- USMNT went scoreless in two straight games
- Several bubble players failed to impress
- Ended final pre-World Cup window with a dud
WHAT HAPPENED? Expectations are as low as they can be for the USMNT heading into the World Cup in November after closing out their pre-World Cup friendly slate with a scoreless 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia. Head coach Gregg Berhalter did little to ease any concerns by blaming Tuesday's listless performance on player "anxiety."
WHAT THEY SAID: "[They have] anxiety and I told them I feel for them. It's a difficult situation to be in," the USMNT boss said during a post-match press conference.
"Everyone's fighting for roster spots and instead of coming out and really performing like the team we know we are, we lacked a little confidence in that. I think that hurt the performance. There were certainly spaces to take advantage of today and we didn't do that enough."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: With no friendlies scheduled for the USMNT before the World Cup, Berhalter has to improve on a September window that saw his team go scoreless and register just two shots on goal over 180 minutes. Failure to do so will result in a very short stay in Qatar.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty ImagesWHAT'S NEXT FOR BERHALTER: The USMNT coach will oversee one final training camp - in October for MLS-based players - before announcing his final World Cup roster on or around November 9.