The United States men's national team went to Las Vegas with one goal: Show off their quality and prove they were the best team in CONCACAF. Both missions were accomplished with ease. What we saw from the USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League semis and finals was the best two-game performance the program has ever produced. The U.S. men's team is currently the best it has ever been.
On Thursday, the Americans absolutely took apart their archrival Mexico in a 3-0 drubbing. The U.S. was crisp, active, pressed forward with confidence. The Americans played with pace and were rarely troubled at the back. Captain Christian Pulisic potted two goals in the first 46 minutes and dominated the action along with Gio Reyna, while 20-year-old Ricardo Pepi put a cap on things by finding the back of the net in the 79th minute.
The match got nasty, with fights on the field and in the stands, as the teams combined for nine yellow cards and four reds. But the U.S.'s play was a direct contrast to that ugliness. It was the best collection of talent the program has ever put on the field. And that's saying something, considering regular captain Tyler Adams missed the tournament due to injury.
Against a very good Canada squad on Sunday, the U.S. entered missing regulars Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest due to their red cards from the Mexico match. No matter, Brenden Aaronson stepped in for McKennie and Joe Scally filled in for Dest. Both were excellent. In the history of U.S. Soccer it has been rare that when a first-team player is out, the player pool was deep enough to replace him someone who gets regular action in a top-flight European league. Aaronson and Scally both do.
Despite missing McKennie and Dest, and despite facing a Canadian squad that boasts excellent players like Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Cyle Larin, the U.S. utterly dominated its neighbors to the north. While Canada controlled the possession, the Americans were rarely troubled, and all the best chances went their way. They finished off two, with defender Chris Richards' perfect header off a corner kick and the much-hyped Folarin Balogun scoring his first goal in a U.S. jersey. Up 2-0 at the half, the Americans didn't sit back in the second. They peppered the Canadian defense with excellent runs and continued to create chances. It was utter domination from start to finish in a 2-0 win.
The U.S. is the deepest and most talented it has ever been. But talent needs to shine on the field to be taken seriously. This squad is doing just that. Though their run at the 2022 World Cup had its flaws, the Americans showed fight and outplayed each of their group opponents. The issue was no one could consistently find the back of the net. Had Balogun been on the roster at that point, maybe things would have been different. He's the goal scorer they've been missing. This also marked their third straight CONCACAF title after taking home the 2020 Nations League crown and the 2021 Gold Cup.
Perhaps most encouraging is how absurdly young this current crop of players is. The average age of Sunday's starting lineup was 24 years old. Key players like Pulisic (24), McKennie (24), Adams (24), Tim Weah (23), Dest (22), Yunus Musah (20) and Gio Reyna (20) aren't even 25. Defenders Antonee Robinson (25), Richards (23), Miles Robinson (26), Scally (20) and Auston Trusty (24) are still incredibly young. Meanwhile, Balogun is 21, Pepi is 20 and Aaronson is 22. Other than Miles Robinson, all the players listed are currently plying their trade in Europe.
Many will look at that roster and wonder why with so much promise the U.S. decided to re-hire Gregg Berhalter to manage the squad. I share their disbelief. In some ways it does make sense. Berhalter spearheaded the program's youth movement, empowered younger players to take leading roles and helped recruit many of the dual nationals on the current roster. He accomplished the program's stated goals at the 2022 World Cup, and it's important that the players support him and seem excited to have him back. it just feels like with this group of players and hosting the World Cup in 2026, a next step could have been made. Reaching for a manager on the next level would have been exciting. But the reality is, Berhalter is back and will have to prove himself all over again.
Over the past few days, the U.S. definitively asserted itself as the top team in CONCACAF. They appear miles ahead of the competition. The next step for the USMNT will be establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage. The group stage showing at the World Cup began to knock on that door. It's time to start turning that potential into results. And the Americans finally have the team do just that.
This article was originally published on thebiglead as The U.S. Men's National Team Is the Best It Has Ever Been.