Morris makes his case as USMNT closes historic 2021 with anticlimactic triumph

As expected, the U.S. men's national team's final match of 2021 felt rather anticlimactic.

It was a match that closed a year defined by do-or-die soccer. It was a year that saw Nations League and Gold Cup triumphs, as well as the start of World Cup qualifying, with the United States taking a giant step towards Qatar.

But it was a year that ended with a relatively low-stakes win over Bosnia & Herzegovina, a true bridge game meant to help close a historic 2021 and kickstart an all-important 2022.

In that sense, Saturday night was somewhat of a success, even if it was far from a memorable game in a year full of them.

The U.S. won 1-0, with Cole Bassett's late goal finally pushing Gregg Berhalter's team over the edge. It was a game that was essentially ruined just moments before halftime as Amar Begic was sent off for the visitors, changing the dynamic of the match and robbing the USMNT of giving its young stars a true chance to shine.

Some, like Bassett, seized their opportunities, while others - like Cade Cowell and Jonathan Gomez -kickstarted their national team careers with that all-important first cap.

But this night was not even about the young stars. Rather, it was about some of the old heads (or relatively old heads considering the age of this USMNT) showing where they fit in.

None did that better than Jordan Morris, who did not look like a player coming off an ACL tear.

The Seattle Sounders star was not totally crisp, as expected after playing just a few minutes since returning from injury, but he sure did look like a player that could help the USMNT going forward.

It was a big statement for Morris, who has players like Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Brenden Aaronson, Paul Arriola and Konrad de la Fuente to compete with on the wing, but he looked every bit like the old Morris - a player who is more than ready to compete with the more established players for some sort of role going forward.

“The thing about Jordan is he's got a fantastic mindset,” Berhalter said. “He really pushed hard this year to get to the point of getting called back in, and I'm excited to see what he can do in January. Hopefully, it ends up being with the qualifying team, but we'll see.”

Walker Zimmerman looked good too, marshalling the defense yet again to prove that he may very well be the top-line centerback heading towards qualifiers. Matt Turner was Matt Turner, albeit relatively untested, while Kellyn Acosta and Johnny did little to harm their cases for spots in midfield.

The one real concern was Ricardo Pepi, if you can even call that a concern. With the opposition bunkered in and months removed from his last game, Pepi did not look much like the lightning rod that emerged as 2021's breakout star.

Is that a concern? Maybe. But there's little reason to believe that Pepi will not be back to his best come January.

So that is where the focus now goes: January. This camp was about two things. The first was to blood youngsters like Bassett, Cowell and Gomez, to offer them a chance to see what this was like and to get them introduced to what will be expected if they want to make this leap in the future.

But the more important part of this camp was to keep players like Zimmerman, Pepi and even Morris sharp. The MLS offseason is long, and the U.S. cannot afford to have anyone out of shape when January qualifiers roll around.

They will reconvene in a few weeks for what will essentially be a preseason, building towards the January 27 clash with El Salvador. Until then, MLS players will get some holiday time to relax, recover and look ahead to what is to come.

A historic 2021 is over. It was a year that saw the U.S. lift trophies while winning the most games in a calendar year in program history. It was a year that saw the team seemingly take a step forward, and a step towards Qatar for good measure.

But 2022 is now just around the corner. The foundation has been set, the plan has been laid down, the expectations are clear. It is time to move on and take care of business.

“We used a lot different players in 2021, we had a lot of different programming,” Berhalter said. “In 10 of the 12 months we had a competitive game. It was fast and furious, but the guys hung in there, the guys were resilient.

"No matter what player was called upon that stepped up and in the end we have something to be proud of. We know that there's a lot of work still to be done."