Berhalter's USMNT project set for next step as Pulisic & Co. return

Gregg Berhalter may not like labels like 'A team' and 'B team' nor 'first-choice' and 'second-choice' players, but there is no disputing the reality that Thursday's friendly against Ecuador will be his first opportunity to lead a U.S. national team that resembles his best possible group.

Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams lead the contingent of European-based USMNT players set for their first chance to play in Berhalter's possession-based system. The moment is a defining one as it signals the serious work of Berhalter implementing his system, as well as the first step for a generation of top young talents to show they are ready to help the USMNT rebound from the disappointment of missing the 2018 World Cup.

“One of the goals we have as a national team right now is to change the way that people look at American soccer, the way that they look at the U.S. men’s national team,” McKennie said on Tuesday. “Yes, we want to also be known as a team with a typical American style, the ones that work all the time and never give up. But we also want to be known as a team that can play and compete at the highest level.”

"I want (opponents) to think of (us) as a real world force, a team that has a chance against anyone in the world," Pulisic said. "I don't want them to just see them as, 'Oh , it's just the U.S.' I want them to fear (us) like a big team. That's our goal.

"We want to be respected around the world. We're going to continue to work at that. Obviously, we feel we still have a long way to go, but we're going to continue to learn and grow as a team."

Before the Americans can become world-beaters, they must first learn Berhalter's system, and the U.S. coach's efforts to teach his team have included everything from detailed video conferences to regular communications with his foreign-based players before they ever set foot in their first camp with him in charge. The result is a group that is not walking in blind to what to expect from their new USMNT coach. 

"In terms of laying a foundation, setting a foundation for what he wants, for what he wants the environment to be like, for what he wants the football to look like, I think he and his staff have done an amazing job of that in a short amount of time," Michael Bradley said.

"He’s very focused on doing a good job and implementing his system," U.S. defender Tim Ream added of Berhalter. "That’s a breath of fresh air because if was ‘Let’s qualify by any means necessary’, chopping and changing, switching things up, whatever it took. He’s very focused on playing a certain way and sticking to it."

The match against Ecuador will feature the deployment of Pulisic and McKennie in attacking midfield roles, while Adams will be utilized in a hybrid right back/defensive midfield position. 

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DeAndre Yedlin will also be working in a new role, as a right winger rather than his traditional right back role. With so many players in new roles, and in a new system, Berhalter is not expecting things to go smoothly right away. 

"We know it’s not going to be perfect, this game, but it’s important to start," Berhalter said. "It’s important to begin implementing our ideas across the board. 

"We spent some time between camps talking to the players, showing them video, but it’s one thing then to do it on the field. We’ve started to do that now in training, in the short time we’ve had together, and we’ll do that in the game. We’ll use the game as an evaluation period for what we need to work on and improve on." 

The USMNT is back in Orlando for the first time since its World Cup qualifying victory against Panama in October of 2017, the final match before the fateful loss to Trinidad & Tobago that cost the United States a place at the 2018 World Cup. A win against Ecuador will not help erase those lingering bad memories, but it will serve as a true fresh start for a program that has been in limbo for almost a year and a half. 

"When you’ve had the year or two that we’ve had, then there’s real motivation from every guy to start to put all of that right," Bradley said. "To play well, to win, to show individually what you’re about and what part you can play in things going forward. 

"But, on the flip side, it’s March of 2019, in the big picture these are friendly games," he continued. "It’s still important that we’re building a team. It’s still important that everybody has the right amount of patience and understanding with what Gregg is trying to do with some of the younger players, and the team as a whole. Saying that doesn’t take the two games and make them any less important. 

"When you look at the big picture, it’s still important for everybody to realize that this is one of the first steps along the way." 

The first step it might be, but a momentous one all the same. Berhalter's USMNT project starts now.