the only empty seats were in the sections on each side right in the center, which were sparsely populated, the 17,000 plus packed in every other portion. The packed sections were sold by Sporting KC, the less than packed were controlled by Concacaf, so it was a local success.

     Not many of the eventual big crowd were there as two clubs in the four-team group that had been already eliminated squared off, but Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, still put on an entertaining game. Watching with no overriding purpose was actually quite enjoyable, with the teams playing a freewheeling game with an entertaining goal for each side in the 1-1 draw.

     The big crowd was slowly building during that match, a huge percentage of them sporting some officially licensed U.S. team gear. They were to be treated to a match setup by the two coaches which raised an interesting talking point. Any sport where admission is charged is by definition an entertainment, but as fans we have somewhat come to expect that the leadership of any sports team is not going to necessarily treat it that way.

     This is really a new development in the past generation. NBA stars sit routinely throughout the season. Day games after night games in baseball regularly feature reserve players. NFL players sit down when playoff positioning is decided. And in this case the squads sent out for the United States and Panama featured just 2 of the 22 players who had started the previous game. Both teams had clinched their spots in the quarterfinals, and while the Group D top spot was up for grabs, the quality of the next round’s opponent was not going to be much different regardless. Soccer fans are more used to this than any other, because teams play in multiple competitions, but, for instance, Sporting fans well know they are very likely to get a second-choice lineup in certain U.S. Open Cup games and the like.

     But generally, it’s not as if they drop the prices, or give away free beer when this happens in all sports. We know these maneuvers make sense from a strategic standpoint, but as I said, this is all an entertainment. About the only analogous thing I can point to is when you go a Broadway show and just before the curtain rises comes the announcement “The part of…..will be played by…”. The tactics of it in sports are sound, but it still is kind of weird. Many fans were decked out in Christian Pulisic gear, and he certainly wasn’t starting.

     These maneuvers for this particular game resulted in a first half, and in fact pretty much an entire game, of haphazard play, and few scoring chances. The players trying to make a statement were hustling, but mostly ineffectually. However, the fact that it WAS a game featuring the national team, had the fans were very much into it. Old Glory was flying, as were the “U.S.A….U.S.A”  chants, and the atmosphere was fun.

     The reward would come in the form of Pulisic entering the game 65 minutes in, and shortly thereafter, a corner kick that bounced into the box right in front of goal, with Jozy Altidore then producing a highlight-reel bicycle kick for the game’s only goal that made the Americans Group D winners. 

      So, Gregg Berhalter’s club moves on to the quarterfinals in what is certainly an important competition, but the real goal for him is very clear. At the bare minimum avoid the disaster of not qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, the 2018 failure an embarrassing debacle for a sport , until then, gathering momentum in so many ways in this nation.

     I have to admit that although they have made strides in the right direction in this regard, when I watch a U.S. team play, I still see plenty of echoes of the stereotype of American play. Fine athleticism and hustle, but a lack of technical skill as compared to the best teams in the world. The team is always easy to root for because they are routinely gritty, but more polish and flair to me has got to be a goal.

     Berhalter has an important and difficult task on his hands. The momentum that seemed to be building through the 2014 World Cup has been all but lost. Discussion of the National squad by fans is routinely far more grumble than optimism. Pulisic is a key figure in changing that. Playing in Bundesliga, and now being signed by Chelsea, brings legitimacy and has fans very excited.

     While it is not the end all-be all, winning the Gold Cup is an important first step. Every disappointing result against teams that aren’t among the world’s best seems a gut punch for the U.S, and excepting Mexico, losing to any of the remaining teams in this competition would be just that.