If Team USA wanted to bounce back in time to break through at the 2026 tournament on home soil, it would do so with many players not yet of legal beer-buying age.
“Some of these guys were babies,” Berhalter said, reflecting on training camps early in his tenure. “18 years, 17 years, and now they are prominent members of the team. They grew up and we followed their journey. It has truly been amazing to watch them go through this stage of life and really mature.
But the players who have evolved on and off the pitch, who have participated in the UEFA Champions League and the 2022 World Cup, who have brought hope to a country emerging from the morass of football, understand that they must grow differently this summer.
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Team USA will face no greater challenge than the Copa América, a legendary tournament taking place over three weeks at 14 U.S. venues and featuring South America’s best, as well as only six North American guests.
“Now it’s time to prove ourselves,” said star striker Christian Pulisic. “We learned a lot. We had good performances in the World Cup. We showed people that this team can perform, and now it’s not just about delivering those performances, but finding a way to get results in the biggest games. This is the next step for us.
The first step in this pursuit is Sunday with the Group C opener against Bolivia in Arlington, Texas, followed by games against Panama on Thursday in Atlanta and against group favorite Uruguay on July 1 in Kansas City, MO.
Because it’s not an imposing group – neither Bolivia nor Panama are title contenders – anything other than a top-two finish and a quarter-final berth for American team would be a dismal failure. With advancement to the round of 16 being the bare minimum, Berhalter and his players recognize that the time to topple a world power, like Uruguay in a group or Brazil or Colombia in a potential quarterfinal, is drawing closer.
“There is no point in hiding it: football is judged by its results,” said striker Folarin Balogun. “So it would be naive to say that performance is the only thing that matters. Performance, of course, is important, but we need results.
It’s a pivotal moment for a team that grew up together – 20 of the Copa América’s 26 members aged between 21 and 26 – and calls itself a “brotherhood.”
Personal growth has been marked by fatherhood (midfielder Tyler Adams, 25, is a new dad), engagement (midfielder Gio Reyna, 21, proposed last month) and marriage ( defenseman Mark McKenzie, 25, got married during a training camp break last week).
“I think when I first called up I was single and I hadn’t even met my wife yet,” said goalkeeper Matt Turner, a 29-year-old who blossomed late on the young team. “And now I’m married and have two kids.”
Professional development came through transfers to clubs in top European leagues and growing influence within the national team.
The Americans have dominated their rivalry with Mexico and won notable draws, like the stalemate against England in the 2022 World Cup. But they have not beaten a top South American or European team in official competition since surprising top-ranked Spain in the semi-final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
After the first two Copa América matches, the Americans will have their chance.
“Everyone in our camp knows it’s another opportunity to compete against teams that we don’t get a chance to compete against normally,” Adams said. “Of course we try to progress in the knockout matches. We are not going to put pressure on ourselves in this matter, but it is important to show that we go through high pressure situations.
Pre-Copa América tests against South American forces brought both warning signs (a 5-1 defeat to Colombia) and encouragement (a 1-1 draw against Brazil).
“We’ve had a taste of South American football in the friendlies, but now that the lights are really on it’s important for us to put our foot down and put in a good performance,” Turner said.
It’s also important for Berhalter, whose future could depend on the team’s performance. An early elimination would undoubtedly ring alarm bells at the headquarters of the American Football Federation and raise the specter of a change of coach.
Berhalter accomplished his initial goals of rebuilding the team’s foundation and instilling a strong culture.
“I remember our first Gold Cup in 2019,” he said. “We have to remind them of the curfew. They are young children. Now it’s completely different; the whole program has evolved. The things we’re talking about now are details. We’re trying to get every detail right, whereas before it was: What’s the big picture? How are we going to move these guys?
As the evolution continued, Berhalter took performance into account as much as results. Along the way, the team also enjoyed winning continental trophies.
The Copa América is “a great opportunity to test ourselves, to play against the best in South America and a good opportunity for us to see how far we’ve come over the last three or four years,” defender Tim Ream said.
Berhalter calls the Copa América the “cornerstone” of the World Cup. But as his players enter their prime years, results – and particularly those against strong opposition – begin to take a greater toll on the operation.
“This is a huge opportunity for us,” Reyna said. “There is so much quality throughout the tournament. … It’s always nice to play in these games and do well, but collectively as a group it’s more important that we can really show the world what we can do.
News Source : www.washingtonpost.com
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