The weather for Wednesday night's crucial Concacaf Octagonal match against Honduras might be frigid, but the takes are red-hot after the US men's national team lost 2-0 to Canada in World Cup qualifying Sunday afternoon.
Among those chiming in is former USMNT striker turned pundit Herculez Gomez, offering pointed criticism of head coach Gregg Berhalter and the current squad.
“Gregg Berhalter has a soft team and that’s on him. They may be more talented than the generations of past, maybe more, but there’s no fight, there's no urgency,” Gomez said on ESPN's Fútbol Americas. “There’s certainly no spirit. If you’re going to hang your hat on those three Mexico wins, if that’s all you have to say about your tenure, if that’s really who you are, then why go to Qatar? Because what we’ve seen to date, it’s not going to get any better in Qatar.”
Two of the three Mexico wins Gomez referenced prompted 2021 Gold Cup and Nations League titles, while the other is a November WCQ win over El Tri. And the program's talent certainly is blossoming, with clubs destinations like Juventus (Weston McKennie), Chelsea (Christian Pulisic), Barcelona (Sergino Dest) and more raising the collective ceiling.
It all has the USMNT second in the Octagonal standings behind leaders Canada, facing an already-eliminated Honduran side Wednesday night at Minnesota United FC's home (7:30 pm ET | FS1, Univision, TUDN). That will be Matchday 11 of 14, and a crucial March window with trips to Mexico and Costa Rica looms, all alongside hosting Panama.
Despite the increased pressure, Gomez doesn't feel Berhatler's job is in jeopardy as the USMNT chase one of Concacaf's three automatic Qatar 2022 spots. The fourth-place team goes to an inter-confederation playoff.
"He’s sitting second place in World Cup qualifying," Gomez said. "This is U.S. Soccer we’re talking about, he’s not going to be fired. But we have to seriously acknowledge how much he’s holding this team back, how much he’s hampering this team’s progression."
Fútbol Americas co-host Sebastian Salazar asked how much blame falls on the players' shoulders. Gomez acknowledged there's blame in that direction too, but his broader point remains.
"It’s also on the players," Gomez said, "but who picks the players? Who picks the tactics?"
For more from Gomez and Salazar on Fútbol Americas, check out the show's archive here.
