THE UNITED STATES national team opened its June run of games with a 3-0 victory over Morocco. Gregg Berhalter’s team completely deserved the victory, and it was an entertaining game, but not revealed in the score is that there is still plenty of work to do ahead of the World Cup in November.

Berhalter’s starting XI was completely expected. Matt Turner was in goal, Aaron Long and Walker Zimmerman started in central defence while Reggie Cannon and Antonee Robinson were on the outside. In the midfield was Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, and Brenden Aaronson – who Gregg Berhalter revealed would start in the middle – where he typically does with his club. Up top was Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah on the wings with Jesus Ferreira at center forward.

The U.S. team conceded possession but both teams had chances up to the 26^th minute when the U.S. team took the lead. Walker Zimmerman hit a beautiful long ball into the final third for Christian Pulisic. The Chelsea winger controlled the ball with fantastic first touch and laid it off to Brenden Aaronson for the easy finish.

"I take a touch; I look up to see further down the field what are my options. I see [Pulisic] look at me and change pace and immediately I put my head down to strike it over the top," Zimmerman said. "It's one of those things that you've got to constantly work on your chemistry and I think we have a good feel for each other in that regard."

"The ability of players to control the ball at high speed and change direction at high speed with the ball is what really separates players at the next level, and Cristian definitely has that," Berhalter added on Pulisic’s touch to create he first goal.

Then in the 32^nd minute, Tim Weah doubled the U.S. lead with a shot from distance that probably should have been saved by Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou who plays at Sevilla. Still, it was a great shot from Weah who hit it with pace and saw it knuckle to find its way into the back of the net.

The U.S. team continued to push on and nearly had a third just before the half when Jesus Ferreira had his shot from close range saved by Bounou after the Dallas attacker got behind Morocco’s backline.

In the second half, the U.S. team made a lot of predetermined substitutions. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Joe Scally, and Haji Wright made way for Zimmerman, Robinson, and Ferreira.

The U.S. team found its third goal in the 64^th when Christian Pulisic was fouled in the box. Pulisic gave the ball to Haji Wright, his former Bradenton teammate with the U.S. U-17 team, and Wright converted with a low shot.

Morocco had its best chance in the 74^th minute when Joe Scally was called for a penalty – harshly, but there was no VAR. Standard Liege forward Selim Amallah took the penalty for Morocco, but his shot hit the crossbar. The subsequent loose ball in the box was eventually cleared.

The remainder of the game was relatively uneventful and the U.S. team was able to see out its 3-0 win.

Here are a few thoughts on the game.

Turner helped flatter the USMNT

Matt Turner was very good in this game. He made several point-blank saves to keep Morocco off the board. Good goalkeeping is excellent, but these are not the kind of opportunities that can be given up too often. At the World Cup, teams will bury these chances more times than not.

A BRICK WALL. ???? pic.twitter.com/rudbbwWYUK

— USMNT (@USMNT) June 2, 2022

Coming soon to @Arsenal. ???? pic.twitter.com/c41SFHIyJV

— USMNT (@USMNT) June 1, 2022

As for Turner, he is only strengthening his grip on the starting goalkeeping position. This was the type of game that gives confidence in the team around him.

Aaronson sharp in the middle

There has been some debate over where Brenden Aaronson should play. He starts centrally for his club but in a way that might not translate to the national team, where he typically plays on the wing. The U.S. team has depth on the wings and there is a need in the midfield with Gio Reyna hurt and Weston McKennie still not at 100%.

Now was another great chance to give Aaronson a look in a central attacking midfield role. Berhalter announced this the day before.

The result is that it worked. Aaronson scored the opening goal when he made the lethal run into the box to hammer home Pulisic’s feed.

BA opens the scoring in Cincy!!! pic.twitter.com/IivRaTp7B6

— USMNT (@USMNT) June 2, 2022

On top of that, Aaronson looked sharp in many areas that helped the team. He won a huge percentage of his duels (9/13 of his ground duels), his dribbles helped put Morocco on his heels (he was 3/3), and his passing was an outstanding 28/31. His shot in the 64^th forced a save that eventually resulted in the penalty getting awarded.

