USMNT's Loss to Switzerland Kicks Off Stretch Designed to Test, Mold Its First-Choice Squad

The 2–1 friendly defeat ended a nine-game unbeaten streak and illuminated some areas that require progress heading into World Cup qualifying.

The first-choice U.S. men's national team’s final camp before World Cup qualifying begins in September was never supposed to be easy. Four games in 11 days, transatlantic travel, training and playing at altitude—it’s all designed to steel a young American squad that’s still trying to find its competitive feet.

And so it kicked off with a test on Sunday that concluded in disappointing fashion, but which coach Gregg Berhalter hopes will be beneficial in the long run. The USA’s 2–1 friendly loss to Switzerland in St. Gallen ended a nine-game unbeaten streak dating back to November 2019. It also offered an opportunity to compete against seasoned and experienced opposition that was far superior to the regional middleweights the USA has played in recent months. These are the sort of games that make young teams better.

Sunday’s exhibition was the final tune-up before the USA contests the Concacaf Nations League final four next week. The Americans will face Honduras in Thursday’s semifinal in Denver, play the consolation game or final the following Sunday and then meet Costa Rica in another friendly on June 9 outside Salt Lake City. It’ll be a gauntlet. It’s supposed to be.

Facing an opponent ranked 13th in the world on Sunday, Berhalter opted for what was probably the strongest U.S. lineup available (or at least very close to it.). UEFA Champions League finalists Christian Pulisic and Zack Steffen won’t join up with the squad until late Monday, and midfielder Tyler Adams is still returning to fitness following a back injury. But otherwise, depending on how you feel about midfield starter Sebastian Lletget and substitute Yunus Musah, this arguably was the best American XI available.

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It’s a lot to ask of the players, to train at altitude and play a strong team immediately after a long club campaign, all before flying 5,000 miles for three more matches in quick succession. Sunday’s friendly wasn’t about experimentation, it was about preparation—preparation for the competitive games to come and then for the grind of qualifying.

“We’ve been looking at this carefully and what we’re seeing is that this is going to replicate the cadence of a player playing for his club team on the weekend, flying across the ocean and then preparing for a three-game block in World Cup qualifying,” Berhalter this week of the schedule.

“It’s going to be difficult. It’s going to be a challenge. But what it gives us is information, and I think that information will be valuable,” the coach continued. “Who can go three games? Who do you have to rest? What does the third game look like? There’s a number of different variables that we’re going to be able to get information on.”

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So the friendly in St. Gallen represented the “club [game] on the weekend,” and the subsequent travel, recovery and decisions over the days leading into Thursday’s semifinal will serve as the dress rehearsal for the transition to qualifying that’ll occur this fall. It was important, then, for Berhalter to start asking those questions of his first-choice players, in addition to getting them valuable time together. Their response and recovery will be a vital part of the process.

Selecting the LA Galaxy’s Lletget over Musah as one of two attacking players in the USA’s three-man midfield looked like the right move early on. Switzerland was on the front foot in the opening moments, but in the fifth minute, the Americans took the lead on Lletget’s fifth international goal in his last six games. Forward Gio Reyna was given all day to pick out a cross from the right corner of the penalty area, and a Swiss defender cleared it straight to Lletget. The ball bounced to Brenden Aaronson, who touched it back to Lletget for a well-hit finish from about 10 yards.

GOAL #USMNT! Sebastian Lletget gives the U.S. a dream start in Switzerland not even five minutes in #SUIvUSA

(via @ESPNFC)pic.twitter.com/MeV37n7Mw5

— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) May 30, 2021

From then on, the USA was the better team for much of the half. Switzerland had a couple good moments, however, and that was enough to draw level in the 10th minute and then nearly take the lead before halftime. Five minutes after Lletget’s goal, the U.S. was caught in transition and Xherdan Shaqiri had room to run in midfield. He picked out right back Silvan Widmer, who switched the play to a wide open Ricardo Rodríguez on the left. The Torino defender’s shot caromed off U.S. right back Reggie Cannon’s heel and past a helpless Ethan Horvath.

In the 40th, U.S. left back Sergiño Dest was whistled for a handball in the penalty area—he had an uneven day, but there probably wasn’t much the Barcelona defender could do on a play at such close range. Dest and his teammates were granted a reprieve by Rodríguez, however, who shanked his spot kick.

Ricardo Rodriguez fires wide on his penalty kick after Sergiño Dest is whistled for a handball! #USMNT catches a break, and it's 1-1 after the first 45 in St. Gallen #SUIvUSA

(via @USMNT) pic.twitter.com/0YDFp8nxnI

— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) May 30, 2021

Apart from those incidents, the U.S. starters played pretty well against a Swiss side that also fielded many of its first-choice players, led by Shaqiri, captain Granit Xhaka, forwards Haris Seferović and Breel Embolo, midfielder Denis Zakaria and more. The American press was high, robust and usually disciplined, and it created several turnovers that produced promising chances. Lletget hit the side netting in the 28th minute, Aaronson saw his turn-around shot saved a couple minutes later and after a U.S. corner kick in the 36th, Dest maneuvered through traffic and hit a hard shot to the near post that was parried away. While the USA was fortunate not to enter halftime trailing, Switzerland may have felt the same.

"It was very positive," Berhalter said of the way his team started. "Just to have the attitude of how we want to play and the positioning and the intention to be very aggressive, very high-pressing, pinning them in ... that's what I envision this group being able to do."

Like most friendlies, however, Sunday’s changed dramatically as the substitutions started to flow. A triple change by Berhalter preceded Switzerland’s game-winner, which came in the 62nd minute. Dest and newly-introduced center back Tim Ream failed to clear a loose ball, and Swiss midfielder Steven Zuber—one of three halftime additions along with Atalanta's Remo Freuler and Dortmund's Manuel Akanji—was able to steer it past Horvath. 

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The misplays were signs of trouble to come. The hosts responded far better than the USA as the personnel and landscape changed, and the visitors increasingly lacked the structure from which they benefited during the first half. The final score easily could have been far less flattering to Berhalter’s side, which was fortunate to lose by only one goal in the end.

"We definitely lost compactness in the second half," Berhalter said, "I'm really happy with the effort of our guys and the will to keep going and keep pressing and keep trying to impose our game on them, but in the end of the day, in the second half, I think we came up a little short."

If several days of rough conditions, the fatigue and a lack of experience or chemistry caught up with the Americans in the second half, that probably will be acceptable to the coach, however. They're among the hurdles his team will have to clear on its way to the World Cup.

"I don't love the result," Berhalter said. "But the guys had a great effort. It's a great measuring stick. This is a team that's been playing together for a really long time. It's the same group that Switzerland has had for the last four years, five years. So it's a mature group. It's an older group than us, and our guys can look at that as what this team could be in the future."