AUSTIN — For the second-straight match, United States coach Gregg Berhalter pushed the right buttons in the second half to lead his team to victory, a 1-0 Gold Cup semifinal win over Qatar. But why didn't he make those changes from the start this time, and will he learn his lesson in time for the final?
Here are three takeaways from the match.
Q2 Ball
Look familiar? Josh Wolff came from the school of Gregg Berhalter, and fans at Q2 Stadium were treated to more of the same that they’ve seen from Austin FC at home so far.
That is, a lot of possession with very little to show for it.
The USMNT controlled 61% of the ball in the first half and yet only took two shots. Meanwhile, Qatar had 10 shots in the first half and put five of them on goal.
The second half was slightly better for the U.S., but there still just seemed to be something lacking in the attacking third. Quality. It’s the Q2 way.
Of course, it was mostly a reminder that the best attackers that the Yanks have to offer are currently in preseason over in Europe, and the depth of the U.S. pool still isn’t quite as deep as Berhalter would prefer.
The coach seemed to be giving striker Daryl Dike another chance to prove that he learned from the past two matches, when he looked sloppy with the ball and couldn’t put his few chances on target. But in 63 minutes, he didn’t manage to take a single shot and completed just 20% of his passes.
Meanwhile…
Gyasi me now?
I’ll keep saying it for the people in the back. Gyasi Zardes is the best striker the U.S. has right now, and it doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
While Dike struggled, Zardes made an instant impact when he came on in the second half. You have to factor that the USMNT was playing better and the Columbus Crew forward had the benefit of fresh legs, but the results are hard to argue with.
When given a chance in front of goal, in MLS or for the national team, Zardes delivers. His instincts for making runs are superb, and when he gets in those spots he doesn’t even need the first touch that has been so often maligned throughout his career.
His goal on Thursday came in the 86th minute, and was engineered beautifully by substitutes Nicholas Gioacchini and Eryk Williamson, whose give-and-go near the top of the box pulled three Qatar defenders toward Gioacchini and allowed Zardes to slip into an empty pocket.
It’s also worth noting that his pressure led to the Qatar turnover that sprung the attack.
Dike’s time will come. He’s too good for it not to. But he’s not the guy right now, and if the USMNT wants to get another chance to see Qatar next summer, then Zardes needs to see the field in every important match until proven otherwise.
Difference makers
It’s great that Berhalter has found the right subs for the moment in each of the two knockout matches. Against Jamaica, Zardes and Cristian Roldan changed the complexion of a blah performance.
But you’ve got to ask why Berhalter decided to trot out the same lineup against Qatar and expect different results. What he got was pretty much the same — organized in defense, stale in attack.
This time, it took five subs to turn things around and all three players involved in the goal started on the bench.
Berhalter got lucky. His team might have gone behind on the hour mark, but Hasal Al Haydos missed a penalty kick and let the U.S. off the hook for sloppy transition play.
The players who started not only weren’t productive, but they looked sluggish. If Berhalter wants to see them again on Sunday, he might be looking at a halftime deficit and at the bench to deliver.
One hopes that some combination of Roldan, Zardes, Williamson and Gioacchini see the starting lineup in the final.