Aaronson’s strong play centrally puts him in a good position to continue to stay there. It remains to be seen what happens when McKennie is able to start. That is where one of the big questions is right now. The Adams, Musah, and McKennie trio that was preferred in qualifying could open a competition between Musah and Aaronson as to who starts. Aaronson very well might prevail.

New faces were mixed

Against Morocco, Gregg Berhalter awarded first caps to Joe Scally, Malik Tillman, and Haji Wright. Cameron Carter-Vickers had been capped before, but this was his first appearance in three years.

As you would have expected, it was a bit of a mixed bag.

Joe Scally conceded a harsh penalty that probably would have been overturned on VAR but it was still a penalty. Other than that, he was aggressive getting forward – which is good to see.

Malik Tillman kept the pressure on Morocco, which was tiring in the second half. He is still a bit raw and his duel winning wasn’t great, but he nearly scored and forced a tricky save in the 74^th.

Haji Wright scored the third goal from a penalty, which was fortunate. In games that matter, those kicks will likely be taken by Pulisic. But aside from that, he was dangerous. His run behind the defense helped start the attacked that ended up in that penalty.

Cameron Carter-Vickers was pretty good in this game playing the second half. His passing was decent although he was beaten to conceded a point blank header in the 53^rd, which Turner saved.

Too much space conceded

The U.S. team obviously has the quality to make big plays in the attack. Whether or not the team finds success at the World Cup will come down to the backline and defensive midfield positions. The team cannot concede that much space and the defense needs to avoid being pinned back so much.

A lot of this is on the fullbacks which often were caught up-field or were isolated. This left a lot of work for the centerbacks, who made some big plays but also struggled at times. Aaron Long made a great emergency-defending play to block a point-blank shot, but also conceded a yellow card when he was beat.

But there was often way too much space, and this was on the team’s defensive shape as a whole.

"In the first half, Hakimi had too much time on the ball and Antonee was a little bit late releasing, I think at times the back line was too deep, gave the opponent too much space and in the physical battles, I think at times we got dominated on our back line," Berhalter said. "For us it's about team defending. Getting pressure on the ball makes it a lot easier for the center backs."

No. 9 remains open

While Haji Wright scored a penalty after Pulisic drew the foul, neither he nor Ferreira were able to convert dangerous chances. Still, both players had their moments where they stretched the defense to open up the game. Wright did that on the play that led to the penalty, and Ferreira was very active and aggressive in his pressing – which helped.

The point being is that both players were at least bringing something else to the table if they’re not going to score chances from the run of play. Still, there needs to be more production from whoever plays this position.

Neither player was poor, however, and Berhalter probably will continue to stick with these two because there still should be optimism that goals will come. Jordan Pefok is an interesting case after a great season in Switzerland but there is the question as to whether he can also help the team in other ways.

Pulisic questions fan support

The TQL Stadium wasn’t at a capacity in Cincinnati but it was also very red. While that would give the impression that the U.S. enjoyed a home-crowd advantage, it did not. Many of the red-wearing fans in the crowd were there for Morocco, who sung their national anthem loudly before kickoff.

“I’m not super happy with the amount of Americans here, however that works out, if I’m being completely honest,” Pulisic said. “But thanks for the ones who did come and the support is always great from them. It’s nice to be back in America and playing again.”

Pulisic should speak his mind but the comment makes him seem like he’s late to a problem that has been ongoing for generations. When the U.S. team plays Mexico at a big venue (as opposed to small ones in Ohio), the crowd is 80% for Mexico. El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Brazil, Italy, Ireland, England, Ecuador, Peru, Jamaica, France, and many other national teams enjoy strong support in the United States.

Pulisic was there when the U.S. team lost a crucial 2017 World Cup qualifier to Costa Rica and the Ticos had a huge amount of support.

There are a bunch of factors to this. Soccer in this country is still a heritage support. Second and third generation immigrants still use the sport to connect to the identity of their family’s heritage. The process converting these fans to embrace the U.S. team over the teams of their ancestors is a long, long process. It’s a generational issue and while progress has been made since the 1990’s when the U.S. team would be outnumbered in qualifiers at RFK to Jamaica and Guatemala, it’s a long process.

