Gregg Berhalter highlights importance of ‘crucial’ Copa America for building USMNT momentum ahead of World Cup

Preparations for the Copa America have officially begun as the United States men’s national team prepares for the showdown Colombia. With questions ahead of the tournament surrounding player fitness, who will miss the first-choice right-back Sergino Destand even if the team can compete against national teams of the caliber of Colombia and Brazilit is an important moment for manager Gregg Berhalter to see what improvements are needed ahead of a tournament with high expectations. Berhalter stated that he will field a strong line-up against both Colombia and Brazil with few changes as eyes are on the battle against Bolivia when the group stage begins.

“We look to our performance to give us information about where we are. We know we are playing against two top South American teams and we are going to learn a lot about both our group and our opponents in these two matches. Berhalter said as of Saturday about what he is looking for. “But for us it’s about how do we go on the pitch and have a good level of performance? How do we go on the pitch and compete? And then get the whole group ready and fit for the Copa America.”

However, Berhalter goes one step further when he talks about the Copa America. While most view the tournament as an important litmus test not only to determine if the USMNT can compete with top opponents, but also to determine if Berhalter is the coach who can lead this team in 2026, he doesn’t seem to be under the same pressure feel about these matches. . In a sense, he shouldn’t show pressure because that only transfers pressure to the team, but figuring out how to gauge the upcoming tournament is crucial. While fans would like to get past the round of 16, in some ways it has easier said than done without Destbut Berhalter did have some things to say about his vision for the tournament.

“I think the Copa America is essential for the growth of this group and I believe this is a very important tournament for this team. This is the last big tournament before the World Cup. We will have a Gold Cup, but the caliber of the teams doesn’t match the Copa America ArgentinaBrazil, Uruguayand Colombia,” Berhalter said. “We’re playing two of them before the tournament, one of them in the tournament and we could potentially face them as we march through the tournament, so this is a big tournament for us and it’s a building block to enter the World Cup with confidence. I think this could create a tremendous amount of momentum within the group. It can give confidence to the team, so that you know that we take this seriously and want to deliver good performances.”

He’s right when he says the USMNT will be competing against some of the best teams in the world, but the part left out here is how deflating a poor performance can be. If the team can’t adjust to missing Dest, they will face teams that will make them pay for it. It’s a good thing to do that now to know where they stand ahead of the Copa America, but there’s also not much time to tinker with things if plan A doesn’t work this late in the game. Looking at the right-back, Berhalter remained coy about what he plans to do.

“For the next two games we will try different looks. We are going to give the natural right backs a chance in these games and then maybe we will look at some other options for us,” Berhalter said. “So far in camp we have been able to see the performance of our right-backs, but also other players and basically just take it one game at a time.”

If Dest can’t go, Joe Scally is usually his main backup, but that doesn’t bode well. Sjaak Moore also a chance to play. In 33 appearances for the national team, the team has a record of 18-8-7 when Dest starts with three of those losses at left back. With the USMNT suffering four losses during Dest’s career in non-January Camp matches in which he did not appear, his importance to the squad is quite clear.

This suggests we need to try something new at right-back, but if that doesn’t work, Berhalter will continue to look for options. The match against Bolivia is fast approaching, as June 23 is just around the corner. The USMNT will have more time to train before then, but it will be crucial to return straight away between other rotations rather than heading into the Copa with looming questions.