What helps is winning and making the U.S. team fun to follow. The team has improved in recent years, but it still is in a position where it missed the last World Cup. That’s a hole it is still digging out of, in terms of image.

But complaining about it is a complete lost cause and isn’t a good understanding of the issues.

Some have also mentioned ticket prices. They’re expensive, but they’re expensive for Morocco fans too. The U.S. team doesn’t play a lot of home games and they’re an expensive operation. Unlike a club team that can burry fixed costs over the course many games throughout a season, a national team cannot.

Sure, fans of the U.S. team would always like to see stadiums full of its own supporters whenever there is a home game. But we are still a ways from that.

Player Ratings

Starting XI

Matt Turner: Excellent game from the Revolution goalkeeper who will soon join Arsenal. He made seven saves, including several a point-blank range, to help give the U.S. team a flattering cleansheet. Rating: 8.0

Reggie Cannon: The Boavista right back was beaten off the dribble to allow a 12^th minute chance and was off sometimes with his spacing. But made some good clearances in the second half an fed Weah for his goal. Rating: 6.0

Walker Zimmerman: The mainstay central defender had a good first half before leaving as part of a preplanned sub. Like Cannon, he struggled to defend an attack in the 12^th minute but was fine aside from that. His pass to Pulisic on the opening goal was instrumental to giving the U.S. team an opening lead. Rating: 6.5

Aaron Long: Long was beaten in the 28^th minute and picked up a yellow card. He also made some nice defensive plays in emergency defensive situations, most notable in the 12^th minute. His mobility helped and he’s beyond his injury. Rating: 6.0

Antonee Robinson: It was a tough first half for Robinson who misplayed balls inside of the first 10 minutes and then was caught out of position defensively in the 12^th minute. Eventually he made way for Joe Scally for the second half. Rating: 5.0

Tyler Adams: Was the defensive cover behind Aaronson and Musah. In 66 minutes he won his duels, tackles, and was solid in his passing. Any defensive miscues were minor. Rating: 7.0

Yunus Musah: A relatively quiet performance from Musah who started off well helping to set up Ferreira for a 3^rd minute shot. He helped in possession but wasn’t part of anything too dangerous either. Rating: 6.0

Brenden Aaronson: An outstanding performance from the new Leeds United man who got the team on the board early. The finish was easy but the run and the speed he showed starting from the halfway line was impressive. His shot also was a big part of the penalty for the third goal. He looked confident in the middle of the field with his pressing and dribbling as well. Rating: 8.0

Christian Pulisic: A terrific performance full of skill. The touch on the first goal was remarkable and he was always drawing defenders who respected his talent. He also showed leadership after drawing the penalty and let Wright take it so that he could build up confidence. Rating: 8.5

Tim Weah: The Lille winger continued the strong form he showed at the end of the last season with a nice shot from distance. In addition he also forced two other tough saves to keep Morocco on its heels. Rating: 7.5

Jesus Ferreira: Should have done better with his chance just before halftime with a shot strikers need to finish. But he was a “pressing machine” as Berhalter put it and that helped wear Morocco down in the first half. Rating: 6.0

The Substitutes

Haji Wright: Converted his penalty but, like Ferreira, also had chances he could have done more with. He did help boost the U.S. team’s attack with his runs and his physical strength wore down Morocco’s defense. Rating: 6.5

Joe Scally: Was aggressive getting forward and showed promise. He conceded a very questionable penalty but was bailed out by the crossbar. Rating: 5.5

Cameron Carter-Vickers: He had one tough moment early in the second half when he was beaten in an aerial duel and his man had a point-blank header which was saved. Other than that, he did his job. Rating: 5.5

Luca de la Torre: Despite having a tough end to his club season, the San Diego native was sharp off the bench in a limited role as Morocco began to tire. Raing: 6.0

Malik Tillman: Nearly scored on a good shot in the 74^th and helped keep the U.S. team in control. Rating: 6.0

Weston McKennie: The Juventus man continues his recovery from suffering a broken metatarsal in February. He helped the team see out the game in a quiet performance. Rating: 5.5